Setting Realistic Goals:

This will be your first step in your fitness plan for your body. Sit down with a pen and paper. Think of what you want most from your workouts and just start writing them down. At this point, no goal is a bad goal. Just write down your goals as fast as they pop into your head. Think of it like creative writing for the gym.
 
The next step is to refine your goals and apply the "SMART" principle. Your goals need to meet all of the criteria listed below:
 
Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Realistic
Time specific

Good examples:

"I want to lose 10 pounds in 6 weeks."
"I want to run a marathon in 6 months."
"I want to get to the gym 3 times per week."
 
These are all "SMART" goals. Remember, it has to be attainable and realistic. These are the two components that people usually leave out in their goal setting. If you want to lose 30 pounds in 30 days, this is not attainable in most cases. If you want to lose 10 pounds in 6 weeks, but you are not willing to change your diet or workout 3-5 days per week because you are too busy, this is not realistic for your lifestyle right now. People need goals that they can achieve; otherwise you will feel like you are continuously failing in the gym. This will quickly lead to a gym membership that you pay monthly fees towards, but never use.
 
So if you have not set goals in the gym, I would recommend taking a few minutes to scratch a few ideas down that fit the SMART principle.
 
The Plan:
 
Now you have to determine a plan. Sit down with your daily planner, phone, calendar or however you keep track of your schedule. Decide how many days per week and how long you can commit to working out. Most people should see results when working out three days per week combined with a healthy diet. These workouts should be entered into your planner just as any other appointment in your week. In fact, these might be the most important appointments for you during the week because you are taking time to better your health. If you are working out three days per week, it should include cardiovascular exercise and strength training on the same day. If your goal is to lose weight at a more rapid rate, you should consider exercising 4-5 days per week.
 
You should revisit your plan monthly or weekly to determine if you are making improvements towards your SMART goals. If your plan is to work out five days per week and you are highly motivated, but you are really only getting to the gym three times per week then you have created an environment where are you failing your expectations week after week. In this case, I would recommend changing your goal and plan so that it would more accurately reflect working out three times weekly. Once you have mastered this for 1 month and have been successful, then up your progress to four times per week the next month.

Taking Action:
 
The best plan in the world doesn't mean a thing unless you follow through with it. Get to the gym, jump on your bike, throw on your walking shoes, or whatever your plan may be to reach your goals. Take action now to better your health for tomorrow.
(Brought to you by Josh Kernen, PT, DPT, CSCS of Bridgetown Physical Therapy & Training Studio)

To keep track of your fitness progress, please visit the LifeBalance Activity Tracker and Journal.

For a complete listing of fitness clubs, please visit the LifeBalance Fitness Club pages.

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We would eat when we were hungry, allow our connection with our bodies and mind to help direct us to the right foods and stop when we were full, not stuffed. Foods would taste pleasurable; a newfound experience with each taste and texture. We would stop to think where each food came from and choose foods for their taste, beauty and enjoyment. If you fall short of this style of eating please consider that you are only human. Sometimes it is hard enough to remember to eat let alone take a moment to close your eyes and actually experience your food. Most of us weren’t taught this growing up. Instead our eating times were highly regimented. We were told to stay at the table until we finished our food (especially our vegetables), and we were sometimes rewarded with food or sent to bed without dinner as punishment. If you would like to go back even earlier than your adolescence you can look at your eating patterns from birth.

With the introduction of formula in the mid 1950’s came some possible repercussions that would not be felt until these babies reached adulthood. When a baby suckles on the breast the mother has no idea how much milk the baby is getting and instead depends on the cues from the baby to tell her it is finished. The baby will turn its head and stop sucking. As long as the baby is gaining weight over the weeks the mother feels confident that the baby is getting enough milk. The baby is learning to trust itself by reading its own hunger and satiety cues and the mother reinforcing this.

On the other hand, the amount of formula in a bottle can be readily seen. The mother’s intention is to create a healthy thriving life and this sometimes means not listening to the baby’s cues and instead insisting that the baby finish the final couple of ounces in the bottle. After all, why let that go to waste? Unfortunately this derails the learning experience and instead the baby does not learn to trust its own cues.

Any of these childhood experiences can lead to an adversarial relationship with food and the body. If not addressed at a young enough age these can create a dissociation between our emotions and eating; one of the most elemental and enjoyable aspects of living.

