HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! Well we’re only 11 days into the new year, and many of us can already feel those resolutions slipping away. Don’t throw in the towel just yet. See below for 7 tricks from HungryGirl's website for sticking to your diet and exercise resolutions:


1. GET BY WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM YOUR FRIENDS
Following healthy eating and exercise plans can be tough to do on your own. GET SOME SUPPORT! Find a buddy to walk with or join you here at Anytime Fitness. Compare Grocery lists with a calorie-counting pal. And if you’re a little shy about this kind of stuff, a discreet approach can be just as effective. Get your sweat on in your living room with a new DVD.


2. JUST JOURNAL
Jotting down your daily diet is one of the best ways to stay on track. Go to www.sparkpeople.com to log your food. It’s a great website that has great articles and will motivate you to keep eating healthy and exercising. Even if you’re too crunched for time to record every calorie, fat gram, points value, etc., just writing a little description of each meal and snack can have a huge impact. You can always review your choices later, and see if you need to make some changes.


3. WHEN IT COMES TO EXERCISE, EVERYTHIING COUNTS
Even if you can’t get a full workout in one day, you can always squeeze something in. Go for a few calf raises while waiting in line at the bank, or get a walk in before dinner. Do bicep curls with soup cans while you wait for the oven to preheat. Stretch in the shower. Commit to doing at least SOME physical activity each day.


4. BE PREPARED
Holiday shopping may be over, but you can still have a spree at the supermarket. A stocked kitchen is KEY to success. Make sure to consider all your snacking and mealtime emergencies. Do you have purse-friendly snacks? Make a list of all your tough-eating scenarios and plan accordingly.

5. KEEP IT FUN
Face it, if your meal plan is boring and your exercise routine’s lame, you’re never gonna stick it out for the entire year. So add some excitement. Find great new recipes to try out. Seek out exercises that you actually enjoy. Try some of Anytime Fitness’s group exercise classes. If running doesn’t do it for you, try dancing. You can also take power-walks through the mall, try anew sport, hula hoop, take up karate, go swimming…Whatever! Just do it.

6. RELY ON REMINDERS
With all that’s going on, you might need some “should taps: to keep you from forgetting your New Year’s wish list of personal goals. So buy yourself a cute little calendar and fill it with activities. Schedule workouts. If they’re written in your calendar, you’ll be more likely to do them.

7. FORGIVE, DON’T FOGET
If you slip up and miss a day of exercise or accidentally inhale an entire week’s worth of chocolate in one sitting, don’t beat yourself up about it. It’s one thing to acknowledge where you went wrong so you don’t repeat your mistakes, but it’s another thing altogether if you throw yourself a pity party that last until Labor Day. Don’t give up, letting one bad day turn into a bad week or month. Be patient with youself while you figure out what works. Live and Learn!!!
Now get out there and stick to those New Year’s Resolutions!!!! 2009 is your year to succeed!!!

Happy New Year! With the new year brings new goals and resolutions. I already have a lifetime bucket list, but I also want to set of my goals/resolution for 2009. I ran my first full marathon in the Grand Rapids this past fall and also rode my first 50 mile bike ride in the Apple Cider Century bike ride so those were two big accomplishments for 2008! 2009 New Years Resolutions:

~This year I plan to bike my first 100 miles in the Apple Cider Century bike ride this fall.

~I'm signed to run in the Indy 500 half marathon. I ran it last year in 1:38 so this year I'd like to beat that time and run it in 1:35 but either way I will be happy beating it by even a second.

~Compete in my first triathlon mid-summer

~Complete my Sport Performance Nutrition class through ISSA(Just got my book a few weeks ago)

~Compete in my first figure competition ????? Still up in the air

~Spend more quality time with my husband and girls

~Go camping

~Finish reading "You being Beautiful" by Dc. Oz

~Get caught up on my daughter's baby book and get pictures organized and in photo albums

~Read the Bible more

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! 2009 is going to be a GREAT year!!

Christmas Eve........Prepairing for Santa's arrival

Kylee getting cookies and milk ready for Santa's arrival. We also left a letter for Santa thanking him in advance for the presents and to tell Jesus Happy Birthday. Kylee didn't go to bed until almost 1am because she was so excited for Christmas. She slept in Christmas morning until 10:30 which was nice since we stayed up until 2:30am wrapping presents. It sure would be nice if Santa was real so we wouldn't have to buy and wrap all those presents. Really though we don't get too crazy for Christmas because that's not what we want our girls to think Christmas is about. We always make a birthday cake for Jesus and sing happy birthday to him. I believe Kylee understands the meaning of Christmas. The presents are a bonus to her! She really got into opening her presents this year. Last year it took her forever!

Good Friends, Good Times!

Time sure does fly by! It seems just like yesterday we were doing this every weekend. Now it's tough getting together just a few times a year with my old college buddies. I miss the old days sometimes, but glad I'm where I'm at in this stage of my life right now. We had a great time hanging out catching up on old times.

"The best things in life aren't things...they're friends."

Surviving the Winter Blues

The weather has clearly turned and winter is here. Coats and sweaters make their way back into our daily wardrobe, the trees stand bare, and ...... the malls are bustling. As we move through this season many emotions may arise for us. Holidays past - both joyous and melancholy - find their way back into our thoughts. It is certainly a time of year when we need to take care of ourselves both physically and emotionally. I experience a slight case of SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) which I'm sure I'm not alone. See below for a few tips to that helps me get through the long, cold, dark, witner months:


~Stay connected with others. Whether in person or on the phone, the human connection is critical to our well-being.

~Practice daily affirmations. Repeating a positive thought several times throughout the day can help remind us of the potential we have to live well. (Ex: "I am a strong and optimistic person.")

~Do something kind for someone else. It is well known that helping others brings a flood of good feelings for the helper as well as for the receiver.

~Keep active. Exercise releases those important endorphins that keep our brains triggering positive emotions for us.

~Take care of your basic physical needs. Eat well and get enough sleep. Lack of sleep and poor nutrition are culprits in bringing on the blues.

~Pamper yourself often. Treat yourself to a simple luxury - a bubble bath, a relaxing evening with a friend, your favorite upbeat movie. You're worth it and you deserve it.

~Notice the beauty around you. Keeping your focus on the lovely things in life focuses your attention on what you DO have. The sunrise in the morning, children laughing, a flower blooming in the midst of the cold winter day - blessings we have that we sometimes overlook.