This week I asked our panel of experts a question that I know is on a lot of your minds.

“Let's talk again about exercise.

How do you fit movement into your daily schedule without guilt?”

It's about finding small pockets of opportunity to take care of YOU.

I think you'll find the responses inspiring.

Terry Dean of My Marketing Coach says:

One of the best things for my health was moving to Florida over 4 years ago. Both my wife and I lost weight since we moved here, because we aren't trapped inside during the winter like we were back in Indiana. It's pretty amazing what a difference location has made.

I walk my two dogs every day. Once I made that habit, they make sure I stick to it. And during regular breaks throughout the day I'll play ball with them in the backyard. Instead of sitting there stressing about what to write or do, I'll get up and start moving. Some of the best brainstorming is during the walks.

I also have a weight set on our lanai which I workout with 3 times a week. In the summer time I worked out first thing in the morning to avoid the heat. Now that it's a little cooler I'll change this over to right before lunch. It becomes a break right in the middle of my day.

What I've found is exercise and movement get ideas flowing…which is the business we're in online. It doesn't take time away because your mind is still working in the background on the day's projects.

Jeanette S. Cates, PhD of Plan Your Online Business says:

We all agree that we feel better when we exercise, but sometimes in the midst of a project it's hard to remember that. I use a Happy Face timer.

Not only does it make me smile, but it reminds me to get up out of my chair every 45 minutes and walk around for a few minutes, maybe even vacuum a room or two. On good exercise days I dance to one or two tunes or turn on the Wii and dance to one of the dance videos so I can keep up with my grandkids.

Although I don't do as much as I “should” I enjoy walking the hike and bike trails in our neighborhood. On rainy days I go the mall that is only 3 minutes away. If I'm really feeling ambitious I walk the pool at our health club.

Note from Nik:  See Cute Timers on Amazon

Kevin Riley of Blogpreneur Training says:

Every day, I walk briskly. In fact, I no longer own a car. I walk everywhere. Sometimes, I'll take a train out to the countryside and go trail running (I love trail running like a mad man). Every Wednesday evening, I hit the boxing gym, beat the crap out of the heavy bag, go a few rounds with another boxer (I am in fact sporting a slightly fat lip today from this Wednesday's sparring), and then join the music boxing group for 30 minutes of all-out boxing aerobics. I feel fantastic after 2 hours of the boxing gym.

**Update: This week, I'm suffering badly bruised or cracked ribs (not sure as I passed on going to doctor) after challenging a semi-pro boxer half my age (yes, I am that crazy). I won the fight overall, but took a nasty powerhouse shot to my left ribs near the end. Don't make me laugh – it hurts. LOL. Ouch.

Dr. Mani of How to Set Goals says:

Outside professional work, I drive sparingly and only if the place I'm going to is over 2 kilometers away, or it's raining. For all other things, I walk.

When I drive, I try and park some distance away to squeeze in some brisk walking in between.

When it's less than 4 floors up, I take the stairs, not the elevator.

While working at a computer, I take breaks every hour or so, to walk around the house for a few minutes.

I've fit in an evening walk of around an hour with my daughter, a ritual we try and stick with every day. It works, more or less.

Not quite “exercise” in the sense of serious workouts, but you'd be amazed at how healthy it can be to walk briskly and regularly!

Rachel Rofe of How To Get Every Book You Write Onto The First Page Of Kindle says:

I have found that getting exercise finished first thing in the morning is the absolute best way to go for me.

I generally hate commitments :), and scheduling anything during the day feels like I have to schedule my whole day around that commitment.

When I work out first thing in the morning, it's done, I don't have to think about it any more, and the rest of the day is free to do as I please.

Every morning I wake up, drink 8 oz of water, fill up my water bottle, grab my iPhone and headphones, and walk to the gym.

As a bonus to doing this, working out first thing in the morning puts you in a good mood for the rest of the day and is also best for your metabolism.

Sometimes, if I'm feeling ultra productive, I'll pop in audio trainings and learn as I treadmill. Other times, I'll just play music that makes me happy.

Note from Nik: If you want some free audio training, check out my podcast – http://nicoleonthenet.com/category/podcast/

Erica Douglass of Market Vibe says:

I love the new game Ingress — it's made by Google and available on Android phones. You play in real life, so you physically have to walk to historical markers to play the game. It's quite fun. In the 3 days I've been playing it, I've walked/jogged nearly 3 miles just to “hack some portals” in the game.

