Life takes a lot of work! Busy social lives, taxing careers, exercise, even grocery shopping for the healthiest foods is exhausting. In today’s chaotic world, any of these daily activities, on top of the general tension, just adds a lot of extra stress. And all this stress messes with your neurotransmitters, so they don’t get recharged overnight, and you wake up feeling like a foggy mess.

From your digestion to the heartbeat, emotional bonding to breathing, chemical messengers are known as neurotransmitters keep your brain and your body communicate. And when you wake up fatigued, chances are your neurotransmitters are affected by all this chronic stress. 

The higher your stress levels, the higher your cortisol levels. And cortisol produces more of the neurotransmitter called Glutamate. Glutamate wreaks havoc on our bodies because it creates free radicals – or unattached oxygen molecules. These free radicals seem to have one mission: to do damage to your brain. They can punch holes that eventually kill brain cells. 

No wonder so many people these days are waking up foggy and fatigued!

Fire Up those Neurotransmitters

You can’t snap your fingers and simply command stress to back off, putting your neurotransmitters and the rest of your brain in balance. But you can cultivate some practices to combat stress, and the more you practice them, the better you’ll feel.

For most people, you’ll start to feel the results quickly – with extra energy and zest for life.

If you’ve been dealing with chronic fatigue for a long time, it may take a while to restore your energy. But hang in there! You can fire your neurotransmitters back up and find your long-lost vigor!

5 Ways to Reduce Stress for Energized Mornings:

1. Meditate:

Certain meditation techniques, such as loving-kindness meditations or mantra meditations, can be particularly useful for the early morning hours. They set a positive tone in your brain and cultivate positive feelings for the rest of the day.  

2. Exercise: 

You don’t have to jump into a full workout in the morning – for a lot of people; it may be better to save that for later in the day. 

In general, physical exercise is one of the best things you can do for your brain. As it increases the production of new brain cells, slows down brain cell aging, also increases the levels of dopamine. And it also shifts your mood almost immediately and gives you a positive outlook on life. 

In just five minutes of exercise, you can get these benefits and energize yourself for the day. And there’s a lot you can do in five minutes. Search for a 5-minute HITT workout or Yoga routine on Youtube or do some rebounding on a mini-trampoline.

3. Gratitude Journaling

Shifting our mindset to focus on all the positive things in our lives and the world acts can radically fire up our neurotransmitters to reduce stress and fill us with fueling energy. Positive thoughts have been shown to activate certain neurotransmitters, such as dopamine and serotonin, the “happy chemicals”. Thus, focusing our attention on things we are grateful for forces a shift to the positive – and positivity naturally shoots energy through our body. 

Take two minutes to jot down a list of things you are grateful for every morning. This simple act stimulates more neurotransmitters in our brains than nearly anything else we can do. Feeling good is what enables us to engage in activities that fuel us – and keep your energy going strong for the rest of the day.

4. Take a Cold Shower

Bio-hackers like Wim Hof and Dave Asprey are all about cold showers. Exposing yourself to a cold shower triggers a host of biological processes in your body, like:

• Increasing blood flow
• Increasing neurotransmitters
• Upping your respiration

All these benefits spike your energy and boost your mood, and set you up for a great day. 

5. Dab on Some Supercharging Minerals – Or Take a Bath!

Mineral balance is fundamental to an energetic body with fully-firing neurotransmitters. And the amazing thing about minerals is that they can be absorbed transdermally – and this can be far more effective than oral supplements.

Strontium, in particular, can fire up our neurotransmitters almost immediately. Interestingly, it can affect the neurotransmitter to have higher peaks and prolonged firings throughout the neuronal network. One study, “Neuronal Network Activity,” shows that Strontium enhances the firing rate, bursts of spikes throughout the neuronal network, and elevates release at different times. Suggesting that increased off-timed release on the single-neuron level promotes bursting activity throughout the network.

If you live near natural mineral cold or hot springs – you’re lucky. These pools are usually rich in strontium and can get your neurotransmitters fired with a quick dip. 

