Working in the Workouts: Checking in -- with yourself

Each week, Debbie will share her goals, challenges, successes and tips on how to fit in fitness when caring for a rambunctious toddler.

The road to fitness is paved with good intentions. Just when I finally get in my fitness groove, Owen stops sleeping well and I start forgetting to do parts of my routine. Sometimes the days go by in such a flash, I'll get to the end of one and realize I didn't do any exercise at all that day.

Aside from my apparent sleep deprivation, which I am convinced kills off brain cells, there are a few things contributing to my problems, and thankfully, I've come up with some great solutions, too.

The main problem, causing all the others, really, is that I have stopped making exercise a priority. I never really made it my top priority (how can I with a child to care for and a household to run?), but I did have it on the priority list, which means I thought about it every day, many times, and how best to maximize the exercise time.

So, because I stopped making exercise a priority, it has been hard to keep track of all the wonderful different types of exercise I have added to my routine. My solution? I created a checklist that I have posted in a very obvious spot -- by my computer! -- and I refer to it many times a day. It is like the abstract checklist, my brain, needs some concrete help from an actual checklist. You know what? It really, really works. I like having the visual to keep me on track. No longer do I forget to do certain yoga moves at different times of the day. I think I feel my groove coming back!

Now, like everyone else, I am a very busy person, and because I stopped making exercise a priority, it stopped happening. In addition to the checklist, I have started to actually schedule in some of the larger time blocks of exercise. I am treating my walks and hikes like appointments. Now I know that no matter what, every Tuesday and Friday afternoon, and every Saturday morning, I am pounding the pavement, the trails or the dreadmill, er . . I mean treadmill.

These small changes have made a world of difference in helping me stay dedicated to being a fit person. Do you have any tricks that help you to stay on track?