It will be available for iOS next year, but in the meantime, it has quite an active base of Android players (over 1 million people are actively playing already!) I am on the “Resistance” side.

Kelly McCausey of Solo Smarts Podcast says:

I belong to a 24 hour gym and am fortunate that it's right around the corner from me.

I know it's hard to believe, but I like going to the gym.

Give me a bunch of podcasts to listen to and a not too busy gym and I'm a happy gal. My key to making this happen is going late at night, after the usual evening crowd has thinned out. After eleven at night it's usually just me and a few young guys who keep to the ‘big weights' and leave me to roam the machines without interruption.

I'd like to add another source of movement to my schedule – like maybe a daily walk around my neighborhood? I might also get back to volunteering at the local women's shelter – that was a great way to be more active. This is more practical, especially with winter so close, I don't see myself wanting to wander my streets in the snow.

I'm curious about adding a standing desk to my home office – I've heard many fellow podcasters say they prefer recording from a standing position and I'd like to give it a try. I've scouted out a few options and I like the smaller, mobile versions best.

Laptop Computer Desk/Podium Cart (Black)

I'd love to hear other's experiences with this sort of thing!

Kristen Eckstein of HOLY COW SHE WRITES A LOT OF BOOKS says:

Nicole Dean of .. here! .. says:

First of all, let me give kudos to my buds.

You’re all awesome! Whether you realize it or not, you’ve inspired me.

Let me share a few things that have helped me over the years..

1. My best friend, the timer.

I use a timer for everything in my house. It is my lifesaver. So, for instance, I’ll set the timer for 45 minutes of work, then I take 15 minutes to walk around, do laundry, exercise, head outside for a bit, whatever. It may not seem like much, but it really works on helping you stay focused — and off Facebook!

When I really need to lose weight fast, I try to break up my day so that I do focused work for 30-50 minutes, then do physical activity (like squats and situps) for 10-20 minutes then repeat. If I can do that 4-6 times in my day, that helps to keep my metabolism up all day long.

2. Wearing running shoes.

I find that it’s silly, but if I put on my running shoes first thing in the morning, I move more during the day than if I’m barefoot. Plus, I can’t climb on the couch or in bed for a nap as easily. (ducking and running)

3. Don’t work weekends.

I try not to work much on the computer (if at all) on the weekends, unless I’m launching a big project (or if something major happened during the week- fun or otherwise).

4. Outsourcing.

I know, it’s not directly related to exercise, but it keeps my butt out of the chair, which helps.

5. Freezer Cooking.

Again, I know it’s not directly related, but if I have meals in my freezer that are healthy, I’m much much much less likely to order pizza at night or go out to eat.

6. Exercise 7 Days/Week.

I used to plan exercise days and plan my “recovery” days back when I was a gym rat. Now, I aim to work out every day so that when life gets in the way and I miss one, it’s  no big deal.

7. Public Accountability.

It helps to have other people pestering me about how I’m doing. Accountability works.

8. Finding wasted time and making it useful.

My daughter is in chorus and dance classes in downtown Pensacola which is a 15-20 minute drive from home. I found myself sitting around for an hour to an hour and a half several times per week while she was at practice. I was too far from home for it to make sense to run back to work, so I'd sit and play Words with Friends or watch Hulu. So, after a year of that, the next year, I joined a gym right near where her rehearsals are. I find that, in the hour or so from when I drop her to pick her up, I can get really sweaty. I have just enough time to run to the gym, park, get inside, and get a good workout. It's not ideal, but it works for me. (Exercise without guilt is a good thing.)

That's it for me. Now it's your turn. How do you find time to exercise in your busy day?

Warmly,
Nicole Dean

PS. This is a great opportunity to tell you about my friend, Tiffany Lambert (formerly Dow) and her new product. Check out Work Life Balance to get a good butt-kicking about making sure you keep your priorities in line.

I'd like to share what I learned this month.

Honestly, I was not looking forward to this challenge, but I had to do it out of necessity. I hurt my back, and then totally stopped exercising – which is not good when you're in your late 30s and sit at a desk. eek! So, I knew the public accountability would help to kick me into gear – and was hoping I could kick a few other butts along the way. (Which I did. My mom will probably pipe in and attest to that. lol!)

I had 4 big forehead-slapping moments this month which were huge benefits to me.

