I thought I would never ever say I'm an early morning exercise fanatic, but I have found a new love. The first couple of mornings were tough, but once I got into a routine I found not only is the workout easier and goes by much quicker in the morning, but it really does help jump-start my day. I now look at it as a compliment to my morning coffee! It also doesn't hurt that I can now fit into those skirts and pants that I had tucked away in the back of my closest and was very close to donating to charity. 

So for those of you who rely on the evenings for workout time or find excuses because the evenings never seem to have enough time....try the morning. You might find yourself pleasantly surprised!

Ok, I already know that adding muscle helps burn real calories while I’m watching Real Housewives, but I’ll confess I’ve fallen off the weight lifting wagon. I was a devoted Body Pump attendee—a class at my local Y where you lift dumbbells in sync to Top 40 hits—until a few months ago.

What did I like about it? Honestly, I liked how efficient it was: We were over and done and had worked most of the major muscle groups in a little less than an hour. It allowed me the opportunity to listen to my musical guilty pleasures. It was a woman-centric weight lifting opportunity without interruption from the grunting, straining scary dudes in the real weight room (does anyone else liken a walk through the weight room to a zoo field trip?).

So I fell off the wagon during my recent elliptical kick (maybe I can blame it on the need to control my workout soundtrack?). I think I’ll take this month’s challenge as an opportunity to move my weight workout back home, away from the zoo animals at my gym. Maybe there’s some truth to the whole idea of working in reps between commercial breaks. I already own two 5-lb weights, but I know they’re not challenging enough. I like the tip in this month’s article that suggests you should only use weights that allow you to do an exercise 8 to 12 times. I think I’ll add resistance bands and heavier hand weights to my next shopping list.

What’s your favorite at-home strength move?

Last week, I had the pleasure of supervising a fitness photo shoot for two "great-for-you" exercises that will soon run in the June and July issues of Cooking Light. No matter how many shoots I’ve been on, there’s always one thing you can count on when you’re taking pics of workout moves: everyone (from the photographer to the stylist to the guy adjusting the lights) loves to share what they personally do in order to stay in shape.

If you’re smart and keep your ears open, you can actually learn a lot during moments like this. But instead of writing down "what" a person likes to do activity-wise when they work out, your body may benefit a lot more by paying more attention to "why" they choose to work out in the first place.

For example, one of the fitness models at the shoot was an incredibly fit young woman named Cass Ghiorse. I’ve worked with hundreds of fitness models over the years, and most share the same common reason for why they exercise—because it’s their "job" to look good.

But Cass was different.

I first learned about the 12 Healthy Habits at a staff meeting in October 2010. Being a registered dietitian and always striving to "practice what I preach," I barely blinked an eye at being able to complete most all of the habits each month. I know, I sound like a Healthy Habits snob, don't get me wrong. I love my fair share of chocolate, red wine, ice cream, and eating out, but making healthy choices, cooking, and working out are a part of my everyday lifestyle. I'll admit, a few of the habits were going to challenge me, but I was ready to go and ready to encourage my husband to adopt the habits as well.

And then everything changed...

January came and the habit of Eating More Fruits and Vegetables was the last thing I wanted to think about. I was 8-12 weeks pregnant during the month and in the "throws" (literally) of the first trimester yucks. I wish the habit of the month had been to eat as much starch and sour candy as possible because I would have succeeded with flying colors. Instead, I gave myself a big FAIL for this habit! The thought of my go-to weeknight veggies like roasted asparagus and sweet potatoes made me cringe, my favorite snack of hummus with English cucumber slices and baby carrots literally brought tears to my eyes (seriously, I cried), and don't even get me started on the smell of broccoli. It was a disaster! Not only could I not eat fruits and vegetables, but I couldn't even drink juice. January Score: F

February's Healthy Habits challenge “Get Moving” was one I thought I could just say, “Been there, done that, got the tee shirt.” As a seasoned marathoner, I get plenty of aerobic conditioning with running. But after 8 months of training for a two marathons this season, I needed to switch things up and incorporate more low-impact workouts to save my knees and get out of a running rut.

That meant switching out some run days with swimming and cycling. Swimming stretches your body out and is a great core exercise and upper body workout. Adding a spin class once or twice a week builds leg strength. 

That takes care of cardio, but what about the other components of fitness: strength and flexibility? My weekly, hour-long personal trainer session is a total body workout. But time and money-wise, I can’t afford to do it more than once a week. So I looked at the class schedule at my local YMCA to find more “free” options to add variety to my fitness plan. I was excited to see yoga, Pilates, and the hottest thing now, boot camp-style classes. And many have beginner sessions to introduce you to the workout. You’re never too old to try something new because you can modify the intensity.

