Time to suit up

225 fitness adviser Nickie Jordan answers your queries about healthy living. Jordan operates RecFit, a business that includes personal training, motivational speaking, corporate wellness consulting and more. Email your questions for her to [email protected].

Q: I’m going on vacation for Memorial Day weekend and I feel sluggish and out of shape. I don’t have the money or time to join a gym, so what other things can I do to get in shape before summer?
–Susan Ladani

A: Thank you, Susan. Now is the time to prepare for the annual swimsuit unveiling. Maybe it’s not as dramatic as all that, but we should all be making the most of this mild Louisiana climate.

So get outside and explore! Run or jog intervals. Choose time goals like 30-second run or three-minute walk intervals. Or try “destination intervals” to keep your mind and body interested. Look for a goal in the distance: a stop sign, a parked car, a tree, a crack in the road, and decide to run, lunge, walk sideways, walk backwards, skip, hop on one leg, march, high knees to the destination point, and then resume walking for recovery. Do this for approximately 30 minutes five times a week, and you will be more ready for bathing suit season and feel great, too. If you really want to turn up the heat, add pushups or planks into the mix. Remember even five minutes is better than zero minutes, so if you can’t do 30, do something. Start somewhere, and your body will thank you.