No gym membership? Not a problem. Create your own gym outside with outdoor equipment and simple exercises. 
     Many parks in Central Florida have fitness equipment along shady paths, some with a beautiful view of a lake. Other parks have playground equipment, park benches and swings. Not only can taking advantage of these resources save money, it will also make for scenic workouts. 
     Want a full body workout? Lake Mills Park in Chuluota has a Parcourse FitCircuit, a series of 15 exercises along a jogging and walking path. Each station has an instructional sign that describes and illustrates specific exercises. The circuit begins with warm-ups and stretching and then challenges you with more demanding exercises along the path. It also features a cool-down period to wrap up the workout. 
     For a lower body work-out, use the steps that lead up to a slide to perform lunges and step-ups. For a higher intensity, plyometric moves on the steps, such as toe taps and box jumps, will get your heart pumping. Begin performing the plyometrics for a period of 15 seconds. Over time, graduate to 30 seconds with a 15-second rest period between sets.
     Continue your leg workout by using a swing to perform suspended lunges. These are done in the same manner as a split lunge, except the front of one foot will be placed on the seat of the swing behind you instead of on the ground. Not strong enough for a pull up? Strengthen the back muscles by using two swings for inverted rows. By practicing the flexed arm hang and negative pull-ups on the monkey bars, along with the inverted rows, you will achieve the perfect pull-up. 
     Park benches can be used for triceps bench dips and decline pus-ups. If you are a beginner, start with the incline push-up on the bench. 
     Looking for a new way to train the abdominal muscles? Use a swing for high planks, jackknives and a pike. Work the abs and oblique muscles with hanging knee raises to the front and sides from the monkey bars. Be sure to perform these moves by keeping your abs tight and the movements slow and controlled. 
     If you have no knee, hip or black issues, have a good aerobic base, or are a runner who would like to take their workout to a different level, I suggest stair running. Be sure to begin with a proper warm-up. Run up the stairs as fast as you can, using the balls of you feet rolling down to the heel, being careful not to land on your toes. Walk back down and repeat three to five times. Running every other step, lateral running, both left and right side, and crossovers are other ideas of stair running. In between running the stairs, add jump squats, walking lunges and push ups for an additional challenge. If you feel uncomfortable running up the stairs, try climbing every other step. 
     Finish by stretching the muscles you worked: quadriceps, hamstrings and calves. 
     As you can see, there are numerous ways to turn outdoor equipment into a full-body workout - no gym membership required or the purchase of trendy new equipment. 
     Step outside into your own outdoor gym! 

     Congratulations! Making it to the gym is the first mental obstacle to overcome when beginning an exercise program. Now what? Focusing on what our body needs to prepare us physically for the work-out we are about to begin comes next: the warm up. 
     Many people walk into the gym and head straight for the weights without a proper warm up. I've also witnessed people jumping onto their favorite cardio machine and hitting start right away. Before hitting start, some will perform a few static stretches such as standing toe touches or quad stretches. But note this - stretching before a workout is not a warm up! Stretching cold muscles could cause injuries and can be painful.
     Warming up is a low-level activity performed before a workout. Not only does it prepare one-self mentally, it also prepares the body for a more intense activity by: increasing body temperature, warming the muscles, improving oxygen supply and increasing blood flow. Warming up allows the heart rate to increase at a slow pace. Without it, heart rate will rise too quickly. 
     When warming up for weight training, I recommend beginning with at least five minutes of light cardio on the treadmill followed by a specific exercise with a few sets of lighter weights for the body part you're training that day. Then, switch to heavier weights.
     When warming up for my cardio workout or high-intensity interval training with my group of clients, I like to improve performance and physical exertion by beginning with a brisk walk or easy jog for a few minutes followed by dynamic stretching, which simply means stretching while moving, all the while targeting the muscles that will be used later on.
     There are many debates over stretching before or after your workout, dynamic stretching or static stretching. I personally feel dynamic stretches help improve my range of motion and flexibility due to the constant movement. These moves allow the body temperature to remain warm, whereas static stretching will drop the body's temperature. A few examples of the dynamic stretches I perform are walking lunges, Frankenstein marches, quad walks, knee hugs, arms circles and back strokes. 
     We all want to decrease injury and perform better. With that in mind, a proper warm up is necessary for a successful workout. Be sure to allow time for the warm up - it only takes five to 10 minutes and can protect against injuries that will delay staying physically fit. 
     Duration and intensity of the warm up will differ from person to person depending the goals set that day. 

