If you're new to MBP, welcome! We want all of our readers to know that we are a community of women who love to encourage and support one another. All of us gals on the MBP team seek to be active in our daily lives, and promote a healthy lifestyle. We encourage you to check out our Everyday Fitness page to learn more about some of our favorite workouts.

I enjoy being fit and healthy, but have found that in my thirties, I have to work harder to maintain my weight and work a little harder to keep my body in shape. For me, working out is never really about weight loss- that's just a perk. I don't go crazy, getting into a lot of cardio workouts, because I play soccer with my son (and we run a lot) for at least 30 minutes everyday. I like for my personal workouts to be concentrated more on toning and strengthening. I try to recognize the areas I need to work on, and target those areas, or choose a total body workout.

I tried running/jogging for a couple of months, and though I did start toning up and shedding pounds, I found it very hard to be consistent with it, given my daily routine. I also started noticing that I was having increased pain in my bad knee, so decided to go back to a lower impact routine. A combination of yoga and pilates works best for me. It's low impact with quick results, if you stick with it.

Yoga can be tough for me, as I also have a very weak wrist from a childhood injury. A lot of yoga routines focus your body weight into your hands, and with a bad wrist, there are a lot of poses that I can only do for a very short time (I don't want to wind up with a break or sprain). I do select yoga poses, and mainly work from pilates routines. I don't do pilates everyday- but try to do at least 30 minutes of it 3-4 days a week. On the other days, I try to incorporate 15-20 minutes of yoga.

This morning, I tried a Yoga/Pilates Fusion workout- and for anyone who thinks that yoga isn't a real workout, your are sorely mistaken. I wanted to just share the video I used- which was about 13 minutes. It was a great wake up routine on my 'off' day from the longer pilates routine, and I know that if I do this once or twice a week, it will continue to help me strengthen and tone my muscles.

If you're wanting to give yoga or pilates a try, this is a great way to be introduced to both. Starting your day with even 10 minutes of yoga will make a difference! Nothing feels better than getting up, and stretching your body out, relaxing your breathing, and connecting with yourself, and our Creator.

Whatever you prefer workout wise, we hope that you'll take the time to work a little fitness into your routine everyday. If you decide to try the workout I have shared here today, I'd love to hear your thoughts on it!

Here's to a fit and healthy you!