Are you making time to exercise? You know you should, but are you doing it? I see a lot of people out walking, jogging and cycling, but how many more of you are doing nothing? How many of you go straight home from work, cook dinner and flake out in front of the television until bed time or run around like crazy from the time you get up in the morning until the time you drop at night but never actually take time out to do something healthy for yourself? We must all make exercise a priority! Not only is it essential to weight loss or weight management, but it is key to living a healthy life. Here are a few of the benefits of exercise: Elevates your metabolism so that you burn more calories all day everyday.

Maintains, tones, and strengthens your muscles, thereby increasing your muscular endurance.

Decreases your blood pressure.

Makes the heart more efficient by increasing the amount of blood the heart can pump each beat.

Increases the breakdown and use of fat stored in the body.

Decreases the tendency of the blood to clot in the blood vessels, thereby reducing the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

Improves control of blood sugar.

Decreases the blood levels of triglycerides (fat).

Improves sleep patterns.

Increases the efficiency of the digestive system, which may reduce the incidence of colon cancer.

Increases the amount of blood that flows to the skin, making it look and feel healthier.

And, perhaps the best benefit, exercise makes you feel good! These are just a few of the reasons we should all incorporate regular exercise into our schedule, but for some that can be easier said than done. The first thing you need to realise, is that exercise must be a priority, for all the reasons above and more. We all make time in our lives for the things that are important to us; make exercise as important as some of the other things in your life and you will be able fit it into your schedule more easily.

Try blocking out the same time everyday for exercise. Whether it is first thing in the morning, during your lunch break or as soon as you get home from work, if you exercise at the same time everyday, it will become part of your daily routine, just like brushing your teeth. And protect this time - do not let other things encroach on your time for yourself.

Turn off the tube, or at least exercise while you watch television. The average adult spends 16 hours per week watching television; even if you don't watch that much, can you honestly say you have no time to exercise? Reduce your TV watching by a few hours a week and suddenly you will have extra time on your hands when you can exercise. Or if you only watch a couple of shows that you are not willing to miss, buy an exercise bike or treadmill and watch while you sweat.

Wake up earlier in the morning to fit in your exercise. This is the time that your exercise is least likely to get interrupted by other things. Even getting up 30 minutes earlier in the morning can give you time for a good walk to get the blood pumping, and you will have more energy to face the day.

Find a way that works for you, but whatever you do, make time to exercise! Now that you are armed with some good reasons to incorporate exercise into your routine and tips on how to do it, I hope more of you will venture along the path to becoming Body Wise. Good luck! Alison Hirschi is a private fitness instructor