Fitness & Wellness News Your Source for Fitness News, Wellness News, Health News, and Nutrition News!
by Michelle Sutton-Kerchner
About one-third of those who made new year’s resolutions are expected to break them by the end of this month. Those fitness and wellness goals, which often top everyone’s list, become deeply buried under a wool blanket or sheet of ice …
The post-holiday season blahs hit us like a snowball in the face. Eager trips to the mailbox to retrieve greeting cards and packages become dreaded treks to acquire statements attesting to our gift-giving debt. The sound of popping corks from champagne echoes in our memories (or is that just sinus congestion?) as we click open childproof cough syrups. Visits from family and friends are replaced with a visit from the winter doldrums.
It’s time for some R&R&R. Focus on these three Rs and jumpstart your goals for 2017. (It also wouldn’t hurt to have a little fun delivered to your mailbox. Netflix disc, anyone?)
Rejuvenate
Winter is a time for rejuvenation. Turn up the heat with a Group Fitness class or exercise equipment at the Center. Then, follow up with time spent under a warm quilt with a novel in one hand and a steaming cup in the other. Balance out your efforts.
Any kind of exertion is a challenge when it is dark outside by dinner, trees are bare, and snow frequents the air. This makes it a great time to be a Center member, when exercise can otherwise be limited by freezing temperatures.
Sure, there are outdoor winter sports, like skating and skiing, which invigorate and energize. We can take a brisk walk, even if in snow boots. However, the Center is always alive with inspiration, prompting us to try a new class or build our body better. Once inside, the warmth of the people and the energy of a great workout deliver a powerful remedy against cabin fever.
Restore
Recognize this as a time of restoration. Cold, gray, wet days aren’t very inspiring in the typical sense, but they do motivate us to turn inward. Take advantage of this respite to discover new favorites and learn different things. Try a new fitness or cooking class. Train for a spring 5K. Focus on a new challenge (perhaps a new year’s resolution). Simple changes are motivational when being productive is often challenged by the lure of the fireplace and a plate of cookies.
Enjoy a soak in the Center’s spa pool, melt the chill in your bones with some quiet time in the sauna (located in the Locker Rooms). Indulge in a massage or other spa treatment.
Pamper yourself when you’re healthy and can enjoy it. Don’t wait until you’re worn down and sick to spend a day taking care of creature comforts. Practice a little preventative maintenance. You may avoid the sick day all together!
Restore, stay healthy, and be ready for the busier days that await during the rest of the year.
Realize
Don’t neglect the importance of a balanced life. Aside from a great cardio workout, nothing builds stamina like fun times! Friends, family, and fitness are a healthy combination.
Bring a friend or family member with you to work out. (Visit the Reception Desk for a free pass.) Make efforts to meet a new workout buddy. Bundle up and venture out for face-to-face visits, which are so important when winter weather can feel isolating. Combine your priorities—fitness, family, and friends —to better accomplish daily balance.
It is easy to become overly involved in work, overstay at the office, and get lost in a fatigued stupor when warm sunshine is not enticing us to realize the world around us. Appreciate the wonders of the season. They are beaconing you in their own way. The brilliant white of snow. A hot mug of tea. A new fitness goal to kick off the year. Engage with the world and remain steadfast to your own well-being.
Image Credits
Snow play: pixabay.com/en/snow-winter-girl-play-cold-ice-845579
