Fall Back Into Fitness, Fall Back Into YOU!

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Kids are back to school soon.  Yahoo!  Oops, did I say that out loud?! 🙂

September is a very busy time in the fitness industry, only second to New Year’s Resolutions.  Summer holidays are over, school is back in session and now it’s time for YOU!  Take advantage of this natural tendency to turn over a new leaf, so to speak, and let’s get aggressive with your health and fitness program. 

Nutrition:

Summer time BBQs, S’Mores by the camp-fire and ice cream treats can tend to pack on a few extra pounds over the summer encouraging many to feel ready to get back to eating super healthy and watching what they eat a little more closely.

Try a few of these tips to help launch a good nutrition plan.

• Try a modified cleanse for a week to flush your system of any toxins or residue from a less than healthy summer season.  It can be as easy as deciding to eat super clean for a week committing to eating only fruits and veggies and non-processed foods.  Your body will love this!
• Commit to flushing your system by drinking at least 100 ounces of water per day for at least a week.
• You’ve probably enjoyed a few more cocktails this summer than your usual routine, so let the liver recover by avoiding alcohol for a set period of time.

Regardless of what you establish as your goals, don’t worry about being perfect.  Even if you commit to a diet that is 80% clean and healthy, that will do wonders to getting your health and fitness program back on track!

Exercise:

Now that you can get back to a good solid routine, it’s a great opportunity to ramp up your program.

Here’s a few tips:

• Try a new fitness program that you’ve always wanted to.  Maybe enroll in the Zumba dance program all your girlfriends are doing.  Or maybe it’s time to head indoors for a little Rock-climbing at The Source climbing center.  Or perhaps you wanted to check out that Cross-Fit program that’s getting a lot of media exposure lately.  Or come and see us at Northwest Personal Training for some private, partner or group personal training or try any of our classes.  The message here is stimulate your body and mind by trying something different.
• Register for an upcoming local event – it puts purpose to your workouts and gives you a goal to focus on. Try the Girlfriends Half Marathon and walk, run or run/walk your way to the finish line!
• Put your workouts into your day-planner.  Remember the saying “If your priorities don’t get put into your schedule, someone else’s priorities will get put into your schedule!”  Carve the time out for yourself!
• Recruit a buddy.  It’s easier to stay committed when you’ve got a buddy to inspire you when you’re not feeling very motivated!  That’s why Personal Training works – you HAVE to go even when you don’t feel like it!

With any of your goals, remember that if you believe you can achieve something, you will.  The power to aspire to great things happens first in the mind.  Be prepared to regularly assess your goals and modify your actions if needed.  Expect struggles and obstacles and decide beforehand, how you’ll overcome them.  If you do get off track, the key to success is learning from the experience and getting right back on route as quickly as possible.

Sherri McMillan, M.Sc. has been inspiring the world to adopt a fitness lifestyle for over 25 years and has received numerous industry awards including International Personal Trainer and Fitness Presenter of the Year. She is the author of five books including “Go For Fit – the Winning Way to Fat Loss” and “Fit over Forty” and is the featured presenter in various fitness DVDs.  She is the owner of Northwest Personal Training in downtown Vancouver and can be seen running, hiking or cycling with her two children, Brianna and Jackson.  She can be reached at www.nwPersonalTraining.com or www.ShapeupwithSherri.com

Note:  As an avid Columbian reader, you can redeem a 2 week pass at her world-class training studio to help get you started.  Contact 360.574.7292 for more details.