I always mourn a little bit when the weather changes and I have to take my workouts indoors for the season. It’s so much easier to motivate myself to get going when I can be outside. Many people solve this problem by routinely pointing their cars toward the gym. If you aren’t a "gym rat" by nature and work out in your home, here are some tips for getting started and sticking with your workout.

• Schedule a time for exercise and stick to it! Arrange your schedule to accommodate your workout rather than trying to fit your workout into an already busy schedule. (Maybe that errand to pick up or drop off can wait till tomorrow?)
• Arrange for children or pets to be safely occupied. (Use bribery if you must!) Let your voice mail pick up your calls until you’re done.
• There are lots of fun and interesting workout videos on the market. Eliminate the ones that smack of boot camp and focus on the ones you enjoy the most. Make sure the workout balances upper and lower body conditioning, aerobic activity, and flexibility training.
• If you use a workout tape, decide ahead of time which one you’ll use next. Place it in your VCR and fast forward it to the beginning of the warm-up. When it’s time to exercise, you’ll be glad to just push the button and get started.
• Even if you don’t feel like exercising, make an agreement with yourself to at least do the first five minutes of the workout. This is especially important if you exercise at the end of the day when energy can be low. If you don’t want to continue after five minutes, then you can stop. Chances are, you’ll feel more like exercising once you get moving.
• Listen to your body during the warm-up to get an indication of how hard you want to push yourself for the rest of the session. Don’t be afraid to push yourself into new territory. If you begin to quiver or shake, you’ve gone too far. Back off and relax your efforts a little bit.
• Take a few minutes to wind down when you’re done working out. Close your eyes and see yourself three months down the road. Visualization can reinforce your progress. Acknowledge every workout session as a step toward feeling your best.

The key to total fitness is enjoying the process. Nobody has the luxury of staying fit without working out. Find pleasure in every small success and realize that achieving a healthy lifestyle takes an ongoing effort.