     The whole process of cooking is rather daunting to me. 
     Cooking something everyone will enjoy, writing a grocery list, which I tend to forget and leave at home. Shopping, then unloading the groceries, preparing the meal and of course, cleaning up. 
     When I entered my first body building event, I remember thinking, "How am I going to cook clean meals often? Can I really do this?" I'm somewhat of a lazy, unpracticed chef. I had to search the internet for how-to videos on baking fish and steaming vegetables. Something as simple as grilling chicken wasn't my specialty either. 
     My first thought was I would cook the meals when I returned from my training sessions. That's not how it ended up. By then I was so hungry, I couldn't wait to cook a healthy meal. I found myself eating and grabbing anything and everything that was wrong for my diet. All the hard work at the gym wasted due to my laziness and lack of willpower. I quickly realized I wasn't going to see the results I wanted if I continued in this manner. Something had to be done immediately. 
     I sat down one day and worked out a plan; it included setting out early on Saturday morning with my shopping list in hand, determined to shop, prepare, and pack my meals all in one day. Although challenging, it needed to be done. 
     Returning home from the store, I began the process of cooking everything at once. The chicken was on the grill, fish and sweet potatoes were baking in the over, vegetables were steaming one after the other, while a pot of eggs was cooking on another burner.
     I reached in my cupboard for my scale, turned my laptop on and signed into a popular calorie counting site and arranged 10 containers on my countertop. I then began weighing and measuring everything along with checking the site for a total calorie count. I packed five containers with meals of at least 200 calories and the remaining containers with 300. Before I knew it, 10 meals were prepared and packed. 
     These days, a few minutes after returning home from training, I'm eating a small healthy meal. All the hard work at the gym is no longer wasted on poor food decisions. 

     What machine works to tone my abs? Are sit-ups good for you? Will sit-ups reduce my stomach pouch? My belly fat is out of control! These are only a few examples of messages I received from those who want a flatter stomach.
   Let's first talk about what lies beneath the stomach. Just below the skin is the subcutaneous fat. Visceral fat is located inside the abdominal cavity, packed around our internal organs. In excess, visceral fat can pose potential health concerns. 
     My flatter stomach tips worked for me during my competition training. I believe success comes when we are ready to make changes in our daily eating and exercise habits.
     To see results while dieting, eat clean - lean protein, healthy fats and complex carbs, along with eating often and logging your food daily, is at the top of my list. Try drinking more water; stay away from sodas. Reduce the amount of processed foods and candy. Check the food labels for sugar. Four grams of white refined sugar is almost equal to a teaspoon. Our favorite soda may have as much as 46 grams of sugar, which is about eleven teaspoons of zero nutritional value. Be mindful of the so-called healthy cereal bars or protein bars, they pack a lot of carbs and sugar.
     Incorporate some type of physical activity at least five days a week, one that you will enjoy so you'll be more likely to stick with it. If you're already doing cardio, try bumping it up by exercising in your targeted heart rate zone: 60 to 80 percent of your maximum heart rate. To calculate this, subtract your age from 220 to find maximum heart rate.  Multiply the maximum heart rate by the 60 to 80 percent for your targeted heart rate. Before starting a new program, check with a physician; they may recommend a targeted heart rate zone. 
     During my high school days, I remember asking my mom what I could do to reduce my belly bulge. She recommended holding my abdominal  muscles in tight while on the school bus, at my desk, and during my physical activities. Pull the abdominal muscles in tight toward your spine. By doing so, you also will have perfect posture. I believe my mom was ahead of her time. This advice is something I continue doing and advise my clients to do, as well as contracting abdominal muscles during weight-training exercises. 
     One hundred crunches and purchasing expensive equipment is not necessary. I work my abs at least four times a week, moving from one exercise to the other. My ab routine includes floor crunches, standing crunches, stability ball exercises and, my favorite, handing leg raises. 
     It's not going to be easy; it takes patience, hard work and dedication. The key to a flatter, healthier midsection is commitment. With that, comes success. ​