But for the rest of us, you can dab Ka-Pow!, a mixture of Strontium and other key minerals onto your forehead to fire up neurotransmitters! 

Control the Neurotransmitters that Control You

Set yourself up for success. Make sure you have your meditation recording primed the night before and/or a 5-minute exercise video ready to play. Get yourself a beautiful gratitude journal you’ll be excited to write in. Stock up on energizing minerals and/or psyche yourself up for a cold shower. 

These tips are easy to implement, and they can make a huge difference in your day — and hopefully the rest of your life. 

Stress has many faces, and it can sneak on us from any direction. Whether it is an argument with your partner, unpaid bills, or an ailing child, you are bound to be in a stressful situation at some point in your life.

Once stressed out, your body floods with stress hormones. Your muscle tense, the stomach churns, your heart starts pounding, and your breath quickens. If you do not deal with the stress effectively, you might end up with high blood pressure or heart conditions.

According to a study by the University of California, Berkeley, chronic stress could cause long-term brain changes. That is why people dealing with chronic stress are prone to mental problems such as anxiety and mood disorders.

To understand how stress affects your body and mind, keep reading.

According to the Harvard Medical School health publishing, chronic stress can result in physiological changes. These series of actions prepare your body to act when faced with danger. However, these instantaneous hormonal and physiological changes could mislead the body into overreacting.

Over time, the repeated activation of the stress response could result in anxiety, depression, and addiction.

How Does Your Body React to Stress?

Stress begins in the brain when a signal reaches the emotional processing section of the brain. The brain interprets these signals, and when it perceives danger, it prompts the hypothalamus to send distress signals to the rest of the body.

Once your body perceives stress, it prompts the adrenal glands to make and release cortisol, a stress hormone, into your bloodstream. The cortisol sets your body into the default flight-or-fight response. 

How Does Cortisol Work?

When your adrenal glands flood your bloodstream with cortisol, the hormone prompts an influx of glucose in the blood. The glucose readily avails energy should you have to flee or fight.

Cortisol also blocks the production of insulin that would break down the glucose to normal levels. This stress hormone, while working with epinephrine, narrows your arteries and increases your heart rate. As a result, blood rushes throughout your body as you try to resolve your immediate stressful situation.

Effects of Normal Cortisol Levels

Normal cortisol levels help regulate blood pressure and could even strengthen your heart muscles. In small doses, the hormone heightens memory, lowers pain sensitivity, and improves your immune system.

However, the fast-paced life you live does not allow for regular and small doses of cortisol. And without a reliable stress management system, you start to notice the impact of stress on your body and mind.

Effects of High Cortisol Levels

Too much of anything is bad, even the hormones that improve your immunity. And cortisol is no different. Being in a constantly stressful environment keeps your cortisol levels high. And the effects include:

• Increased blood sugar levels
• Weight gain-high cortisol levels prompt a higher calorie intake
• Heart disease-from the constricted blood vessels and high heart rate
• Digestive problems-the stress hormone shuts down systems deemed unnecessary to fight the immediate threat, such as the digestive system
• Suppressed immune system-although low and moderate cortisol levels are good for reducing inflammation; high levels leave you susceptible to cold and contagious infections.

When your body goes into defensive mode, it shuts down systems that are not involved in the process, such as the excretory system. Prolonged exposure to chronic stress goes as far as affecting your reproductive structures. 

Now, how does the stress hormone affect your brain?

According to TOURO University Worldwide, chronic stress inhibits normal brain function. It does this by:

• Disrupting synapse regulation-leads to self-isolation due to the loss of sociability
• Killing brain cells
• Reducing the size of your brain-chronic stress shrinks the prefrontal cortex, a part of the brain responsible for memory and learning
• It increases the size of the amygdala-the part of the brain that perceives stress, resulting in a cascade of high-stress events, hence a constant fight-or-flight mode

Recovering from Stress

According to the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, PNAS, age plays a crucial role in recovering from chronic stress. The impact of stress on body functions is worse among the older generation than the young adults.

