Indoor Activities:

• Undertake that spring-cleaning project. Think about the muscles you'll use when you clean windows or move furniture to clean your carpets. Just remember to put on some fast-tempo music to keep you moving from room to room!
• It's time to clean up the garage and put away those holiday decorations that are still sitting in a corner. While you're at it, how about cleaning out your closet? Now that you've dropped a size or two, you probably have a bundle of clothes to give to charity.

Outside Activities:

• Now that the weather is warming up, go for a nice long walk every day or go for a jog and enjoy the changes in scenery that springtime brings. Don't forget to take "Buster" along with you and make those steps count!
• Perhaps you learned a new workout routine in a class or an exercise video when it was too cold to venture outside. Try doing the routine in the tranquility of your yard or outside with a friend. Working out –outdoors--allows you to focus on the scenery and not the image of yourself in the gym mirror or television reflection.
• While you're in your yard, you might notice the need for some springtime yard work. Making these activities feel like exercise is as simple as holding in your abs to keep your back straight and alternating which foot you hold forward while raking or digging. Pruning bushes and trees is excellent exercise for your forearms, and planting trees and flowers will provide you with full-=body exercise as well as a beautiful yard to show for your effort!

Community Activities:

• If you'd like to be active and make a difference at the same time, seek out a volunteer opportunity that will get you moving! Clear litter from a beach or park. Help clear trails at a nearby nature preserve. Working as a volunteer will not only give you the opportunity to directly help others, but will allow you to reap the physical benefits of some hard work.
• If you want to help your community but can't help out through work, consider helping by working out. Springtime offers a host of opportunities to begin training for charity events such as walks, mini-marathons or triathlons. Training for an event will keep you active with a goal in mind while you collect donations for a charitable cause.

Even though some of these activities don't sound like exercise, your body will feel the work while your mind enjoys the benefits. Remember to listen to your body and slow down if you're tired. Balance less strenuous activities you can maintain with difficult ones that you can do intermittently. Keep a bottle of water at hand and your pedometer at your side.

# posted by L. F. Guerra Jr @ 3:53 PM