Durham, N.C. - Why wait for the new year to begin an exercise program? The holiday season is a great time to start getting physically active. You'll look and feel better, and regular exercise can actually start to lower blood pressure and cholesterol in as little as three to four weeks. Lauren Clobridge, fitness manager at Live for Life, Duke University's health promotion program, has designed a workday workout program called 'Cardio at Work.'

"I have Mondays and Wednesdays allotted for the lunch-break walk, anywhere between 20 and 30 minutes. For Tuesdays and Thursdays, I've designed a progressive stair-climbing workout. Start at 10 minutes and progress every three weeks to doing 30 minutes of stair climbing."

Clobridge says Cardio at Work promotes good health on two fronts.

"Number one, stress management. As the holidays are coming, people are starting to get a little more stressed out, and exercise will definitely reduce your stress levels. Number two would be weight management. With all the food that's entailed with Christmas and the holidays, incorporating exercise into your daily life will definitely manage your weight."

I'm Cabell Smith for MedMinute.