Day 3: I'm not comfortable walking in the dark by myself, even with my trusty old dog by my side. But having a workout buddy has opened up my options for walking.

Today, our alarms went off before our kids and husbands could even think about starting their days and took a nice long walk. The frigid arctic blast brisk spring air woke me up, and it was refreshing to have all that exercise under my belt before breakfast. It really set the tone for the day. Not only that, but later in the afternoon, when I usually would have taken a walk, I had time for some arm and abs work. Bonus!

Getting up early is a relatively easy way to eliminate the "I don't have time" excuse, but it's a tough one for me. My alarm goes off at 6:45 as it is. But I really loved the way I felt today, so it's something to consider.