For Christine Watson, running doesn’t just help her look better – it helps her feel better.

The 43-year-old has found that the exercise helps keep her asthma under control as it builds her lung capacity and helps her maintain a lower weight.

The workout: Running

Schedule: “I feverishly try to fit it in my schedule! I absolutely carve out three times a week at the downtown YMCA for running, weights or any classes that are convenient at lunchtime,” she says. In the summer, I utilize the parks that are downtown and have been known to run the stairs in the PNC building in the winter.

Gear and cost: “My fave piece of ‘gear’ is my husband’s iPod that I have completely taken over,” Watson says. An iPod costs anywhere from $49 for the Shuffle to $399 for the 64-gigabyte iPod Touch.

The sacrifice: Watson gives up lunch breaks, downtime on the weekends and sleeping in on Saturday mornings to get in her workouts.

Cross training: Crossfit, Zumba, yoga and swimming

Motivation: “Exercise is my Prozac,” Watson says. “I use it as a stress and frustration reliever.”

Goals: I would also love to do the Warrior Dash next year. (A Warrior Dash is an obstacle 5K race in which participants might have to crawl through mud, leap over fire and tackle challenging terrain.)