Here are the lessons I learned…

1. The importance of stretching for fat burning.
I am now stretching at night before bed and have already started noticing that I'm more flexible. Plus, it really does feel good. I do, however, still need to get the Fuzzy Slippers in order to really get results.

2. One Workout Isn't Enough if You're On Your Butt All Day.
I really liked how Scott explained The N.E.A.T. principle. Hearing in no uncertain terms that one workout a day is not enough to reverse computer butt — was difficult. But, I loved his list of all the additional little things we could do throughout the day to help.

3.  Cardio vs. Weights for Busy People.
The blog post about 30 Minutes of Cardio vs. 30 Minutes of Resistance: How to Lose More Fat if You're too Busy to Spend an Hour at the Gym. That's the day that Lain started lifting weights – and I did more, too.

4. Sabotage.
Mark Mason's quote on the Sabotage blog post hit home. “I had a personal trainer once that used to say ‘You can out-eat any workout program.'” OUCH.

How about you?

Please post your final update today. Also, let me know if you had any forehead-slapping moments this month, too, and let me know what you plan to do to stay active now that the challenge is over.

((hugs)) to all and thank you for helping to keep my computer butt moving all month long!

Warmly,
Nicole Dean

Here’s where you can check out Scott & Angie’s Workouts one last time:

• Sizzlin’ Circuits for Women
• Fat Loss Quickie 10 Minute Home Office Workouts (Excellent!)
• Rock that Body (For a more advanced workout.)

This Calorie Burner is NEAT!

by Scott Tousignant

I’m proud of everyone who has made their health a top priority in their life. After reading through many of your goals for developing a daily routine that includes working out and physical activity, it’s obvious that we all have unique reasons for improving our health and our body. It’s also obvious that we have all experienced the dreaded “Computer Butt/Gutt” weight gain as a result of eating more and moving less, resulting in a calorie surplus.

By incorporating physical activity into your day and reducing your food intake, the outcome is burning more calories than you consume. But here’s the kicker… physical activity is much more than just following a workout program and going for a walk or bike ride on a regular basis. Yes, these activities burn a great amount of calories, and when you are following a strategic program, such as those under the Fat Loss Quickie brand, you will burn more calories even while you sit at your computer.

Although the caloric burn from these workouts are outstanding, the majority of the calories that you burn throughout the day actually come from Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis or N.E.A.T.

The trouble is, that sitting at a desk all day does not burn many calories. Going through the drive-through does not burn many calories. Sitting in front of the television does not burn many calories. If you want to experience great health and develop a sexy physique, you MUST increase your N.E.A.T.

It’s really actually quite simple to accomplish this goal.

• Preparing a healthy homemade meal increases your N.E.A.T. You could actually burn a couple hundred calories cooking a healthy family dinner.

• Standing, while you work at your desk and pacing around your office while you plan out your day or brainstorm a blog post is also a great way to increase your N.E.A.T.

• Strategically placing office supplies around your home office, forcing your to get up out of your chair frequently, is a simple way to increase your N.E.A.T.

• Listening to phone conferences or watching a video presentation, while pacing around your office, will also increase your N.E.A.T.

• Getting up to get a glass of water every hour will increase your N.E.A.T.

• Performing some light stretches every 30-60 minutes will increase your N.E.A.T.

• Playing with your kids or chasing a family pet will certainly increase your N.E.A.T.

Your goal is simple… move more and eat less. Your body was designed to move and it’s time that you re-discover the joy of a body in motion.

Nik has done an incredible service to the homepreneur community. She’s ignited the spark to get you off your Computer Butt and become the energetic, confident, and beautiful person that you really are. The greatest thing that you could do to show your appreciate for what Nik has just done for you, is to lead by example and become a positive role model yourself. Inspire other homepreneurs to get moving and become the best that they can be. That’s one of the greatest gifts that you could ever give.

Life ROCKS! Enjoy every second of it.

Thanks Scott!

Everyone, please post your update for today (and yesterday, too).

((hugs)) to all and thank you!

Warmly,
Nicole Dean

Here’s where you can check out Scott & Angie’s Workouts:

• Sizzlin’ Circuits for Women
• Fat Loss Quickie 10 Minute Home Office Workouts (Excellent!)
• Rock that Body (For a more advanced workout.)

Angie says “Stretching is beneficial to me because it relaxes my body before bed. I try to get out any knots that I may have accumulated throughout the day; which will aid in getting a more sound sleep. Getting a good nights sleep plays an important role in fat loss, which makes this stretching routine even more important to me.”

