A Fitter You in the New Year!
#withDavida
New Year’s Day is my favorite holiday because it’s like passing “Go” on the Monopoly board. You get another round of months to do better and be better every year.
My family has started a tradition of writing our New Year resolutions down, reminding each other about them throughout the year and then evaluating how we did before making our new resolutions. This past year I feel like I did pretty well. My children challenged me to make a resolution to chill out and not yell at them so much. As a result I delved more into yoga and started meditating, which I feel calmed me extremely. But of course they only remember the times they forced me to raise my voice.
Be a Fitter You for the New Year!
This year I have a list of goals to chose from which I will share and invite you to adopt as we head optimistically into 2017.
Spend Time Wisely in the New Year:
My time is more valuable than money. Yet, I often squander it on the Internet watching goofy videos or distracted by Twitter wars. When people lack time the first thing they eliminate is exercise. I also do this. Even though my lifestyle as a fitness professional keeps me active I can still get into a rut. Attending classes as a participant is a great way to stay motivated and get new ideas. This year I challenge myself to spend less time on the Internet and more time trying new classes and activities.
Find Balance in the New Year:
A workshop I recently attended on the eastern philosophy Dao Yin taught about the three treasures of the body known as Jing (energy or physical), Qi (feeling or emotion) and Shen (consciousness or spirit). It made me realize I focus a lot on the physical aspect of my life with constant activity. However, I barely pay attention to my emotional or spiritual realms. As a result I was becoming discourage with injuries and lack of motivation. In the coming year I plan to bring balance to my body with meditation to evaluate my emotions and connect with my higher power. Like the physical body these areas need exercise too.
Make Change in the New Year:
Another way I was becoming stagnate was doing the same routine and exercises every week. Sometimes I would go on auto pilot letting my mind wander and when I brought my attention back to what I was doing I realized I compromised my form, didn’t finish the routine or simply didn’t get the full result of the exercise I was doing. Change is good. It challenges the mind and works muscles in different ways. This year I want to try new activities that will wake up my body and mind. There is a new class I want to try called Pound. It uses drumsticks and music for movement and seems like a good upper body workout. I’ll let you know how it goes.
Focus on a Goal for the New Year:
I hear a lot of complaints, mostly from women about their unflattering body parts. I too look in the mirror and see room for improvement. I’m thankful to be strong and fit but despite my efforts I’ve noticed each year my middle section gets softer. Women in general tend to see more fat around the waist when they age as muscle mass and estrogen levels decrease. It’s no excuse to throw in the towel and get wider jeans. This year I am going to focus on more cardio activities that will help melt away the fat my aging body wants to retain. If I target my activities toward this goal I will start to see results and it will motivate me to continue.
Eat Better Throughout the New Year:
A New Year’s resolution for a better self can’t be complete without considering diet. The easy access to quick processed food is undoubtedly contributing to the obesity epidemic in our society. We also forget the impact food has on our mental well-being. I constantly preach to my children the importance of eating breakfast with protein and good fat to help the brain kick into gear. My goal is to eat less sugar, which is a major ingredient in processed food. Besides being empty calories it challenges the liver and affects blood pressure and heart condition. Less sugar and more water will be my mantra in the New Year.
- Remember you don’t have to be perfect everyday to see improvements.
- Find a way to keep your goals in mind and steer your daily activities toward them.
- If you mess up, you can pass “Go” again the next day.
- Always talk to you doctor about changes in your diet and exercise.
http://www.bodybuilding.com/content/forever-fit-goals-for-every-phase-of-a-womans-life.html