Young adults have a better chance of creating new neural pathways for the brain than older people, making it easier for them to heal.

Stress Management

As mentioned earlier, stress has adverse effects on body functions. Both the mind and body suffer when stress goes unmanaged.

The following are simple ways to relieve stress and anxiety:

• Talking to a therapist
• Exercise and meditation
• Get enough sleep
• Eat well
• Take a time out when you find yourself feeling anxious
• When feeling stressed, take deep breaths and count to ten slowly

Be aware of your stress levels and whenever possible, find a way to manage it. Go on that vacation that you have been planning, schedule those breaks into your timetable, take naps, and take a few minutes for deep breaths. In short, find the stress management technique that works for you and go for it.

At some point in your life, you likely had a day that went really well. Everything fell into place. Perhaps you felt well-rested and in good spirits. Maybe you accomplished a lot or were fully present with whatever you were doing. 

Taking on new habits and making strides to be our best selves every day can make us feel unstoppable. Start with these tips from smart and confident women. These are ideas you can easily incorporate into your life bit by bit. They will help you bloom and prosper.

Go on social media with a purpose

Smart women limit their time on Facebook and social media. They spend time pursuing things they want to do instead of watching what other people are doing. Certainly, social media has its place. It’s a great way to keep in touch with friends and family, near and far. 

Before logging in to Facebook, Instagram, and other platforms, decide your purpose. Are you checking in with a friend? Wishing someone a happy birthday? Checking in for a volunteer group update or to see if you were tagged at an event? Or just to be mindless for a while? That’s fine. Just know going in why you are there. 

In time, you may decide to take a break from Facebook once in a while.

Keep one to-do list

Our lives are busier than ever. It’s hard to keep track of it all. Making lists is one way to ensure we remember everything we need to do. The problem is not having a list-making system. Many people have multiple lists going – in a notebook, on scraps of paper, on their phones, tablets, or computers. 

It’s stressful looking for your lists and working off multiple lists. Pare down all of your lists in one place. No matter how long the list, keep it in one place, on one list.

Use a spiral notebook or keep a list online. The important things are that it’s easy to access and easy to update. Wherever you make your to-do list, work off of one list. 

Feel good in what you wear

Pay attention to what clothes you gravitate toward. Choose the clothing you feel good in. Notice what flatters you, and when you buy clothing, buy those colors and cuts. Try to choose colors other than black.

Dress up sometimes. It’s amazing what dressing up a bit can do for you. Perhaps that’s changing out of leggings and putting on jeans. Put on a necklace or a scarf. Choose those clothes in the back of your closet. Don’t save them for “someday”… wear them. Enjoy them.

Reach out

To be confident, a woman should find friends she likes and who likes her. Women, especially moms, are often looking at what “that group of women” is doing and wondering about all the fun they are having. 

Instead, find your own group. Who do you enjoy talking to? Who do you feel most comfortable around? Reach out to those women. Forget the ones you are trying to fit in with. Start your own fun. Maybe it’s an outing for coffee. Invite someone to go on a walk. Start a book club. Soon, you will have your own group.

Be flexible

Learn when you are most productive. Work on the difficult, involved tasks when you are energized. Save the mindless tasks for the times you are tired. 

Smart women are organized but flexible. We know how to prioritize how we are feeling and shift gears. 

A writer shouldn’t write on days she’s sleep-deprived. Don’t do bills when you can’t concentrate. Hungry? Don’t make a meal plan and a grocery list. If your kids are around and you can’t focus, try to get dinner started or do a household chore. Save the work for while they’re occupied, and you’re not distracted. 

Remember: Things aren’t always as they seem

With social media, it’s easy to get caught up in what everyone else is doing. Sometimes we log in when we are feeling tired or lonely. Things can make us feel worse than they usually would. It’s easy to feel bad about ourselves and our lives when we compare ourselves to others on social media.

It’s important to remember; things are not what they seem on social media. People are showcasing their best selves; it’s not their everyday lives.

