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Back-to-YOU Season is Here!
Keep Those Summer Memories Alive!
It happened again. I blinked and the unofficial end of summer, also known as Labor Day, came and went before I could figure out how all the days since Memorial Day slipped by so quickly. I hope everyone enjoyed a season filled with sun, fun, family and friends and that your September is off to a great start.
New Year’s is often touted as the perfect time to get your health and fitness routine in tip-top shape. However, I think this back-to-school season offers another opportunity to re-focus your attention on making healthy changes in your life. Why? It’s simple: this is when we adjust to the non-summer-Friday work weeks along with new start and stop times for school, sports and all the other activities that fill up our hectic lives. That makes this the ideal time to fit some fitness into the waning days of summer and get a routine in place for a FITASTIC fall ahead!
New Opportunities Await!
Here are some tips to get yourself in a feel-good groove:
- Stay Alert for New Workouts: Many gyms offer a new group fitness schedule in September. Maybe this is the season that cardio kick box class fits into your schedule. Also, ask about any back-to-school specials. Some fitness centers may offer their spin on friends and family rates. Talk about the perfect reason to make exercise a family affair or schedule a bi-weekly workout with a buddy!
- Put It In Writing: If you drive your kids to school or your spouse to the train station, figure out if there’s time immediately following a drop-off or right before a pick-up for a workout. You could hit the gym for a group exercise class, drive a few more blocks to the park for a run or meet a fitness friend for a brisk walk or game of tennis. Typing the activity in to your smart phone task list or putting an old-fashioned sticky note on the fridge is a great visual boost to keep that workout on the schedule.
- Ten Minutes of Something is Better than Nothing! As time seems to grow more precious each day, there are plenty of workouts geared toward gaining maximum results in less time.Click here for a refresher on my “Tear-It-Up-in-Ten Circuit” Do you really only have five minutes to spare? No problem. Click here for a reminder on how you can burn some calories and get the heart pumping with the four-minute Tabata workout.
- “Fall” Into Healthy Eating Habits: If you pack lunch for the kiddies, why not add just a few more minutes to the prep time and make some healthy snacks or meals for yourself? I spend about 30 minutes every Sunday slicing and dicing veggies including peppers, celery sticks and carrots and then pack them in reusable containers. I can grab a portion anytime as a healthy snack, side dish or to mix with brown rice for a mini-meal. Some of my other go-to eats include raw almonds, green apples and non-fat plain Greek yogurt.
- Wardrobe Prep: Do you help your kids pick out their clothes before they go to bed? Why don’t you plan your own morning workout wardrobe, too! Put your gear in the bathroom the night before. It’s usually the first room we visit after we wake up, so if your clothes are staring you in the face, it may be harder to ditch the workout. If you’re exercising after work, pack your gym bag the night before and leave it by the door to grab on your way out. (And don’t forget to grab one of your prepped snacks for some healthy fuel, too!)
Finally, it’s important to remember getting fitness on your schedule and healthy foods into your fridge are two big steps toward a healthier you in the season ahead. During my annual August blogging hiatus, I had many conversations with several different gal pals (who also happen to be great moms) about their frustration over falling off the fitness wagon over the summer. Between keeping the kids entertained and all the BBQs, they found themselves eager to get back into a leaner, meaner routine. I’ll tell you what I told them: leave the “sins of the summer” in the past but keep the memories close in your heart. Just as the leaves are sure to fall in the days ahead, you’ll soon find yourself back on track with your efforts to have fun, be fit and feel fabulous!
Back to School, Back to YOU!
A New Month of Opportunities Awaits!
Well here we are one week into September of 2014. My New York City neighborhood is back to its normal frenetic pace. The kids are back in school and everyone who vacationed outside the concrete jungle are back from their summer hideaways. That means the gyms are crowded again, too. So I figured I’d use this Motivation Monday to remind everyone this is the perfect time to incorporate some fitness into your back-to-reality routine.
Parents are helping their kids deal with new teachers, new schedules and after-school activities. If you’re like me and you don’t have kids, the speed of everyday living tends to amp up a notch thanks to the end of summer Fridays and the beginning of new projects and deadlines. The good news is fitting some fitness into your September routine doesn’t have to be impossible.
Here are some tips to make things a little less overwhelming:
- Set a Time & Put It In Writing: If you drive your kids to school or your spouse to the train station, figure out if there’s time immediately following a drop-off or right before a pick-up for a workout. You could hit the gym for a group exercise class, drive a few more blocks to the park for a run or meet a fitness friend for a brisk walk or game of tennis. Listing the activity in your smart phone calendar or on the daily to do-list stuck to the fridge can offer a visual boost to keep that workout on schedule.
- Ten Minutes of Something is Better than Nothing! As time seems to grow more precious each day, there are plenty of workouts geared toward gaining maximum results in less time. Click here for a refresher on my “Tear-It-Up-in-Ten Circuit” as featured recently on the Working Woman Report. (Don’t forget to tune in for a new episode tonight at 8:30 pm NYCLife Channel, which is either 25 or 22 depending on your provider.)
- “Fall” Into Healthy Eating Habits: If you pack lunch for the kiddies, why not add just a few minutes to the prep time and make some healthy snacks or meals for yourself? I spend about 30 minutes every Sunday slicing and dicing veggies including peppers, celery sticks and carrots and then pack them in reusable containers or individual plastic bags. I can grab a portion anytime as a healthy snack or as a side to a turkey sandwich. Some of my other favorite on-the-go eats include almonds, low-fat string cheese and non-fat plain Greek yogurt.
