Christmas Thanks

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During the Christmas season of giving, it’s nice to sit back and contemplate what we are grateful for. It’s a positive action to make a list of the people we love and appreciate and the things we couldn’t imagine living without. So in this spirit, here is a list of things you can be thankful for, from a fitness perspective.

1. Exercise actually makes you less tired. Energy creates energy so when you’re tired, the best thing to do is move your body and you instantly start to feel better. So instead of saying “I’m too tired to exercise” actually say “I’m so tired, I need to exercise and I’ll feel so much better!”
2. Downsizing your stomach: Your stomach actually shrinks so that as you start to eat healthier and control your portions, you will be satisfied on a smaller amount of food making it easier to achieve your goals.
3. You crave what you consume: As you start to drink more water and eat more fruits and vegetables, your body will start to desire these things making it easier to eat healthy.
4. You can become a fat-burning machine: As you start exercising and eating better, you increase the number and strength of the fat burning enzymes (Lipoprotein Lipase) inside your fat cells that mobilize and utilize fat for fuel so eventually, you become a fat burning machine making it so much easier to achieve your ideal physique. When you first start exercising, remember that even if your body isn’t changing substantially yet, you are building your fat burning enzymes which is going to make it a lot easier to burn fat in the long run so stick with it!
5. You can become a power-house!: Once you are exercising consistently, you increase the size and number of your mitochondria (where energy is produced) so you can go further and harder without getting tired.
6. You will extract more O2!: As you get more fit, your cardiovascular system improves, your heart gets stronger and you develop more capillaries making it easier to extract oxygen from your blood so you don’t get as winded and can work out harder.
7. Muscle can light the fire!: Since muscle is energy burning tissue, when you strength train and develop muscle tissue, you will burn more calories not only during exercise but also during rest.
8. Your body becomes more effective: As you get fit, instead of the byproducts of high intensity exercise being toxic to your system making you feel nauseous and dizzy, instead your body becomes more efficient at using them as fuel enabling you to go harder and faster without feeling like you’re going to die.
9. You are who you hang with: The more time you spend with people who are also on a mission to achieve their personal best, the easier it will be for you to reach your goals. Good energy rubs off!
10. Results momentum gets you there!: When you accomplish one goal, no matter how small or insignificant, it will give you the belief and the confidence to achieve the next goal, and the next goal and so on. And soon you will have reached your ultimate goal. It’s called Results Momentum so you don’t have to worry about the big, monstrous goal, just take one step at a time!

Yours in health & fitness,
Sherri McMillan

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.

 

Join us for the…..COUVE CLOVER RUN – 3, 7 & 10 MILES – March 25th, 2018
Celebrate in your festive green while running or walking 3, 7 or 10 miles along an extremely fast and scenic course to support local charities! We will make you earn your post-event party but it will be off the charts hosted by Main Event and other downtown Vancouver Pubs & Breweries.