As I sit at my dining room table surrounded by Christmas decorations, tempting cookies, peppermint bark, and bottles of cheer I am filled with gratitude for the simple things in life. Family, friends, a cozy home filled with love, and comfort foods are a few of my favorite things! Maybe it does not sound like a house where personal trainers live but despite some of our clients’ beliefs that we are another species, I can assure you we are humans that love the same unhealthy foods you do: homemade mac-n-cheese with lots of crispy breadcrumbs, ice-cream loaded with hot fudge, cookies, pretzels, I could go on forever…..
Every day we all have the same options because we live in an area with an abundance of grocery stores, restaurants, deli’s, and every fast food joint there ever was. What will you choose? Dairy Queen or The Juice House? A healthy salad or an Italian sub with the works? Purchasing healthy foods at the supermarket to cook at home or going out to eat and consuming way too many calories in one sitting? Unless you are held at knife point, being forced to consume a Big Mac, you do have control over what goes into your mouth. We also live in an area overflowing with parks, walking trails, tennis courts, golf courses and gyms. Do you pick the sofa or step outside for a walk? Do you decide to shop for stuff you don’t need or workout at the gym? Are the choices you made this year in line with the New Year’s Resolutions of 2015? Do you even remember what those resolutions were?
If you read my blog “Start Now! Don’t Stop” you would know that I do not believe in New Year’s Resolutions. They are usually grandiose and short-lived. I would like to share however, a yearly practice I do take part in and that is creating a personal motto. I started doing this 2 years ago at the advice of Frank Somma and include this motto in my email signature as a public declaration which in turn, assists in shaping the choices I make in order to live it out. In other words, it forces me to walk the talk or wauk the tawk for my homies on Long Island. For example, my 2015 motto was “The beginning of your best life is at the end of your comfort zone”. Did it work? Let’s see, I had corrective eye surgery to straighten my left eye which made me extremely self-conscious my entire life, got married, and started a business. What did you do in 2015? Did you start the year by saying something along the lines of “I’m going to eat clean this year” or “I am going to start a fitness routine”?
Now is the time to start thinking about what your intentions are for 2016. If it has anything to do with becoming more fit, feeling good, moving better, or being more confident in your clothes, New Year’s Resolutions are not the answer. Something to live by such as a personal motto and/or a realistic goal setting plan is the better way to go. Not because you have to or you should, but because these things will lead you to the much bigger plan you have for yourself. Let’s brainstorm together about what you want to accomplish in 2016! Send me an email at kim@activelifefitness.net so we can start dreaming of the possibilities together.
To inspire you even more click here to sign up for our weekly fitness tips: Active Life Fitness
Here’s to a healthy, happy, and successful New Year filled with refreshing salads and lean proteins, lifting weights, and long walks in the park!
Kim Musikant