Food nurtures our bodies and our souls. Food should be used for the purpose of self care and not self deprivation. Instead of viewing hunger and eating as innate responses, these are denied through dieting. We must eat to survive and yet year after year billions of dollars are spent on diet books looking to restrict us from the foods we love, reduce our calories and remove us from the patterns that were giving us comfort. We know diets don’t work, but since we weren’t taught healthy relationships as children, most people don’t know how to listen to themselves. It is never too late to develop that sense of connection and trust. It can be reestablished, it just takes practice.

Mindful eating is the first step toward experiencing a healthy relationship with food. Whether you are a person who deprives yourself of foods and eats highly regimented or the slightest bit of anxiety or sadness kick in your carbohydrate cravings, the following exercises will help.

• Gain Awareness of Your Patterns: How can you get to point B if you don’t know what point A is? This is where most diets fail, because they don’t take into account what a person is presently doing. They don’t address “why” they are eating a certain way before they go and drastically try to change habits and behaviors. The fist step is to identify your patterns, triggers, and eating style. Food journaling is an amazing tool that will help you do just that. The information that you record in your journal can be used to help you improve your patterns. This goes beyond simply writing down the foods you are eating. You will also need to record time of day, your hunger on a scale of 0-10 (5 “I can eat” and 10 “ravenous”) and check in with your feelings every time you reach for food. I am not suggesting that we are each emotional eaters 100% of the time. What I am suggesting is that we each get in the habit of checking in with ourselves. “Fine” and “ok” will need further probing. We are so used to offering this reply to others when we are asked, “How are you doing?” that we have started to believe it ourselves. Gaining awareness of your eating and emotional patterns is the first step to freeing yourself from the daily deprivation-indulgence cycle.
• Experience Your Food: The next time you sit down for a meal put your hands in your lap and take a few moments to experience what is in front of you. Notice how the food looks, smells and what you think it will taste like. Can you picture where the food comes from, how it is grown and the energy it took to get it from the ground to your plate? How is your body responding? Then pick up your fork and take a bite. How closely did you come to guessing the texture and flavor of the food? Mindfully chew the food and enjoy the experience. You won’t have to do this with every bite. The goal is to raise the awareness of how your body responds to food and for you to actually enjoy the food you are eating. Try this exercise at least once a day for a week and see if it changes your eating patterns.
• Weekly Indulgences: Instead of overdoing it by eating a handful of Hershey Kisses in front of the TV every night, choose a high quality dark chocolate and have a few squares once or twice a week. Notice how much you savor the quality chocolate when you know you won’t be having it every night. You are experiencing your food. Savoring indulgences keeps us in the moment and offers an enjoyable experience. This experience is lost when we experience guilt. By planning your indulgences and only having high quality foods in the house you will be less likely to binge on lower quality foods that don’t bring your mouth as much pleasure.

(Brought to you by Angela Pifer, MSN Certified Nutritionist of Nutrition Northwest)

To keep track of what you eat and more, visit the LifeBalance Food Tracker & Journal.

For complete a listing of food and nutrition related LifeBalance providers, please visit the LifeBalance Weight Management pages.

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1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die
Peter Boxall, Peter Ackroyd

LifeBalance members Save 32% on this title!

For discerning bibliophiles and readers who enjoy unforgettable classic literature, this trove of reviews covers a century of memorable writing. Each entry is accompanied by an authoritative yet opinionated critical essay describing the importance and influence of the work in question.

Buy This Title Now from Boone Bridge Books

Boone Bridge Books offers members at least 25% savings on all titles (excluding textbooks) ordered from their website. 

In the acknowledgement of continuing technology, no doubt 2009 will bring more technology into our lives. My question is in lieu of all the convenience it provides; what is it costing us? Will we be having conversations with our dinner guests via satellite who provide great conversation, but can't pass the salt? Will all exercise programs become electronic like the Wii-Fit? Is there such a thing as too much of the e-thing? My opinion is yes; in 2009 I invite you to take some time to unplug. Take a walk with your kids, light a fire and play a board game, have a dinner party and give hugs because no matter how much technology has helped us, it can never replace a face to face, personal connection. (Brought to you by Jason Stein Coaching)

An estimated 60.8 million Americans volunteer in their communities annually. Visit the Community Corner and make giving back one of your New Year’s resolutions.

Reading increases mental development and IQ, stimulates the muscles of the eyes thereby improving concentration and observation ability, and improves conversational and concentration skills of the reader. Stimulate your mind in the New Year by searching for savings on Books in your area.