Figure out what you can do in 5 – 10 minutes

So often, we have 5 – 10 minutes here or there. Instead of wasting it trying to figure out what to do or defaulting to Facebook, have an ongoing list of what you can do in five minutes and in 10 minutes. Keep it in your running master to-do list. 

Then, when you find yourself with a bit of time, you will know exactly what to do. Maybe it’s meditation, pushups, or stretches. You can return texts or answer emails. If you’re feeling energetic, do some household chores. 

Having a plan helps us not default to social media to burn uptime.

Expand your circle

True confidence means being open and friendly to all, not just people who can help you. Absolutely, have fun with your friends at the party. At the same time, including a newcomer or someone who seems out of place. 

Building new habits

Start with one of these tips that resonates with you. Maybe it’s dressing up or being social in a different way. 

Smart women make good use of their time. This enables them to have more opportunities for things that energize them. You’ll find you have more free time to be fully present with your family, friends, and hobbies. Things that fully enrich you and fill your heart will help you to become confident and fulfilled. 

Understanding PCOS and getting a clear diagnosis is half the battle. Many women and even their doctors remain perplexed by thy syndrome’s constellation of signs and symptoms, leaving women without a clear path forward. PCOS is not just a missing period and acne; it can actually lead to serious health consequences if left untreated. Women with PCOS are at an increased risk of developing heart disease, diabetes, and even cancer. Getting a clear diagnosis is the first step. 

Let’s dive into understanding just how PCOS can impact your hormones and your health to ensure you get a clear diagnosis.

For a diagnosis, we look to the Rotterdam criteria. To be diagnosed, a woman must have two of the three criteria met. The Rotterdam criteria are oligomenorrhea or anovulation, hyperandrogenism, and finally, polycystic ovaries found on ultrasound. Below you can read more about each of these criteria. 

“Insulin resistance is often an important factor for women with PCOS but is not part of the diagnosis and not present in all women.~ Dr. Guan” 

Anovulation- or in plain terms, means not ovulating. Oligomenorrhea means infrequent menses. 

Women with PCOS will often experience longer periods of time between menses, such as 45 days cycle or even three months or longer without a period. They could also have regular cycles every 28 days but not be ovulating every month. 

Without regular bleeds, women can develop a build-up of the uterine lining and then have very heavy periods. Bleeding regularly is protective and very important for the health of the uterus. Without ovulation, there will be no progesterone production. Progesterone is absolutely necessary to help buffer the growth-promoting properties of estrogen.

Hyperandrogenism– is responsible for many of the unwanted symptoms of PCOS that women experience externally such as, thinning hair, hair growing in unwanted areas, oily skin and scalp, and deep cystic acne.

Due to hormonal imbalances, sometimes women will have testosterone in the normal range but still, experience these symptoms. When testing, your doctor may check your testosterone levels but may not look at all the androgens (DHEA, DHEA-S dihydrotestosterone, and androstenedione), only giving you half the picture. We love androgens for women’s health for things such as libido, muscle mass, and fertility, but too much can cause a lot of issues, especially anovulation. 

Polycystic ovaries

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard, “I don’t have cysts on my ovaries, so I don’t have PCOS.” Remember, you only have to have two of the three criteria for a diagnosis, and not all women will have cysts. Plus, PCOS cysts are not your average run of the mill ovarian cysts. Rather, they are tiny follicles that have failed to fully develop and be ovulated; they are referred to not so lovingly as a “string of pearls” on an ultrasound finding. 

These are the three criteria- if you think this is something you’re experiencing, track your symptoms, and bring a copy of the Rotterdam Criteria to your provider and discuss a possible PCOS diagnosis. Once you know, you can get on track to address the root causes of PCOS and restoring your hormonal system back into balance. 