Here's her nighttime stretching routine. She says the fuzzy slippers are not optional.

If you want to burn fat with Angie – here's her sizzling circuits workout that focuses on the butt.

You can grab this program for only $10 here, if you'd like to join me:

http://www.fatlossquickie.com/Sizzlin-Circuits.php

Please post your update today and let me know if you have any special stretching routines before bed.

((hugs)) to all and thank you!

Warmly,
Nicole Dean

Here’s where you can check out Scott & Angie’s Other Workouts:

• Fat Loss Quickie 10 Minute Home Office Workouts (Excellent!)
• Rock that Body (For a more advanced workout.)

Well, today, I have a bite-sized version. It's more of a workbook. Scott and Angie have put together a new motivation report/workbook to help you to get moving. I looked through it and it's solid stuff, so here's the link:

Motivation for Body Transformation

Please post your update today. Whether you've been following along the whole month or you want to jump in now – we can get rid of our Computer Butts/Guts together, get more done, be more creative, and … well, live longer. All good stuff, guys and gals. So, check in please. I'll get lonely and sad here all alone.

((hugs)) to all and thank you!

Warmly,
Nicole Dean

Here’s where you can check out Scott & Angie’s Workouts:

• Sizzlin’ Circuits for Women
• Fat Loss Quickie 10 Minute Home Office Workouts (Excellent!)
• Rock that Body (For a more advanced workout.)

For those of you who didn't get in the amount of exercise that you wanted to this week, the weekend is here. That doesn't mean sloughing off. It means time for outdoor fun, cleaning, yard-work, biking, games of tag in the yard, etc. Don't be afraid to get dirty. You'll burn plenty of calories that way.

In lieu of me motivating you, I'll re- post the 10 minute ab workout that that'll knock your socks off.

Hopefully I'll check in tomorrow with more progress.

Please check in here with your Friday, Saturday and Sunday progress.

Warmly,
N

Here’s where you can check out Scott & Angie’s Workouts:

• Sizzlin’ Circuits
• Fat Loss Quickie 10 Minute Home Office Workouts (Excellent!)
• Rock that Body (For a more advanced workout.)

Since she reads my blog…  here's a free ebook by Scott that you'll enjoy!

Click here to read this free ebook: Motivation Report for Fat Loss

Please post your workout progress below.

((hugs)) to all and thank you!

Warmly,
Nicole Dean

Here’s where you can check out Scott & Angie’s Workouts:

• Sizzlin’ Circuits
• Fat Loss Quickie 10 Minute Home Office Workouts (Excellent!)
• Rock that Body (For a more advanced workout.)

Yesterday Scott gave us a serious talk about prioritizing *some* exercise into our days. Remember, something is better than nothing. More is always better, but doing nothing is really not an option.

That little talk hit home for a few of us. (Me included.) Go back and read it if you haven't: ROI on Exercise.

Today, I've got a silly little video Scott made that cracked me up as well as a 10 minute ab workout.

First the silly video. (Remember laughter is good exercise, too.) The ab video is below this one.

Is Computer Gut your problem?

Here's a 10 minute ab workout that'll knock your socks off.

Please post your update today. If you missed the first few weeks of this challenge, no worries. Jump in at any time!

((hugs)) to all and thank you!

Warmly,
Nicole Dean

Here’s where you can check out Scott & Angie’s Workouts:

• Sizzlin’ Circuits
• Fat Loss Quickie 10 Minute Home Office Workouts (Excellent!)
• Rock that Body (For a more advanced workout.)

Here' s the workout that I'm doing this month (which incorporates a variety of exercises).

You can grab this program for only $10 here, if you'd like to join me:

http://www.fatlossquickie.com/Sizzlin-Circuits.php

It's a friendly “tough love kick in the butt” from our friend, Scott Tousignant.

The question he asks is “What are you Doing Right Now That's More Important Than Exercise?”

What's your ROI on Exercise?
by Scott Tousignant

Time is our most precious commodity, which is why it’s so important to prioritize the tasks that you perform throughout the day to ensure that you are doing the tasks that give you the greatest return on your investment (ROI). Unfortunately not many online entrepreneurs are aware of the ROI on their daily tasks and they spend their day being busy rather than productive and wonder why they continue to struggle growing their business.