The first modern snowboard was the Snufer (a portmanteau of snow and surfer), originally designed by Sherman Poppen in 1965 in Muskegon, Michigan. Poppen’s Snurfer was essentially a skateboard without wheels, steered by a hand-held rope. Start the year our by heading to the mountain and save on Skiing/Snowboarding today. 

Nearly one third of Americans reported going to a jazz, classical music, opera, play, musical or ballet performance last year. Check out more performances in your area this year and enjoy LifeBalance Member savings on Music and Performing Arts tickets.

There is nothing to fight against, nothing standing in your way, nothing to hold you back. How would you live each moment of each day in such a bright and shining reality? If you truly had it all, what precisely would you do with it and who would you become? As you imagine yourself living out your most treasured dreams, you begin to touch the tangible and authentic purpose behind those dreams. And you come to understand that the person you would become if you truly had it all is with you even now. That purpose which longs to be fulfilled, is very much a part of which you are today, no matter how distant your dreams may seem. Those dreams are very much alive in you and much of their value you already have. Life is found not in waiting or hoping for anything to come to you. Life is best lived knowing that who you are and what you have is always more than enough. The best you can imagine is here to be lived out and unfolded, moment after moment, day after day, as you experience the magnificent blessing that is your life. (Daily Motivator)

• 2 tablespoons canola or other vegetable oil
• 1 cup chopped onions
• 2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
• 2 1/2 cups peeled and cubed buttercup squash
• 2 celery stalks, diced
• 1/2 cup peeled and diced carrots
• 2 1/2 cups cubed potatoes
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
• 6 cups water
• 4 cups chopped kale
• 1 1/2 cups cannellini beans (15 oz can, drained)

Warm the oil in a large soup pot on medium heat. Add the onions and garlic, and sauté for 5 min.

Add the squash, celery, carrots, potatoes, oregano, salt, pepper, and water and cook for 10 min or until the potatoes are almost done.

Add the kale and beans and simmer for another 5 to 7 min, until the kale is tender and the beans are hot.

Serve immediately.

Makes 12 cups, or approx. 7 servings. Prep time approx. 15 minutes, cooking time approx. 30 minutes.

(Brought to you by Spud)

As companies come to understand what is happening in the market and their industry, their employees may experience the helpless feeling of overwhelming uncertainty and a lack of information. Some employers are now offering their employees financial literacy seminars. A national field study commissioned by Fanny Mae defines financial literacy as "the ability to discern financial choices, discuss money and financial issues without (or despite) discomfort, plan for the future, and respond competently to life events that affect everyday financial decisions, including events in the general economy." The Society for Human Resource Management reports that 83% of 450 HR professionals surveyed said their organizations will consider providing employees with financial literacy programs within the next year. Financial literacy can impact an employee on a very personal level in the form of classes on properly balancing your check book, debt counseling, understanding credit reports and taking full advantage of company benefits; including pre-tax programs such as 401k, health reimbursement and flexible spending programs. With only 21% of U.S. workers reporting they are very confident they'll have enough money to live on in retirement, seminars on investing and managing money are particularly popular. Some employers are offering one-on-one meetings for their employees to discuss money management or financial planning with licensed financial advisors. In addition, many employers are helping their employees focus on the positive by offering home-buying seminars and educational materials on how to plan for the expense of their children's college education.(Brought to you by Xenium)

For complete a listing of finance related LifeBalance providers, please visit the LifeBalance Financial Wellness page.

For a complete overview of the LifeBalance Program website, visit the About LifeBalance section of the site and take a guided tour.

Find exclusive LifeBalance savings at thousands of recreational, cultural & wellness related businesses throughout Alaska, California, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and Washington. The LifeBalance Program Vendor Network gives members the opportunity to quickly search for specific recreational, cultural and wellness providers by geographic region and category, or by business name, through the LifeBalance Search for Savings.

You can use our secure server to make payments online for many LifeBalance Member Events and Tickets. LifeBalance offers members thousands of special events at reduced rates with the top vendors, instructors, and venues. LifeBalance also has your ticket to the arts, including theater, dance, musical performances, sporting events, ski resorts, museums and more. Visit the LifeBalance Events Calendar and the LifeBalance Ticket Window for a complete listing and select the listing that interests you and then complete your registration.

The LifeBalance Wellness Window offers members food and fitness tips, wellness calculators, information about community events and more. MyLifeBalance is the component of the LifeBalance Program that includes personalized wellness tools, customized content and more.

You can also easily print the LifeBalance Program materials and this newsletter by visiting the Printable Materials section of the site.