Shauna Ahern set out to achieve February's Healthy Habits goal of exercising more (in Shauna's case, we quantified that as 20 minutes of exercise, 3 times per week). She achieved that goal, and most importantly, she added exercise to her life as a source of joy, not a chore.

But there were a couple of interesting side effect to this exercise, focus, and self-care. Shauna got a lot of other things done, too:

1. Shauna's house is in order (literally). Before taking on the exercise challenge, Shauna's good friends Anita and Cameron came to visit, and decided to do a house project together: clean the kitchen. Shauna, her husband Danny, Anita, and Cameron removed everything from the kitchen, cleaned it, then returned only what was useful. The simple act of removing items from the space helped Shauna and Danny lose the items that were adding clutter, not value to the kitchen space.

By: Vanessa Pruett, Cooking Light Test Kitchen Director

Is there an exercise program, a class, or a piece of equipment you’ve always wanted to try? For me that has been yoga. Those yoga-practicing Hollywood stars always appear calm and of course, gorgeous. The Beatles were into yoga, and I certainly loved them so why not?

Seriously, I know nothing about yoga but the perfect opportunity presented itself when I received a Groupon offer for 6 yoga classes at half price. The schedule of beginning yoga classes worked into my schedule. SOLD! No more excuses. 

I attended the first class this week, along with a friend who practiced yoga earlier in her life and was interested in trying it again. When I arrived, I was feeling a bit nervous and wondering if I might make a fool of myself, but when the substitute teacher showed up and happened to be someone I know, I relaxed immediately and realized how much I needed to focus on myself and leave the world behind for an hour.

The next 5 classes are already on my calendar. I was surprised by the difficulty and intensity of the class, but I left feeling relaxed and energized.

Has anyone else tried something new recently? Do you have any advice for a beginning yoga enthusiast?

*Try yoga at home with this Yoga Flow Workout Routine

Sometimes we need an extra push when it comes to February's healthy habit. Although my Zumba DVDs have been a lot more enjoyable than traditional gym workouts, it's getting to the point when I need a kick in the pants to keep me going. That's where goals come in.

I've found that the best goals are tangible or specific, as opposed to one that's admirable, but vague. For example, whether your ultimate goal is to be healthy or get in shape (or both), the idea, while nice, isn't something you can latch on to. One way I've made my Get Moving goal more specific is to attach it to a vacation I'm taking in a month, which will involve a lot of swimsuit action. Now, I'm not just getting in shape; I'm exercising to feel more comfortable in that swimsuit. 

But for those who might need more incentive, like me and my terrible will power, adding extra layers to this goal can help ensure you won't fall off the workout wagon.

I've added two extra layers:
1. My boyfriend is also vowing to exercise more (doing the Insanity workouts), and as a result, we're holding each other accountable. A workout buddy can help push you when you're having trouble motivating yourself.

2. We've promised each other a tangible gift if, by the end of March, we've followed through with our exercise goals. I get a new swimsuit (hooray), and he gets a cruise excursion paid for by yours truly. A gift can be as little as a trip to the frozen yogurt self-serve at the end of the week or a movie night with the boys/girls. As long as it's something you don't normally have or experience, any goal works, even if they're embarrassingly vain or materialistic (like mine!)

Has anyone else had any success with goals to Get Moving? How have you motivated yourself to exercise?

It never fails.

As the co-author of The Gym Bible, it’s this time of the year when I suddenly get besieged with emails from people asking questions about the ins and outs of looking into a gym membership. You would think that flow of inquiries would be more overwhelming at the start of the year, but it’s far worse in late February-early March. That’s when a sudden winter warm-up brings that unexpected spring-like weather for a day or two—just enough to remind people that they may not be in quite the shape they were hoping to be in by March.

Before you invest in any gym or club membership, you need to protect yourself by knowing what to look for in a contract. Once you’ve found one you think is right for you—I prefer a club or gym that’s no more than 15 minutes from where you live, since any further than that can reduce your chances of staying committed to exercise considerably—then here’s what to ask when you step through their doors.

I am a moderate exerciser, but like many folks, I could always be better. Over the past few months, in the midst of my usual holiday/cold weather slump, I’ve been receiving information and inspiration from an unlikely place—Facebook.

More specifically, I’ve been getting help from a Facebook friend. I’m lucky enough to have a friend, Cary Edwards, who is a former personal trainer and amateur body builder. In addition to being easy on the eyes, Cary is, obviously, passionate about fitness, and he is eager to share his knowledge and experience with his friends.

If any of you are as addicted to Facebook as I am, you probably remember that a few months ago, some people were playing a Q&A game: Someone would e-mail you a question that you were supposed to answer in your status bar. Cary offered to answer fitness and nutrition questions on his page, and he was quickly inundated with queries. After answering several questions, he decided to create a Facebook group where he and his friends could post articles, mention local fitness events, and ask questions to our hearts’ content.