- Wardrobe Prep: If you plan to exercise first thing in the morning, put your workout wear in the bathroom the night before. It’s usually the first room we visit after we wake up, so if your clothes are staring you in the face, it may be harder to ditch the workout. If you’re exercising after work, pack your gym bag the night before and leave it by the door to grab on your way out. (And don’t forget to grab one of your prepped snacks for some healthy fuel, too!)
Finally, it’s important to remember Rome wasn’t built in a day. Getting fitness on your schedule and healthy foods into your fridge are two big steps toward a healthier you. If you indulged in more ice cream or margaritas than you planned over the summer, don’t sweat it. It’s a new month, a new season is coming and there will be plenty of chances to get your butt in gear so you can have fun, be fit and feel fabulous!
Back to the Grind!
Happily Saying Good Bye to the Summer of 2013 – and Ready for a New Season!
I won’t lie. I’m beyond ecstatic that this summer is unofficially over and done with!
While I always do my best to stay upbeat no matter what’s going on, to be blunt, this summer was a big test for my psyche. (New readers, click here to see what I’m talking about.) Still, I passed the test and now that September is here, it means a new month and new beginnings. If you dealt with your own challenges these past few months, now’s the time to wipe the slate clean and start over.
Parents are dealing with the responsibilities of getting the kids back on track at school. That means new teachers, new schedules and perhaps new after-school activities. If you’re like me and you don’t have kids, there’s still an uptick in the overall pace of life with the end of summer Fridays and the beginning of new projects and deadlines. Whatever new items are on your agenda, it’s the perfect time to get your health and fitness goals in serious shape. As you focus on getting a daily routine established for you and maybe the whole family, don’t forget to fit some fitness into your September routine. Sound impossible? Think again!
Here are some tips to make things a little less overwhelming:
- Put it in writing: If you drive your kids to school or drop your spouse at the train station, figure out if there’s time immediately following a drop-off or right before a pick-up for a workout. This could mean hitting the gym for a group exercise class, driving a few more blocks to the park for a run or meeting a fitness friend for brisk walk or game of tennis. Typing it into your smart phone calendar or putting it in your planner will also give you a visual boost to make it happen at the allotted hour.
- Ten minutes of something is better than zero minutes of nothing: With our time-crunched lives, there are more and more workouts geared toward maximum results in less time. Click here for a link to a previous post where I offer a 10-minute circuit I like to call the “one-minute-wonder.” If you only have 15 minutes, add a few stretches before and after and you’ll feel like you worked. If you have up to 30 minutes, you can repeat the circuit two or three times and really get your sweat on! (Another plus: you can do this circuit anywhere.)
- “Fall” into healthy eating habits: If you pack lunch for the kiddies, why not add a few minutes to the prep time and make some healthy snacks or meals for yourself. I spend about 30 minutes every Sunday slicing and dicing veggies including peppers, celery sticks and carrots and then pack them in reusable containers or individual plastic bags. Now, they’re ready to grab as a side to a turkey sandwich or healthy snack. Some of my other favorite snack ideas include almonds, apples and non-fat plan Greek yogurt.
- Wardrobe Prep: If you plan to exercise first thing in the morning, put your workout wear in the bathroom the night before. It’s usually the first room we visit when we wake up, so if your clothes are staring you in the face, it may be harder to skip the workout. If you’re exercising after work, pack your gym bag the night before and leave it by the door to grab on your way out.
Finally, it’s important to remember Rome wasn’t built in a day. Getting fitness on your schedule and healthy foods into your fridge are two big steps toward a healthier and happier you. If you indulged in more ice cream or margaritas than you planned over the summer, don’t sweat it. It’s a new month, a new season is coming and there will be plenty of chances to get your butt in gear so you can have fun, be fit and feel fabulous!
Mindful Monday
Now’s the perfect time to take stock of what makes you smile!
Photo by Leslie Hassler
I can’t believe we’re one week away from Labor Day. I’m part of the group that considers the holiday the unofficial end of summer.
When I was a kid, that meant dealing with a mix of dread and excitement in anticipation of a new school year. Now that I’m a grown up, (not that I always feel like one) even though I don’t have kids, I find this back-to-school time one of the best times to take stock of where I’m at and figure out where I’d like to go from here.
What does that mean exactly? It’s time for me to get out the big planner and set up a new schedule and some new deadlines for some new adventures. That involves taking all of the following into consideration:
- Reality: The hours involved with my Monday through Friday work schedule.
- Current deadlines: That includes the writing I do for the posts here each Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
- Necessities: Working out on my own and the group exercise classes that my body and spirit can’t live without.
- New projects: I’ve been collecting information for a new writing project for quite some time and I need to get my butt in gear and start putting things together. I also want to lure some guest bloggers to appear on my site and hopefully get some of my writing on other sites in return. There’s a lot of social networking ahead of me!
- Down time: Yes, I plan to designate which days and/or nights I’ll be social and which ones where I’ll be alone to work on all the other “stuff” or simply chill out.
What’s my motivation for getting my fall plan on paper in the week ahead? Because when you have a to-do list in your head, it can be overwhelming. You stress about all there is to do, and with no plan, the stress festers and nothing gets done.
If you’re busy helping the kids get ready for the new school year, why not use this time to also get your own September schedule in order. Maybe this is the autumn you put it on your schedule to get to that gym class or meet a friend for a walk one or two days a week after you get the kids out the door. If the afternoons are better, then schedule an hour to get some exercise before you have to pick the kids up from practice or other after-school activity. While they’re busy with their extra-cirriculars, maybe that’s your hour to spend on a project you’ve had on the back burner for too long. Have you wanted to start your own blog or write a book? Or maybe now’s the time to find out what the Zumba craze is all about or take that photography class.
Making time for you doesn’t mean you’re being selfish. Prioritizing what you need to find your contentment will only make it easier for you and the people you care about to have fun, be fit and feel fabulous!
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