Fitting in fitness this fall

Moving in the morning
Start your day the right way. After you've walked around for a few minutes in the morning, pretend that you're back in gym class. Do a quick set of 15 jumping jacks to get your blood pumping. Then do some squats, push-ups and crunches. Now perform a nice long, gentle stretch. This all takes less than five minutes and it leaves you full of energy to start your day.

Workouts at work
Park as far away from your workplace as possible. Take the stairs. Need to speak with a co-worker? Don't pick up the phone, pick yourself up and walk over to their desk. Roam the halls or run up and down the stairs during your breaks.

Take a lap or two around the entire mall before you start to shop. Zoom up and down every aisle of the supermarket even if you don't need anything from some of the aisles. Shopping at a strip mall? Don't move your car. Walk from shop to shop.

Family fitness is fun
Play outside with your kids. It will be good for all of you. Walk your dog a little further each day. Enter a walk-a-thon as a family and train together. Not only will you be raising money for a good cause, you will also be spending time together as a family and exercising.

Around the house
Do your own lawnwork and housework. Pull weeds. Wash windows. With the calories you've burned and the money you've saved, you can buy yourself a new outfit.

Make TV work for you
During a typical one-hour television program, approximately 15 minutes is commercial time. So jump out of your seat. March or jog in place. Do crunches, squats, lunges and push-ups. If you have weights handy, lift them. After two hours of television viewing you'll have managed to fit in 30 minutes of exercise.

If you're lucky enough to own a treadmill, exercise bike or elliptical machine, dust it off and use it. Ten or 15 minute mini-workouts done two or three times a day really adds up.

This fall, instead of giving up on your fitness, break it up, and you'll sail through the season with energy to spare.