Don’t panic, there is still time to get ready to put on that swimsuit!

How? Stop procrastinating and start moving! Too many people use excuses to enable them to give up on a healthy fitness program. Admit it, you probably made a New Year’s resolution that revolved around making sure you were ready for swimsuit season this year. For the first several weeks you were probably very diligent, eating well, going to the gym regularly, but slowly you forgot about swimsuit season, and started relaxing on your regimen.

I know what you’re thinking, you are too busy, too tired, too out of shape to continue exercise regularly. Not true! In fact, research shows you will derive benefits from a fitness program regardless of age, fitness level and time spent exercising. Research also shows, contrary to popular belief, that exercise actually gives you more energy. You’ve made a decision, so don’t let excuses overthrow your efforts to achieving your goal.

To get that swimsuit body, your fitness program should include a combination of aerobic exercise, strength training, flexibility, and proper nutrition. Research has shown that an accumulation of as little as 30 minutes of activity a day—most days of the week—has health benefits. It gets better! The 30 minutes of exercise can be split into two or even three separate sessions. A 15 minute walk to and from work is as good as 30 minutes of continuous walking. Creating and sticking with healthy habits, like anything else, takes time and effort. Use the following tips to help you overcome barriers and make summer 2007 the year of not only the swimsuit but of a healthier, more fit you!

Plan Exercise Into Your Day. Plan fitness into your day and make it a priority. Schedule workouts just like any other appointment, and keep these appointments with yourself. Ways to up your adherence include: making sure the activity you choose and the time frame you allow yourself are realistic. Think of it this way: you wouldn’t miss a doctor’s appointment without there being a serious reason, right? So why would you miss your workout appointments which help you to see your doctor less?

Tap into Your Support Network. You will be more likely to stick with exercise if your support comes from more than one source. Go back to the people you told your New Year’s resolutions to and ask for support. Create two support groups: one group you can call on to workout with, and the other who will support your decision to exercise even if they do not exercise with you. This is the person you should be able to vent to about your workouts. If you need to tell someone you went to the gym at 8 a.m. to keep you going this is the person you call. Or maybe you just need to vent about the person next to you in class that kept messing you up, find a person willing to listen.

Re-visit Your Goals. Are you trying to lose weight? Get stronger? Improve your quality of life? Look better in a swimsuit? You need to be able to write down your goals and make them measurable. By writing down specific, measurable goals, you will be able to create structure for your workouts and chart your progress.

Create both short-term (small more quickly obtainable goals i.e. lose 5 lbs.) and long-term goals (takes several smaller goals to reach the long term i.e. lose 20 lbs before swimsuit season). After you have created your short-term and long-term goals make sure they are realistic. Your short term goals should lead to your long term goals. If you want to lose 20 lbs. long term, setting up short term goals of smaller weight loss amounts will help you see results, keep you motivated, as well as help you progress towards your long term goal. Unrealistic goals set you up for failure and discourage you from continuing to exercise. Prevent let-downs by setting realistic goals.

Reward Yourself. Rewards are a great way to keep you going. After you have reached a short term goal, treat yourself to a massage, a new CD, a night out on the town…whatever reward you choose. But, do not center your rewards around food. In time, the benefits of exercising will become their own reward and the exercise habit will reinforce itself.

It is not too late to get back to the gym, it is not too late to revisit your New Year’s Resolutions, and it is not too late to get in swimsuit shape.

Good Luck!