My first reason was – to be able to run with a lessened risk of knee injury.

I really do enjoy running. If you told me a decade ago that I’d be writing this sentence I’d laugh in your face. Moi?? running?? Still, at some point a couple of years ago I decided to give it a try and I’ve joined the ranks of wannabee runners. I can’t really call myself a runner – even at my best, which was over a year ago, I could only run for 5 km. And that high point in my running career was short lived. A few weeks later, I traveled out of the country, didn’t have the time or motivation to keep on and went back to couch potato.

Still, working out now, I started running again. Just because I like it.

The problem is I am carrying too much excess weight. I can feel my feet, ankles, shins and most of all knees, groaning under the strain. I limit my runs and increase distances very very gradually. It sucks – once you get into the run, you want to go on, as much as your lungs allow you to. It’s the adrenalin pushing you forward. Having to stop myself to protect my knees is no fun.

So, in order to have more fun running, I need to lose that extra weight.

The state or condition of being physically sound and healthy, especially as the result of exercise and proper nutrition. A state of general mental and physical well-being.

Overall fitness is maintained in various ways and relates to our daily lifestyle. For most of us, this means sitting by our desk for hours, usually in front of the computer. The result: neck and back pain.

Daily exercise can help, but a single session of one hour, accompanied by 8-10 hours of crammed sitting by your computer is not enough. The key here is taking breaks.

As a webmaster, I know how easy it is to get all wrapped up in your work and stay immobile for an hour or two. That’s very bad news for your body. You have got to find someone or something to remind you to take proper breaks on a regular basis. Here are a few tips -

1. Download one of the many free “take a break” reminders. I use EyesRelax by TechMech. It’s very easy to install and configure. I have it set up for a one minute break every 15 minutes and a longer 5 minutes long break every hour. Here are similar applications reviewed by Download.com.
2. When it’s break time – get away from the computer. Walk around the house or stretch where you can’t see the screen. The idea is to get up and take the pressure of sitting off your lower back. You can use the time to do something else – just not on the computer.
3. Don’t forget your fingers! When it’s break time, move your fingers around, fan them and stretch them.
4. Finally, your eye muscles need exercise too. When it’s break time, try to look outside the window for a while. Experts recommend looking at objects at least 20 feet away from you for a while, then switching back to something closer. Repeat this eye exercise during some of your breaks.

Oops, break time for me here – see you later!

But, here’s the rub. It would take me too long. Driving there and back, plus the long hike I was fantasizing about – I figure at least two hours, possibly more. Who’s got the extra two hours in the middle of the week? Out the window went that idea went, and I settled for a routine 45 minutes workout in the nearby streets.

I am sharing this story in order to illustrate that I don’t have all the time in the world to exercise. I am a working Mom. Between raising two kids, two cats and a husband, the gazillion projects I manage online, friends and family, time always seems scarce.

We all have so many tasks and chores in our lives, squeezing in the exercise can sometimes seem impossible. Up until a few years ago, I really did think I simply do not have the time to work out. Every minute I didn’t have to put into managing the home, I would try to put into managing my business.

My husband was the one who made me see the light through us having a lengthy talk about one important thing -

Priorities.

You see finding time to exercise can seem impossible, when you put it alongside things like work and managing a home. Now, stop for a minute and think about what exercise really means for your life:

Your Good Health.

Now, let’s try and look at the priorities again: work vs. good health? money vs. good health? clean home vs. good health? Which is really more important to you?

Is getting diabetes in your 40’s worth the clean house, the extra money or career achievements?

As we both considered that, things suddenly became crystal clear. Of course my health is more important. This isn’t about a fun stroll in the park. It’s about making sure my kids have a healthy Mom for years to come. Nothing is more important than that.

So now, I do have the time to exercise. It comes before house chores and before my work. I no longer have to find time to squeeze in my workouts into a busy schedule. I schedule the workouts first, and then build the rest of my activities around that. I still rant about lack of time, but now my rants are not about lack of time to exercise. Priorities. That’s all it is.