Well this is the last week of the first 2010 session of BreakOut Boot Camp here in Walnut Grove, Langley and boy, have the last 3 weeks sailed by fast.  Everyone is excited for their reassessments and weight in/remeasurements.  We are anticipating some excellent results.

Trust you all had a great weekend and of course stayed active.  I was up in Tulameen this weekend with husband Paul and friends T & G.  We had a great weekend of snowmobiling (I only flew off the sled once this trip), playing cards, walking, a 2 mile run and building snowmen.  Well OK, I was the only one that built the snowmen.  The first one was up in the mountains at the ‘play area’ and her name was ‘Annie’.  The second, ‘Buba’, was in the backyard of T & G’s cabin, waiting to use the outhouse.  The third, ‘Carol’,  was on a beautiful hill way up on the far side of Rabbit Mountain.  She had a spectacular view and was of course really cute :-).  OK, we have Annie, Buba and Carol…do you see a pattern.  My goal is to try and get a snowman built for every letter of the alphabet.  On the way back down on the snowmobiles, during one of our rests ‘Denis’ was starting to take shape.   He was going to be a tiny thing…probably about a foot high at best, but as fate would have it, he was knocked over by a flying snowmobile helmet.  Not to worry, his pieces found a home ‘inside the helmet’.  Who’s laughing now?

Please help me reach my goal.  If you build a snowman, give him/her a name and take a picture and email it to me,   I will post them on my website and let you know what letter we are on.  Hope we get snow soon, or you could always head to the hills.  Great way to stay active, right?  Try and find some ‘young’ friends to help.

Remember you can sign up anytime for the February boot camp session that starts February 15.  BreakOut of your old habits and routines, enjoy live and get fit.

A wonderful weekend in Tulameen with family and friends is over.  We spent 2 days snowmobiling and walking and laughing and playing.  Of course the weekend included a 7 1/2 mile run with my daughter Pam and then a 12 mile run with my friend on Monday when we got home.  Can you believe the weather?  Ran in shorts and a sports bra most of the run…felt like spring. B…U…TEE…ful!

Here we are into week 2 of BreakOut Boot Camp.  Great attendance and enthusiasm as this group is working towards a happy, healthy, active lifestyle.  Remember it is never too late to join, I am happy to prorate the fees, so you have no excuse.

The pink stripe in my hair is in honor of Carmen, my friend that has breast cancer.  We love ya Carm.  The cutie to my right is my daughter Pam.

Remember an active lifestyle is something you can work on every day.  BreakOut of your old habits and routines, get fit and enjoy life.

Well the first class for all the time spots of the first 2010 BreakOut Boot Camp sessions here in Walnut Grove, Langley are done.  Everyone came through with flying colors and are anticipating an exciting month of fun and fitness…did I mention a whole bunch of hard work thrown in for good measure.

If you didn’t get around to signing up yet…do not fear it is never too late.  You can join at any time during the session and I will prorate your fees.  Give me a or email, or even drop in on boot camp evening and we will sign you up.

During first session we went over some of the health benefits to exercising regularly:

• o   20-50% lower risk of cardiovascular and coronary heart disease – which are responsible for 1/3 of deaths
• o   30% - 50% lower risk of colon cancer
• o   20% lower risk of breast cancer
• o   Reduces risk of type 2 diabetes by 50%
• o   Effective treatment for hypertension (high blood pressure) and in prevention of
• o   Can prevent and even reverse osteoporosis by 1% per year
• o  
• o   Helps build and maintain healthy bones, muscles and joints…improves stamina

All this and you will feel better, have more energy, lose weight, fit into your clothes better, tone up muscles and just feel better about yourself.  So why is it you haven’t signed up??

Start today and take the first step.  See you at Boot Camp.

If you haven’t registered yet, you still have time…Monday is the start of the first BreakOut Boot Camp session for 2010.  Walnut Grove, Langley is the location for this excellent program that specializes in cardio, total body strength training, flexibility and FUN!  Bring a friend and enjoy getting fit together, or come alone and work out with others that want to make 2010 the year that their lives change by getting in the best shape  they have ever been in.

