GET YOUR BODY MOVING: A FRIENDLY NUDGE GAVE HER STRENGTH

When Lynn Oatman sits down in her swivel rocking chair to watch television after a long day of work, she doesn’t stop moving.

Instead, the 48-year-old Liverpool, New York, woman picks up a pair of 3-pound hand weights and starts pumping. For about a half-hour during her TV time each night, she hoists the weights up and down behind her head to exercise her triceps, then curls them forward toward her chest to work her biceps.

Because she has filled her days with healthy lifestyle choices like this, Lynn has shed 60 pounds in 2 years, dropping from a size 24 to a size 14.

Back when Lynn weighed about 240 pounds, she was growing frustrated over her failed attempts to slim down. One evening over dinner, two friends told her that they’d noticed her unhappiness. Along with their candid observation, they gave her a 10-week membership in a weight-loss group. It helped spark a change in her life.

Through the weight-loss group, Lynn learned how to eat healthier. Her portion sizes got smaller, and her food choices shifted toward fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. “But I don’t exclude any foods,” she says. “That only leads to bingeing.”

For exercise, Lynn joined a fitness program sponsored by the university where she worked. The program’s instructors advised Lynn to start doing aerobic exercise. Now each morning, before she heads to her job as a secretary in the university’s law school, she works out for 1 hour and 15 minutes in the university’s gym. Most of her time is spent on a rowing machine and elliptical stepper, though she lifts weights, too.

“I’ve gone from somebody who could barely lift a 10-pound bag of potatoes to somebody who can bench-press 75 pounds five times,” she says. “It makes me feel powerful, and it’s the first time in my life that I’ve really felt physically powerful.”

WINNING ACTION

Turn your easy chair into a workout space. Keep a pair of small hand weights near the chair, couch, or other spot where you relax in the evening. As you unwind from your day, you can squeeze in more exercise while in a comfortable place. And keeping the weights there will serve as a reminder of your new, healthy lifestyle.