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!