Finally, I’d add one more thing to consider, and that is the hormone Insulin. One of the driving forces for women with PCOS is insulin and glucose issues. For PCOS treatment, you’ll often hear of metformin, exercise, and low carbohydrate diets, all of these are aimed at getting Insulin and glucose into a tight range. Elevated Insulin can lead to elevated androgens and then suppress ovulation. You can ask your provider to test your fasting insulin and glucose to see if this might be an issue for you. I recommend my clients to aim for insulin levels under 6 and glucose between 75-85 fasting. Some other signs of elevated Insulin include the following

• Resistances to weight loss
• Brain fog, weakness, and increased hunger, and elevated blood sugar
• Abdominal weight gain and waist larger than 35 inches. 
• Fasting blood sugar above 100 ng/dL
• High triglycerides, LDL, and possibly blood pressure. 

PCOS can look very different for different women, which can make getting a clear diagnosis difficult. It can be helpful for you and your provider to track your cycle and your symptoms. Bring the data to your provider and get a diagnosis so you can start working towards prevention. 

In part two of this series, we’ll dive into important testing options and lifestyle factors you can begin to use to help bring you into a state of hormone optimization and thriving, so you feel at your best even in the midst of PCOS.

What is PCOS?

A polycystic ovarian syndrome that causes irregular menstrual cycles, ovulation problems, hormone disturbances, primarily increased androgens like testosterone, hair growth in unwanted places, insulin resistance, obesity, infertility, and multiple ovarian cysts—the place where the excess hormones are produced. 

Why women suffer from PCOS?

It’s annoying, menstrual disturbances, infertility, obesity, and increased risk of some types of cancer like uterine and possibly ovaries.

Women with PCOS are at increased risk for glucose intolerance and type 2 diabetes mellitus; hepatic steatosis and metabolic syndrome; hypertension, high cholesterol, blood clots, strokes, and possibly cardiovascular events; subfertility and obstetric complications; mood and psychosexual disorders. 

What is the main cause of PCOS? 

Unknown genetics, multifactorial, and of course hormonal disbalance.

How do you come to know if u have PCOS? 

See symptoms above, blood tests to measure hormones like LH and FSH, insulin, testosterone. 

What are the symptoms of PCOS?

Irregular or missed periods, lack of ovulation, excess fat around the abdomen, hair growth in unwanted places, loss of hair on the head, acne, brownish patches around groin, neck, armpits—acanthosis nigricans

In what age group is polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) commonly diagnosed? 

’20-’30s

What Causes PCOS and How Will it Affect Women Body? 

Unknown cause or genetics, Acne, hair growth in unwanted places or hair loss on head, obesity, primarily abdominal

Are PCOD and PCOS the same?

 They are used interchangeably. 

What are the types of PCOS?

1) hyperandrogenism+oligo-anovulation+polycystic ovarian morphology; excess androgens, infrequent or lack of ovulation, excess cysts on the ovaries

2) hyperandrogenism+oligo-anovulation; same except lack of multiple cysts on ovaries 

3) hyperandrogenism+polycystic ovarian morphology, excess androgens, ovulation intact and regular periods, cysts on ovaries 

4) oligo-anovulation+polycystic ovarian morphology,–infrequent or lack of ovulation and multiple cysts on ovaries but no evidence of excess androgens

Hyper androgens can lead to acne, excess hair growth in unwanted places, loss of hair on the head.

What is the Link Between PCOS and Mental Health in Women? 

Any distressing chronic disease can be linked to anxiety and depression.

A study out of Poland and a few others shows an increased prevalence of various psychiatric disorders could be observed in women with PCOS, such as depression, generalized anxiety disorder, personality disorders, social phobia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and eating disorders. 

Two studies assessed the prevalence of anxiety and depressive disorders among women with PCOS and had found a prevalence of 28% and 39% for anxiety and 11% and 25% for depression. The study was done by Sundararaman et al. in 2008 had determined psychological distress in these patients was significantly related to obesity, infertility, acne, and hirsutism-excess androgens.

In the study conducted by Chaudhari et al., of 70 females, 27 were found to have an anxiety disorder, while 18 were found to be suffering from depressive disorders. Thus, the prevalence of anxiety disorders in our study sample was 38.6%, and the prevalence of depressive disorders was 25.7%.

