Exercise Carrots: Ways to Keep Moving

Working out can easily become repetitive and boring.

Need motivation to keep exercising? Try some of these ideas:

Get a workout partner. If someone is depending on you for his or her exercise, you will be more likely to get up and out instead of hitting your alarm clock's snooze button.

Log it. Placing a red X on a calendar on the days you exercise, or writing about specifics of a workout in a notebook, can turn exercise into a main event in your life.

Buy a toy. A new heart-rate monitor, fancy leotard, or cool pair of athletic shoes can be all it takes to get you out and about.

music makes it. While studies show that people who read or watch television when they work out actually perform with less power and intensity, music has been found to stimulate the feel-good chemicals of the brain, called endorphins,

Get competitive. Training for an event or competition can prevent boredom.

Be a morning person. Work out first thing in the a.m. and you'll have gotten your exercise in, no matter how busy your day becomes.

Combine your workout with work. Bike or walk to work or find ways to do some exercise on your lunch hour.

Ease up. On your "down" days, do just a few minutes of exercise rather than skipping it completely.