Make Your Workout Feel Like a Breeze

It would be so great if we could figure out a way of making workouts feel easy-breezy for everyone. Right? So here's the trick: Give yourself a mental-image pep talk.

Apparently, imagining yourself sailing right through a workout just before you go at it can actually make the exercise feel easier, according to Tina Vindum, exercise expert and author of Outdoor Fitness.

Here's the three-step process she swears by:

1. Picture it. Before your workout or during warm-ups, close your eyes and visualize yourself doing your thing with ease. Take a few deep breaths, and imagine the air filling your lungs and delivering oxygen to every muscle of your body. Exhale deeply. (Do you breathe correctly? Try this tune-up.)
   
   
2. Feel it. Think about how it feels to hold your spine straight and your head high during your workout, and imagine it all feeling effortless. Picture your workout environment, and imagine yourself moving powerfully, effortlessly, and confidently through your run, walk, hike, or exercise class. (No time for the gym? Here's the solution.)
   
   
3. Integrate it. Take these images, feelings, and thoughts with you as you step into your workout. (Try this trick for burning more calories without exercising harder.)

What's your fitness goal? Set it -- and track it -- here.