Ten women had mixed anxiety depression, seven had mixed anxiety disorders, six had depressive episodes, four had social phobia, three generalized anxiety disorder, three had panic disorder, and two had dysthymia. 

Ten females (14.3%) suffered from both anxiety and depression. A total of 35 patients, or 50%, had neither anxiety nor depression.

It was found that mild, moderate, and severe anxiety was present in 62.90%, 29.60%, and 7.40%, respectively, while 50% had mild, 38.8% had moderate, and 11.10% had severe depressive symptoms.

Can PCOS go away? 

NO

How to Manage PCOS?

Weight loss, metformin—to help insulin resistance, ovulation-inducing agents, birth controls to suppress excess androgens, other anti-androgen medications, laser hair removal, anti-acne meds, and topicals. Counseling and medications for psychological disorders 

Exercise and physical activity are part of the foundation for good health and wellness. It is one of the most important things we can do to improve our overall health and lower insurance costs. Exercise lowers the risk of many chronic diseases and improves energy levels. 

Exercise also helps lower certain types of insurance costs, like health insurance. Health insurance and PIP insurance are two different insurance types, so it’s important to know whether you need PIP or health insurance. 

Health insurance includes coverage for annual medical appointments and screening, prescription drug coverage, specialist visits, and hospitalization. PIP insurance is a type of auto insurance that covers medical costs from an accident. 

The great thing about physical activity is that it can be done anywhere, even conveniently at home. However, it can be a challenge to keep up with exercise routines when we exercise at home. 

Here are some tips for keeping up a good fitness and physical activity routine at home. We also provide a few sample workouts that can be done at home with minimal equipment. 

Benefits of Physical Activity

We all know that physical activity and exercise have numerous health benefits, so keep those in mind. Exercise helps improve the quality of sleep, boosts mental health, lowers the risk for diabetes, enhances heart health, helps manage weight, and keeps bones and muscles strong and healthy.

Schedule Exercise Like an Appointment

If you can get into the habit of scheduling your exercise or physical session just like an appointment, it will help you stick to your commitment. Put your exercise “appointment” on your calendar and block off the amount of time you need for your entire workout routine. 

Just like you commit to a doctor’s appointment, you will stick to your exercise appointment.

Find Activities You Enjoy 

Everyone has different physical activities they enjoy the most. Working out should not be a chore, so figure out what activities you enjoy the best and participate in these the most often. 

For example, do you find that walking is a great stress reliever and makes you feel energized? If so, add a morning walk to your daily routine. 

Workout First Thing in the Morning

Working out in the morning has multiple benefits. It helps you feel energized, awake and accomplished early in the morning. You are also less likely to talk yourself out of working out, make excuses, or have something unexpected pop up if you exercise in the morning rather than the afternoon or evening.

Getting an early workout helps you get the day off to a great start. If you have young children, this may be one of the only opportunities to exercise before the kids wake up. If you have a busy work schedule, it might be better to get a morning workout in so you don’t get caught at work or have to go to an unexpected, late meeting.

Reward Yourself 

Using a reward system to motivate yourself to exercise is another great idea. Your reward could be money, a non-food treat, or something else that keeps you motivated and excited. For example, you could put $1 in a jar every time you work out or for every mile you walk or run. 

Once you get enough money saved, you could buy a new workout outfit, a reusable water bottle, or a massage. 

Set Weekly SMART Goals

One way to help you be successful in reaching your health and fitness goals is to set SMART goals — specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-focused. A SMART goal can be either short-term within the next few weeks or months, or it can be long-term. A long-term SMART goal should be broken up into some short-term steps to ensure you are successful. 

A short-term SMART goal might be to do a 30-minute workout four days a week using one of the sample workouts in this article. A long-term SMART goal might be to walk/run a virtual 5K race in three months. Then you could create weekly SMART goals to help you train for the race. 