Go to the online registration page and fill in the paperwork.  You can pay with the convenience of Paypal or just bring your payment to the first session.

Remember, if you can’t make 3 days a week, you have the option of 2 or even 1.  I will prorate the fees for you.  You can even mix and match the time spots.  I am doing everything I can to help you make it happen…now it is your turn.

So often I hear “I can’t do it now, maybe tomorrow.  So often ‘tomorrow’ never comes, so let today be your tomorrow and just do it!

Hope you have been active over the holidays.  I am planning on running the Historic Half Marathon next month with a bunch of family and friends, so today was my 11 mile run.  It was great, especially since I beat the rain.

Hoping to do some snowmobiling this weekend with friends and then home for boot camp on Monday.  See you there.

c

What a fun busy couple of days we have had.  With the grandkids not in school this week it has been our chance to have them over.  Little ones for a sleepover the other night and Jacob (14) and Taylor (12) stayed the last two nights.  I try to practice what I preach so we stayed busy.  Took them to see Avatar the other night…OK, I know that wasn’t being ‘ACTIVE’, but we made up for it after that.  We spend the day yesterday on Cypress where they snowboarded and we skied.  What a wonderful day!  The snow was great and the weather was super.  This morning I headed to the gym for a workout…while they slowly woke up…ah, to be young again.  This afternoon, I took them to the bowling alley…it’s been awhile for all of us, but I warned them I was good and they really didn’t have a chance beating me.  Well, even though I bowled a 111 the first game, I still beat them both.  I think my wrists were sore from all the pushups I did at the gym.  But not to worry, once they loosed up I came back with a 195 on the second game…and yes again beat them.  Not bad for grandma J

So, have you been thinking about making some New Year’s Resolutions?  Here is a copy of the article I wrote for the Langley Advance online column. 

BreakOut Resolutions for 2010

I know, I know, we aren’t even through the holidays yet and you want me to think about making New Year’s Resolutions.  Well, there is no time like the present. Start planning now to have a healthier year and by January you will be pumped and ready to go.  So often people start out the New Year right, but unfortunately it isn’t long before we get back into our old routine and exercise goes right out the window. 

So, let’s talk about some ways to make exercise ‘fun’ and thereby make it a part of our lifestyle, rather than something we ‘have to do’.

The most important thing is to change our attitude.  If you have the wrong attitude about fitness, you are setting yourself up for failure.  Don’t think of exercise as a punishment for being bad and something that is impossible to keep up.  

Rather it is your break in a busy day to take time for yourself.  It is the time when you can give your mind a rest and focus on ‘you’.  It is something that will give you more energy, improve your mood and improve your quality of life.

Your next steps are to plan, commit and ‘don’t cancel’.  Motivation doesn’t come easy, so make your plan and commit to it.  If you are exercising on your own or joining a class, write it down and COMMIT to making every class for 1 month… DO NOT CANCEL…and after the month you will be amazed at how good you feel.  Even the most committed exercisers has days they just don’t feel like it, know you will have to work on this every day. 

Tell people of your plan and you will feel more accountable.  ‘Hey, I signed up for 1 month of Bootcamp and I am going to make all 12 classes.  I am so excited to see and feel the results!’  It’s going to be pretty hard to miss when everyone knows what you are doing, isn’t it?  It is amazing how you can push yourself when you know people are watching. Even better, find a partner to do an activity with you.  If you know they will be there at noon to go for that run or pick you up for that class, you will be less likely to put it off.

Find something that you love.  If you love to swim, join a swim club.  If you are a team player, sign up for a group sporting activity, if you love to run, join a running group.  If you participate in things you enjoy it will keep you interested and excited.  Don’t be afraid to mix it up, you may be surprised at what you enjoy.

So I encourage you all, make 2010 the year you will Break Out of your old habits and routines, enjoy life and get fit!