Merry Christmas!

Well Christmas day is here (and almost over) and I hope that you have enjoyed your time with family and friends. It sure is a blessing to be surrounded by so much love and joy, life is good! :)

As a part of my mom's Christmas gift this year, I put together 2 treadmill interval workouts. I picked out up-tempo, speed appropriate songs that I knew she'd enjoy then created a specific workout for every song. I tried one of the workouts out yesterday, just to make sure the music all flowed together well and the intensity was appropriate and it made me excited to start training for another half-marathon. It made me wonder, what else is possible this year? What other challenges (both physical and mental) could I tackle in 2008? I don't have the answers yet but it sure is fun to dream about! So, Merry Christmas and here's wishing you many big dreams of challenges that lie ahead.

Here's a tip!

Tip of the week...

If you want to couple exercise with Christmas shopping, make one full lap around the mall stopping at only one store to make a purchase. Then make another full lap around the mall, (this time walking in the opposite direction) stopping at only two stores to buy your gifts. Continue with another full lap around the mall (walking in the original direction), stopping at three stores this time and continue with walking pattern until all of your items have been purchased. Now you have your gifts for other people and you also gave yourself the gift of a workout! Happy shopping!

Hmmm...

I was teaching a group exercise class the other day and found myself saying (as I often do) "listen to your body." I encourage all clients to think about what their body is doing in any particular exercise; therefore the statement was logical and appropriate. However, in the context of our busy lives, what does this mean? After class, I kept thinking about the statement and realized that we seldom stop to listen to anything, let alone our own bodies. If you stopped to really listen, what would your body say? What would your mind say? What would your soul say?

Amidst the busyness of the Christmas season, I challenge you to stop and listen. Take 1 minute in the morning and 1 minute at night to stop, sit in silence, and check in with your body, mind, and soul. Listen and then respond to what you hear. Your total health is ultimately what is important; give yourself a gift this season: stop, listen, and respond.