Each New Year brings the promise of fresh starts, clean slates and new beginnings. After the merriment and, let’s be serious, splurge of the holidays everyone begins to feel little like they need a serious detox from sugar, liquor and celebratory foods. Most people choose to focus their goals and aspirations on getting fit. The great thing about getting fit is that the choices are endless and can be tailored to your heart’s desire. Getting fit can include starting a new diet, drinking more water, getting more sleep, getting in you steps, riding yourself of toxic relationships or simply hitting the gym more frequently.
Most often, the resolution to get fit is mainly for vanity’s sake. While any motivating reason will do to get warrant results, we must not forget the multitude of benefits that come with a more active lifestyle. Reduced risk for heart disease and diabetes. Overall increased cardiovascular health and it can, in some cases, assist in the prevention or delay of Osteoporosis. And the more you move, the more energy you have for the rest of the day. From a mental perspective, one can achieve better overall mood, increase in both self and body confidence, increase concentration and it may help some combat mild depression and anxiety.
The success rates of resolutions are not high, it’s no secret. People overreach, get overzealous in the achievements and fail to take manageable bites of the larger goal. It’s become an urban myth fact that to form a habit it takes 3 weeks of consistency. In the cold and dreary January weather no one really wants to log 21 days straight in a gym. Thankfully, gone are the days where the boring Stairmaster is the only option. It’s time to think outside the exercise box and seek out places that will motivate you and keep you on the road to getting fit. That’s where some local businesses can really put their business of getting fit to use for you and help make getting fit fun.
No one wants to dread any portion of their day but often topping that list of things no one wants to do is their workout. There is no one that is going to brag about the 30 minutes they walked on a treadmill but what if was an hour spent learning something new at Arthur Miller Dance Studio? Or what if someone achieved a personal best workout before they even had their first cup of coffee at CrossFit Trivium? Or they were climbing high above the ground during their lunch break at The Crag? Sounds a little bit more interesting that watching a television while on a machine.
The key to achieving fitness or establishing a fitness routine is to find motivation. Individual motivation is different which is why there are so many options for getting fit. Relaxation and stress relief play a pivotal role in getting fit motivation. Taking your mind off the day to day while you are learning steps to the Rumba or Cha-Cha and moving your body along with the fun, different music. For some, stress release comes in the way of pushing themselves self just a bit further than they have the before. After a long work day, pushing through to get just one more burpee than they could do last week floods their formerly stressed out senses with accomplishment.
No one wants to be bored especially during an activity of choice. Getting fit needs to be more than just physical it needs to be mentally engaging to allow for the highest rate of success. Imagine going climbing and scaling a wall that is over 30 feet high while trying to figure out hand and foot placement. It will engage you for the duration of your workout all while distracting you from the fact that you are exercising. Or you could be perfecting your posture, working on your arm engagement and coordinating fun dance steps instead of scrolling through your phone while painfully working out on the elliptical. Being mentally engaged will help ensure you not only enjoy what you are doing but it will make you want to go.
Another benefit to getting fit is the strength you gain. Women often overlook this aspect of getting fit. Gaining strength is not limited to being able to pick up something heavy. An all-body exercise program like climbing, CrossFit or ballroom dancing will improve over-all strength. Imagine doing something fun and gaining a stronger core, back, shoulders without the boring floor or weight exercises. Along with the physical strength gained the ability to turn down behaviors that may sabotage your fitness plan or are simply not good for you.
Getting fit can be a task that doesn’t seem appealing unless you have a buddy. If you are a person that thrives on the group fitness activities, it is nice to know that your chosen fitness path has options for you to go solo or bring your entire book club and you’ll still be around a likeminded group of people. Choosing an activity that allows for you to perform in an environment that is motivating and comfortable for you is crucial for you success.
For fun ways to get fit, try these three local businesses:
The Crag
The main focus of the The Crag is to make the inaccessible seem accessible. The welcoming staff will answer any questions you have and ensure you feel capable. Don’t let the fear of not having the correct equipment scare you off either, The Crag will provide you with all the items you need to successfully scale your summit. Almost any age can climb so it can be a full family affair. The Crag has hosted children from as early as 5 to Veteran’s groups with climbers 75+ years old. You will leave feeling empowered, excited and engaged.
Arthur Miller Dance Studio
A wedding or big event is not the only reason to toss on your dancing shoes and learn for fun! Arthur Miller specializing in social dancing which means signing up solo or with a partner are both great options. And almost any style of couples dancing you seek to learn is offered. A unique benefit to learning dance is its benefit with mind acuity, this means while you a twirling around on the dance floor burning a few calories you are receiving a benefit to your mind that is better than sitting around doing crossword puzzles.
CrossFit Trivium
If you are worried that walking into a CrossFit gym will be too intimidating, know that what you see on Instagram and the ESPN competitions are not reality. Those are the 1% at the top of their game. It would be like comparing yourself to an Olympic athlete in any given sport. A great CrossFit gym like Trivium is infinitely scalable; meaning any movement or exercise can be scaled to create the same stimulus for each individual. At CrossFit Trivium everyone is enrolled in a foundations program to teach correct and healthy movement before being moved into the class setting.
