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Well, March is upon us and, as they say, "spring is in the air". Anxious to break free from the cold winter weather, spring conjures up images of afternoons in the park, long leisurely walks, breaking out the bike from its place of hibernation in the garage, and getting our legs in gear for a ride. For many of us who've been cooped up inside, sheltered from yet another snowstorm, we have long awaited the chance to see color blooming again and take in those familiar smells of spring. Perhaps we're also thinking about dropping those few extra pounds that have so easily sneaked up on us over all the fun food-filled winter holidays.

Consistency, Not Intensity

In other words, spring is a great time to start exercising again and get back in shape. Many of us, in an overly zealous effort to beat our bodies back into shape, will inevitably take on too much right from the start, resulting in pain and possible injury from pushing those unused muscles too hard, too soon. Remember, consistency will always beat out intensity. A consistent exercise program - one consisting of 20-30 minutes of aerobic activity 4 to 5 times per week - is much more valuable to our overall health and fitness level than an exercise program that demands our taking on too much too soon.

Also, a word to the weekend warrior... Doing virtually nothing during the week, only to transform yourself into an exercise fanatic on weekends has relatively limited benefit. Studies have shown that the loss of fitness from foregone weekly exercise outweighs any heroic efforts put forth on weekends.

Simple Challenges

We, at HiDef, are starting out our monthly fitness program this month with the challenge to put in 20 minutes of daily aerobic exercise, as many times as possible throughout March. We encourage you to take this challenge with us. Remember, spring doesn't happen overnight, and neither does fitness. Have fun and Good Luck!