Fitness

While I am completely hopeless about things like keeping my closet organized or sticking to my rule of using my credit card only in dire emergencies, working out is one thing I am disciplined, some would say fanatical bordering on obsessive, about. So, if one of your 2010 goals is to incorporate more fitness into your life, here are some of my favorite things to stay on track and motivated.

Early AM workouts

Getting up when it is still dark out does take a bit of getting used to, but the benefit is you've completed your workout before your day has begun. Stuff can, and does, arise during the day that makes time for fitness fall to the bottom of the list (such as your significant other whisking you out for a romantic evening or the day's carpool driver got sick giving you the added task of after school pick up). If you are restarting your fitness regimen and the thought of getting up at the crack of dawn just makes it more daunting, just aim for getting up 20 minutes to a half hour earlier two days during the work week and one day on the weekend. There is a certain stillness and beauty in the early morning that you get to experience (my friend and I call them Masengill Mornings), plus if the rest of your day goes to hell at least you got one good thing accomplished.

Prepare the night before

Take 5 minutes the night before to get everything ready. If you are going to the gym that means bag packed with everything you need (toiletries, clothes etc), and work out clothes ready to go. To make prepping even easier, when you are putting away your clean laundry throw a pair of socks and undies (items you're likely to forget) in your gym bag. If you're working out at home to a DVD put it in the player so all you have to do is hit play. Make it so you don't have to think, just do.



Vary your activities and choose ones you like.
Some people love to run everyday. If that is not you, choose a
few activities you like such as walking, Pilates, Wii Fit, lifting weights, yoga Spinning/bike riding and mix it up. If it's hard enough to figure out what you're going to make for dinner every night let alone plan your work outs, write each activity on a slip of paper and fold it up. Put all the slips of paper in a jar and pull one out. That will be your work out. And since you're only choosing among things you like to do, there's less chance you will cheat by putting that piece of paper back because you don't like the activity. Plus mixing things up keeps you from getting bored and injured.


Manage your own expectations
Some days you will feel like pushing yourself, other days it will be challenging enough to lace up your kicks and go for that walk. I used to think that every work out had to be 110%. But as I've gotten older I've come to realize sometimes a crappy work out is better than no work out at all.








Splurge vs. Save
Invest in a few key foundation items like shoes, socks (I'm a big fan of SmartWool) a good hat and gloves for cold days and sports bras (got to keep the girls perky). Luckily workout clothes have evolved from the Jane Fonda and Olivia Newton John Spandex and thong days. Cute clothes can be found across the pricing spectrum from Target and Old Navy to Athleta and Lulu Lemon. It doesn't take any extra effort or a whole lot of money to be comfortable and look good.

I hope these tips help you meet your fitness goals for 2010 and that working out becomes one of your favorite things.

xxoo,

Jill

Zicam Extreme Congestion Relief

Hello!

2010 was ushered in by a head pounding, sinus blocking cold that made its entrance on the heels of 2009. At about 4:30 New Years' eve morning I awoke to the suspicion that a group of gremlins mistook my head for a country bar, sinuses as blocked like the Lincoln Tunnel during rush hour and muscle aches that felt like I had run a marathon. Since ignoring these symptoms wasn't working, I broke out the Neti pot, gulped down Tylenol, filled a ziploc bag of ice to put on my head, curled up under a blanket on the couch and watched an MSNBC documentary about the 1979 Jonestown Massacre.

Fast forward a few hours later when Tom made his appearance in our TV room. By that time I was engaged in an equally uplifting Law & Order SVU marathon. While we previously made plans to go out, he was quickly working plan B - dinner in. As he was leaving to go to the grocery store I summoned from my La-Z- Boy perch "Get some Zicam". By that I meant the stuff that heads off the cold. He came home with Zicam Extreme Congestion Relief.

At first I was reluctant to use a nasal spray.

Will I turn into an addict like Felix Unger who always seemed to turn to the junk at the slightest bit of an attack? Do I troll the medicine cabinet for some pills in a hard to open blister-pack from colds gone by that may dry my head out completely and leave a tinny, bitter taste in my mouth but not open up the risk of becoming the equivalent of a crack whore?

But throwing all caution to the wind (and not wanting to go through the hassle of changing out of my pj's and driving to the store to exchange it), I tore open the box, negotiated through the tamper resistant plastic and stuck the applicator up my nose.


Three pumps on each side. In less than about a minute I could breathe clearly and felt a thousand times better. It works great - the package says it lasts 12 hours, which in the throes of my cold started to wear off at about 10 hour mark, but as the severity of my cold abated it seemed to last as promised.

Extreme Congestion didn't rid me of my cold completely and it took a few days to fully recover, but it allowed me to breathe clearly and my head didn't feel like it being pinched in a vice. My malady only lasted a few days, and am happy to report not a nasal spray junkie.

So in addition to the tried and true ways to deal with a cold, this has become one of my favorite solutions to deal with head congestion.

I hope you have a healthy New Year!

xxoo, Jill