Every business is different and certain tasks may produce a greater ROI for certain businesses compared to others. There is however, one task that will provide an incredible ROI for every online entrepreneur. That task is physical fitness. Ironically, it’s the one task that many online entrepreneurs will brush off and say they don’t have time for.

Let’s take a look at the ROI on exercise:

• Increased energy: Keep up with your kids and live life to the fullest
• Increased focus: Your mind stays on target with the task at hand
• Increased productivity: Get more done in less time so you have more time to do what you enjoy the most in life.
• Increased Creativity: Your mind becomes more open to ideas and solutions
• Increased confidence: The benefits of this are limitless in business and life.
• Increased self esteem: Enhances your belief in your abilities
• Increased networking opportunities: You become more approachable and you are more willing to “get out there” more.
• Increased sense of well-being: Feel great about yourself and your actions
• Improved sleep: When you exercise you enjoy greater quality sleep and wake up feeling rested and ready to take on the day at hand.
• Reduced Stress: It becomes easier to handle the challenges that life throws at you.

With all of these benefits how can you possibly avoid exercise?

Yes it’s hard work, but it’s hard work with a huge ROI.

I challenge you to find any other task in your day that provides more benefits than exercise.

I encourage you not to fall into the trap of, “As soon as I finish this project, I’ll start to exercise.” I’ve got news for you… there will always be new projects and with this mindset you will never make the time for your health and fitness.

Another trap is waiting until you achieve a certain level of business success before you make your fitness a priority. “As soon as my online business takes off and these PPC campaigns start turning a profit I will have the freedom to workout more often and the finances to get a gym membership.” With this mindset, money is more important than your health.

Now let’s say that your ROI on PPC becomes so great that you finally have the freedom that you and your family deserve, but then out of nowhere Google slaps ya! Your income stream stops and you scramble to find another method of traffic. Let’s say that within a few months you find that banner ads become your new #1 profit machine and life is all good and happy again.

But what if LIFE decides to slap you with diabetes or a heart attack, because you placed your health at the bottom of your priority list?

What if life slaps you and cuts your life short by a year or two?

That’s time that you can’t get back. That’s time that you could have spent creating more memories with your family. Sure you had some great trips and vacations in the early days because you focused on business and money, but there was a hidden cost that didn’t reveal itself until it was too late. Was it worth it?

Everything in life is a choice. Your current situation is a result of all the choices that you’ve made in life. Your choices are often influenced by your values. Right now, you have a choice to bump your health to the top of the list of your priorities, or continue putting it off and hope to have the time to make it a priority down the road. Do you value your health? Before you make that decision, remember… time does eventually run out.

This tough love kick in the butt was brought to you by Scott Tousignant He cares about you, your business, and your life.

I've got one word for you. GEEEEEEZ. That hit a little close to home for me. How about for you?

It's funny. I started to mark my favorite quotables in that piece in bold, but had to stop because the whole thing was getting bold.

“Everything in life is a choice. Your current situation is a result of all the choices that you’ve made in life.“

Please post your update today. If you missed the first few weeks of this challenge, no worries. Jump in at any time!

((hugs)) to all and thank you!

Warmly,
Nicole Dean

Here’s where you can check out Scott’s Workouts:

• http://metabolicmasterpiece.com

The topic today is “Is your Diet Sabotaging your Workouts?”

I've got to admit —  although I don't care for sweets, I do love salty foods. So, I can stay out of the ice cream or cake pretty easily, but I love tortillas and queso dip and jalepeno poppers – and all those greasy, salty foods. ((Sigh))

The good news is that I normally do well, when I have my freezer plugged in – from November to June. It's July-October (while my husband is coaching football in the evenings and my freezer is unplugged for hurricane season) that totally sets me back when I go out to restaurants more than I should.

So, I guess I can either exercise more – or fix my diet during those months. (I know Scott will say “both”. lol.)

I will be working on that this week. Plugging in my freezer and loading it with meals that I make. Then, I can grab a healthy dish out of the freezer and toss into the oven.  I'm a woman with a “mission”.

As for exercise, please post your update today. If you missed the first two weeks of this challenge, no worries. Jump in at any time!

((hugs)) to all and thank you!

Warmly,
Nicole Dean

PS. Here’s where you can check out Scott & Angie’s Workouts:

• Sizzlin’ Circuits
• Fat Loss Quickie 10 Minute Home Office Workouts (Excellent!)
• Rock that Body (For a more advanced workout.)