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If your doctor told you there was a new pill that could give you more energy, help you lose weight, lower your blood pressure, keep your cholesterol and blood sugars in line, prevent diabetes, cancer and depression, would you take it?

Of course you would. Who wouldn’t? If only it was that easy. But, there is something you can do on a daily basis that will give you all of the above and more. I know you know what I’m going to say- Exercise!

Physical inactivity is a fast-growing public health problem that we know contributes to a variety of health complications and chronic diseases.

Exercise is so important to our health and well-being, that the American College of Sports Medicine has named May, Exercise is Medicine Month. Exercise is Medicine™ is an initiative focused on encouraging primary care physicians and other health care providers to include exercise when designing treatment plans for patients.

So, if we’re all aware of how much good exercise will do for us, how come everyone’s not participating in some form of daily activity? Because anyway we look at it, exercise takes time and effort. And these days, time seems to be a rare commodity for most of us.

But if we don’t take the time to exercise, sooner or later we’ll need time to visit the doctor, physical therapist, chiropractor, dietician, or other health care professionals in the desperate attempt to fix what could have been prevented in the first place.

To help you get started, along with all the great information you can get from the Exercise is Medicine™ site, here are some tips to get you started. And once you get moving, you’ll look forward to it knowing that on a daily basis, you are taking the best stay healthy pill around, and it doesn’t cost a penny!

1. Start slow and build up a little at a time. Begin with a little bit of movement, every other day. Even a 10-15 minute walk in the morning or after dinner is a way to increase endurance and begin getting the health benefits of exercise.

2. Commit to working up over time to the ACSM and AHA physical activity guidelines for healthy adults. Do moderately intense cardio 30 minutes a day, five days a week. Or, do vigorously intense cardio 20 minutes a day, 3 days a week. And, do eight to 10 strength-training exercises, eight to 12 repetitions of each exercise twice a week.

3. Schedule specific days and times for exercise into your calendar, making it just as important as all your other commitments. Figure out what works for you; first thing in the morning, at lunch, after work or early evening. There is no best time to work out. It’s whatever is best for you.

4. Break it up into short segments. Research has shown that accumulating several moderately strenuous 10-minute bursts of activity over the course of the day is just as effective as working out for 30 minutes straight.

5. Try a variety of different activities. You can keep it interesting by trying lots of different options. Bike ride one day, hike another or join a class. The more enjoyable the activity, the greater the chances of your being consistent.

6. Include family and friends. Aside from it being more fun with others along, you will become the role model for those you care about. A lifetime of good habits such as exercise lead to a lifetime of good health.

7. When all else fails, call in the help of the experts. If you are struggling to get exercise and movement into your life on a daily basis, hire a personal trainer or a wellness coach to keep you accountable, create a program that fits into your unique situation, and make sure your time is spent efficiently and effectively.

We are very grateful to Ellen for providing an insightful Guest Blog Post. Ellen G. Goldman is an excellent coach and is known as The Business Professional's Wellness Coach. You can check her out at www.EnerGcoaching.com.