Published in the December 23, 2015 – January 5, 2016 issue of Morgan Hill Life
Tracee Gluachaich
In less then 10 days, the gyms in Morgan Hill will be packed, Gilroy’s Costco will be selling weight-loss shakes in the front of the store, personal trainers’ schedules will be overloaded, and everyone will be psyched about their New Year’s Resolutions.
By the time Valentine’s Day comes around in mid-February, half the people with the best of intentions of getting into shape will have fallen off the wagon, the gyms are back to normal and we are stuffing our faces with chocolates we pluck one at a time out of heart shaped boxes.
Are you feeling this is what you will go through?
How about we approach 2016 with a commitment to adopt one good habit at a time instead of the whole “all or nothing” game we have been playing most of our lives? This way, there is no wagon to fall off. Simply choose one new habit that you know intuitively will make your life better, and schedule it into your daily routine.
Let’s start with food, since it’s something we cannot live without. What one new food habit will you adopt into your life that will improve the overall quality of your health? The obvious, to me, is to add more green veggies. Because it’s now winter, you can make veggie soup, roasted cruciferous veggies or sautéed greens.
Maybe you feel the need to get more sleep. This is common in the winter, when it gets dark early and is cold outside. Luckily our temps are moderate. I have to go to Minnesota in January for two weeks and I’m not looking forward to having icicles hanging from my nostrils. I will be the dork in a ski mask, parka and beanie with hand and foot warmers in my gloves and shoes.
Will you commit to going to bed earlier, sleeping later, or using healthy remedies to improve the quality of your sleep? This can be as easy as wearing ear plugs, not watching screens before bed, drinking a relaxing herbal tea in the evening, taking a hot bath or have a glass of red wine to warm those bones.
One of my favorite new habits is finding a workout routine that I love and will commit to. Morgan Hill has so many options to choose from. With the mild weather you can hike or bike, roller blade or jog. With the plethora of gyms you can pump that iron with Body Pump or Boot Camp, enjoy dancing with Zumba or UJam, do Crossfit, or thaw out at Hot Pilates (I want to try this). We have TRX to get stronger, or Barre to get longer. The options are endless. The only thing in the way is you. Decide that you are worth the effort and try a bit of everything until you fall in love with sweating.
How about we close 2015 with a focus on our blessings, then we will attract more of them into our lives.
I am thankful for being strong and healthy, loving my awesome hubby of 25-plus years, enjoying close relationships with my three sons, having fun with my family and friends, the new job, my awesome labs, this amazing community, Rotary Club, and being given the freedom to speak my mind, encourage people to live their healthiest life, and rain. And yep, I am thankful for the rain that 2016 is going to shower down on us, make our hills green and help alleviate this drought we’ve been going through the past few years.
In 2016 I intend to laugh more, whine less, focus more, live in my head less, pray more, worry less, stretch more, eat less empty calories, smile more, complain less, help others more and be less selfish.
What about you? What new habits will you choose to add into your life as we start a brand new year?
Tracee Gluhaich is a local health coach and personal trainer. Check out her website at www.highenergygirl.com. She wrote this for Morgan Hill Life.
