Her old routine: Taylor Scott, on-air with Kevin Avery on WFSH Atlanta (104.7/the Fish; "Kevin and Taylor in the Morning"), said she used to just dabble in exercise: "I took aerobics classes in college. I've had the tae bo kickboxing tapes that I do in my living room."

But as the years went on, so did the pounds.

ADRIENNE HUGHES-HARRIS/AJC (ENLARGE)

Taylor Scott is doing her favorite workout, trail running at East Palisades Whitewater Creekrail.

ADRIENNE HUGHES-HARRIS/AJC (ENLARGE)

Trail running at East Palisades in the Chattahoochee system offers obstacles that most road runners don't encounter.

MORE INFORMATION Heritage Park in Cobb County: prca.cobbcountyga.gov/heritagepark.htm Chattahoochee trail system - East Palisades and West Palisades www.nps.gov/chat/planyourvisit/maps.htm Sweetwater Creek State Park: www.gastateparks.org/info/sweetwater Related workout stories: Having a pup can firm you up  High on hula: Atlanta in the loop of the latest exercise trend  Jogging club has a mission: Chasing the fear of crime  Walk-N-Tone exercise video whittles off a size  Jazzercise classes don't feel like exercise  Photos: Workout routines you can do at home Topic: Atlanta Fitness Get ready for the AJC's Peachtree Road Race Back to Health news

Her exercise attitude adjustment: When a guest on her morning radio show talked about viewing exercise time as playtime, Scott was inspired. She knew she preferred the great outdoors over the gym.

"When I realized I could combine two things I love — exercise and the outdoors — it just clicked for me," she said. Her husband suggested trail running. "He said, 'You'll love being out in the woods and it will go by so

fast.' " Scott, 38, has been trail running for six years.

A breakdown of her sport: Trail runners seek out hiking trails for their runs, which means they endure a tougher terrain than road racers.

Scott said she got hooked "because it's so beautiful and you're out in the woods and you've really got to pay attention to your foot work, so you're kind of entertained."

It was a tough start, though. "Some of those hills will just get you," she said. "There were times when I had to walk the hills, and in time, my body started to improve and I could get up them."

Her favorite trails: "There are so many great trail runs right here in the city that people don't know about," Scott said.

She likes Heritage Park in Cobb County because of its beautiful waterfall and East Palisades and West Palisades, which are part of the Chattahoochee trail system.

"You park and you feel like you're in the middle of nowhere, but here you are in a city of 5 million people," she said.

She also likes to get out to Sweetwater Creek State Park (off I-20 past Six Flags).

Cross-training: "I try to run two or three days a week, and on the alternate days I do road biking on the Silver Comet Trail," Scott said. On the weekends, she adds mountain biking. While she does engage in weight training a couple of times a week, she doesn't consider that playtime because it's indoors. "I've been looking for a gym that finally gets brave enough like Muscle Beach in California to put its equipment outside," she said.

The downside of trail running: "I've had my falls," she said. But to minimize injury she wears special trail running shoes that she says stabilize her ankles.

Her results: Since finding the connection between outdoor exercise and playtime, Scott has lost 20 pounds. She can see more muscle tone in her legs and arms, thanks to the trail running and weight training.

Scott wants to emphasize, though, that her success didn't come after one or even 10 trail runs. But she does believe that if she can climb out of her exercise rut and change her body, anybody can.

"It may take time," she said, "but you can do it."