Setting SMART goals is important, and another idea is to share these goals with a friend or family member. Friends and family members can check in with you and see how you are progressing toward your goals. 

Find a Workout Buddy

A workout buddy is a great motivational tool. You can motivate each other to workout and cheer each other on when you meet your health and fitness goals. 

Your workout buddy could be a friend, family member, neighbor, or partner. There are also benefits to exercising with your partner or spouse for both of you. 

Have a Well-Rounded Routine

An ideal fitness routine should include activities that improve cardiorespiratory endurance, muscular strength, muscular endurance, flexibility, balance, and coordination. Cardiorespiratory endurance activities can include walking, running, riding a bike, or swimming. 

Muscular strength and muscular endurance are improved through strength training or weight training. Flexibility is enhanced by stretching, Pilates, or yoga. Balance and coordination can be combined with any of the above exercises or activities. 

Use a Streaming Service or Videos

It can be difficult to stay motivated to work out alone, and sometimes it’s easy to get into a rut, or it gets boring. One option to easily change your workouts is to use a streaming fitness service. 

There are a number of streaming services with many different types of workouts available. Some offer live workouts, recorded workouts, or a mixture of the two. Many of them offer a free trial before paying for the service. Some of the popular ones include Peloton, Daily Burn, and Aaptiv. 

There are also a variety of workout videos available on YouTube. You can find free Bootcamp, yoga, and bodyweight workouts online.  

Listen to Your Body

It can be easy to overdo it when it comes to physical activity. If you are feeling exceptionally tired or fatigued, it might be time for a rest or recovery day. If you have hit a plateau and are not seeing much improvement, it may also be time for a rest day or two. 

Get the Necessary Equipment

Many home workouts can be done with minimal equipment. Some good workout equipment to get started with includes a yoga mat, resistance bands, a few sets of hand weights, jump rope, and a step/bench step. 

Additional equipment that would be useful includes a bench, TRX training straps, additional hand weights, a treadmill, a stationary bike, or a kettlebell. 

Sample Workouts

Each of these workouts should include a warm-up and a cool-down, stretching time at the end of the workout. For instructions on how to do these exercises with proper form and technique, consult an online exercise library. 

Circuit Training Workout

Circuit training can help improve strength and endurance. You should complete each exercise as many times as possible in one minute and allow 30 seconds to one minute to rest in between each exercise. You need hand weights, a mat, and a jump rope. 

The circuit should be completed at least once to last around 20 minutes but can be completed multiple times. Circuit exercises include push-ups, triceps extension, jumping jacks, squats, lunges, burpees, biceps curls, shoulder press, jumping rope, planks, back extensions, and lateral speed skaters. 

Bodyweight Workout

Bodyweight exercises can be done with no equipment and improve strength and endurance. These exercises are convenient while traveling or if you have limited fitness equipment. Do one to two sets of 10-12 repetitions of each exercise, and it should take you 30 to 60 minutes. 

Bodyweight workout exercises are squats, walking or backward lunges, planks, push-ups, jumping jacks, high knees, jump squats or jump lunges, back extensions, burpees, lateral speed skaters, step-ups, glute/hip bridges, mountain climbers, toe raises, and bicycle crunches. 

Beginner Cardio and Strength Workout

This is a beginner fitness routine and should take about 40 to 60 minutes. The only equipment you need is a mat and hand weights. You will also need a place outside to walk or jog one mile. 

Warm-up, then walk, jog, or run one mile. If you do not have a way to measure the distance, walk for about 15-20 minutes or jog for about 10-15 minutes. Complete one to two sets of 10 to 12 repetitions of each of the following exercises: 

• Chest press
• Lateral raises
• Biceps curls
• Triceps extensions
• Low rows
• Crunches
• Back extensions
• Lunges
• Squats
• Toe raises

After those exercises, walk, jog, or run one mile before a short cool down walk. Finish the workout with five to ten minutes of stretching. You could also switch the one-mile of walking or jogging for a three-mile bike ride.