Exercise to Recharge Your Life

You know how when you're on an airplane and they tell you to put the oxygen mask on yourself before you try and put it on someone else? Well, the same is true in your day to day life.

The simple truth? You can’t help someone else if you haven't helped yourself first.

When you get married and start having kids, focusing on yourself becomes less of a priority as your spouse or kids become #1 in your life. 

While that’s pretty common and understandable, it doesn’t make it healthy and definitely doesn't ensure you are getting your needs met. Of course you love your spouse and your kids and would do everything for them--but you can’t forget about yourself.

One of the first things that tend to go by the wayside as we get older is our health. We stop exercising, and start making excuses that we either don’t have enough time or enough money to exercise and maintain a healthy life style. This all is odd to me, because if you are not healthy, then there's a pretty good chance your family will be just as unhealthy as you.

Your kids follow what you do. If you're not active, then your kids are likely to be inactive; if you eat junk, there is a pretty good chance your kids are going to follow in your footsteps. It's time to take control of your health and set a good example. Actions will always speak louder than words.

Here are three simple steps to get started in the proper direction.

1. Make a plan -- Figure out what your goals are and write out a specific plan on how you plan to achieving those goals.

2. Schedule, Schedule, Schedule -- If you're busy, that's understandable. But it's important to dedicate at least one hour a day to your health/fitness plan. Set one hour a day where you are going to go to Boot Camp, the gym or go for a run outside.

3. Create a support system -- It's hard change your lifestyle if everyone around you have bad habits. So if you're exercising and eating healthy, then your family and friends should be doing the exact same thing you are doing. They love you, they should support you.

When you're a new mother, you likely have depleted energy levels, are having a hard time getting enough sleep, and likely tend to be extremely irritable at time. Guess what? Exercise can help!

Exercise not only will help you get fit and healthy, but it can help boost your energy levels, promote better sleep and improve your mood.

Jeff Sears is co-owner and a coach for LiveFitBootCamp, a company that offers three outdoor classes daily at   and . For information on classes, contact Sears at jeff@livefitbootcamp.com or (707) 287-5543.