I work with many folks, several with serious medical issues like cancer and heart disease.  I have talked before about the “New Normal” for folks whose lives have been changed dramatically by disease- suggesting that adjusting to a new normal life is a way to enjoy time, be active (maybe in different ways) and make the current moment it’s best.

However, your new normal shouldn’t be used as license to give into an inactive life, poor eating habits or destructive habits like smoking.

Heads up!  You can create a fit and healthy new normal, one that’s better than anything you have experienced before.

So the two morals of this post?  1) Life happens, things change and you can change too, for the better.    2) Life goes on in a pattern, you don’t change, you accept less than your best and get what you expect.

You too, can alter the path of your life by creating your “New Normal” starting with a small change like getting away from your computer right now and taking that walk you know is good for you.  Why not post YOUR New Normal plans here?

It usually starts around February, sometimes as late as March.  “I can’t exercise today because I have to go into the office early… my son has a dentist appointment… it’s too dark outside… bottom line, the New Year euphoria wears off.  If you feel yourself starting to slide, the good news is that it doesn’t have to happen.

 Something can be learned from the New Year.  It’s at that time when anything seems possible.  You are focused clearly on what you want.  And you know what?  That’s the most important piece of it all!  Because, I or any good fitness professional can help you with the details.  But the “why you want to do it” has to come from you.

 The definition of commitment that I like is this: “The ability to carry through with a worthy decision, even when the emotion or excitement of making that decision has passed.”  Think about it.  It’s easy to get excited about starting a fitness program and dream about all the possibilities but eventually the alarm clock goes off and you have to put on your workout gear and do it. 

 What will get you out of bed instead of hitting the snooze button?  Can you see it?  Create a vision of where you want your health and fitness to be at the end of 2010… or, this summer!  If you begin to lament about working out, conjure up that vision.  Because otherwise what’s the point?  If you have no vision, exercise is just exercise. 

Set a resolution anytime.  Try each month to come up with one new habit to make (or break) that takes you closer to your vision.  Keeping up the New Year high requires a WHY. 

What’s yours?

http://www.fittraining.net/news.html

How can you be the best Valentine for others, if you aren’t YOUR personal best?  Check out how improve your heart health in this article I wrote for the MinuteMan Papers!

www. http://tinyurl.com/yaz7f6w

I am so thrilled to be on the YALE University research team that is searching for more positive benefits to exercise for cancer patients.

Check out the CT Post article: http://www.ctpost.com/default/article/Yale-study-examines-effect-of-exercise-on-cancer-354221.php

Those in Connecticut that think they, a family member or friend might be eligible – give us a call!

We all remember that timeless movie, don’t we?  When every day Bill Murray awakened and realized it was GROUND HOG day …yet again! 

Well, is your Fitness Routine the SAME day after day?  Get outta that rut (is there a rodent in there withya with the name of Phil???) and do something different!  It doesn’t have to be that radical, how about simply reversing your order, doing your cardio last (or…first!) and your strength and stretching first (or…last!), or find different exercises for your legs, abs, arms and butt.  Dance instead of using the elliptical, swim instead of the treadmill.  Mix it up and confuse your muscles, it’s a great way to infuse new excitement and energy into your fitness program.  Oh yeah,  you’ll get a better workout too!

Happy 6 more weeks of WINTER! (uh, thanks Phil!)

As seen on  www.CTChallenge.org

One of my gym mates exclaimed this oft used phrase this morning, and I thought, YES! That’s true!  Timing is everything…. or is it?

 If you think back, you might recall that there were many worthwhile and important accomplishments that came at the “wrong time” in your life.  Perhaps it was completing your graduate degree as a single parent raising small children, quitting smoking the week before you were laid off or learning you landed that dream job in another state the day you were diagnosed with cancer. 

 Life gets interrupted, rerouted and upended.  What if you waited for that perfect time to move ahead?  Well, I suspect you would still be back at square one, unfulfilled and unhappy.

 It’s like that with exercise, too.  If you wait until you feel stronger, look better in a bathing suit or more confident on your bike  before you pick up a dumbbell, get in the water, or on the road you may miss out on the fun and fitness benefits that increased physical activity can deliver.  Inviting health into your life starts now, with a single step.  It’s never too late.

 Proverb “The best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago. The second best time is now.”

Leave it to our friends across the pond to slap us right in the nose with a study about sitting on your butt all day.  I love the UK slang, too which makes this serious message a bit easier to take.

Take a read and let me know if YOU jump out of your chair and take a lap around your desk!  Cherrio!

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/01/19/sitting_perils/

OK, most of us have heard the news about the Kellogg’s “clinical study” that claimed that kids who ate Frosted Mini Wheats were more attentive in school, and saw the banners on some other products claiming “healthy” children’s foods.

As I talk about in my seminars, the front of a package is akin to a commercial, a way to grab your attention and steer you to the shelf to pick up a certain food product, vs another.

Well, Leonard Gordon, director of the northeast regional office of the Federal Trade Commission  stated yesterday that they are keeping a close eye on the nutritional claims made by major food marketers.  You can check out the entire article at: http://supermarketnews.com/news/health_claims_0114/

Scams like these prey on the harried consumer that knows he or she should purchase more nourishing food for themselves and their families, but are starved (OK, pun intended!) of free time to make educated choices.

About time, FTC!  What do YOU think?

During a recent session and while chatting about her weight and fitness past experiences, my ususally reserved and very proper client, Patty (not her real name) blurted out this statement.  She went on to say that every time someone described her (using the “P” word), her irritation level hit an all time high.

 I found it totally intriguing how a word, 5 little letters could illicit such a vehement response from this young, beautiful mom of 2.  We chatted a bit about it, and it seems that she would rather have someone refer to her as “FAT” than “Plump”!  How funny we humans are!

Anyway, she is neither fat or plump, but senstive (aren’t we all?) to labels that stick with us in our pysche for years, decades, and maybe even a lifetime.  Fortunately for Patty, this label helped her seek out professional services to put a stop to the “P word” being used to describe her.

It got me thinking, what a brave gal she is to turn a perceived negative label (”Plump”) to a new way of life “FIT!”

Congratulations to Patty and all of you that make positive changes and don’t fall into the label trap.  There is always a way out! 

As seen on http://ctchallenge.org

For those who have experienced health and other challenges this past year (or years), the expression “Happy New Year!” certainly takes on a different connotation.

I believe the phrase “new normal” has surfaced and stuck for many reasons and is a valid way to look at the future.  When folks consider what life will be like going forward in the new year…  after losing their steady income, during or after being treated for a life threatening disease, like cancer, or after the death of a loved one…. no matter what, it simply isn’t going to be a familiar “happy new year”.

However, just by acknowledging that fact and helping family and friends understand things are different- maybe good, maybe not so good, but definitely different, can open up new possibilities to create joy in a new (but not like any other) year. 

In my exercise practice, I suggest my clients take a few minutes to list the physical activities they still can do (and like to do), versus the things they cannot do or can’t do the same way.  It is amazing how empowering it can feel to see how long your “can do” list gets and how it can help to create a “new normal” for individuals whose lives have changed forever.

I wish you the best of everything in your new year!