new year, new you. or not. your choice.

Every January 1st, hundreds of thousands of people swear this year will be different. This will be the year they get in shape. This will be the year they drop a pants size (or seven). This will be the year the alarm will not be shut off at 5am. This will be the year they will get out of bed and get to the gym. Before work. Before the kids are awake. Before the day and the excuses start. THIS. WILL. BE. THE. YEAR.

Treadmills around the world are fired up, ellipticals are taken out of storage, bicycles dusted off, sweets thrown in the trash, and resolutions to look better nude are made. Then February hits. If you've made it to February, congratulations, you are much more driven than the vast majority of resolutioners who didn't make it past the kitchen in their workout attire. Then there are those who didn't even make it to the kitchen IN workout attire because they don't have the right clothes. Enter excuses. Lots of them.

The number one excuse I hear as a trainer is not enough time. It is time to disprove this. There is plenty of time in a day, you just have to want it. I mean WANT it. There is a reason the majority of Americans are overweight; it is much easier to sit on the couch watching some godawful, yet highly entertaining, reality housewife show than get up and break a sweat. I get it. If given an hour of downtime, you want to be laying down, not running, jumping, squatting, lunging or any of the other things we crazed workout weirdos get pleasure out of doing. The thing is once you make the decision to change your life and live healthy, you will find pleasure in working out. You'll find pleasure in leafy greens and kale (yuck) smoothies. You will. I promise. To start you off on this road to a healthy life of pleasure I am going to find time in your too busy day:

24 hours in a day

8-10 hours spent working (maybe 11 with a commute)

8 hours spent sleeping

this leaves you between 5 and 8 hours

That is 5 to 8 hours to fit in a 45 minute to 1 hour session. That is a lot of time.

This leaves you 4 to 7 hours to hang out with your family, cook dinner, pack lunches, and have some quality time with your partner, the bathtub, a good book, whatever you fancy!

I know it is hard. Prioritizing can be hard, but you must do it. You can absolutely squeeze a workout in. You don't have to do it every day. In fact, you shouldn't. Your body needs to rest and recover, you need to balance other activities that bring you pleasure and joy. I fully get being a busy parent. I stay at home with a soon to be two year old and a three month old. I breastfeed, so I always have to be relatively close to the infant child who is refusing to take a bottle. I understand a partner being gone at work all day and wanting to spend time together when they get home. I understand needing to have meals prepared. I understand that sometimes you have to work late or go in early. I understand that people get sick, that kids need more attention than usual, that the dog needs to be walked, that....the list goes on forever. I understand that the average person can make an excuse for EVERYTHING. My job is to help you stop with the excuses and start with the exercise. Those 4 to 7 hours of time I just found you that aren't spent at work or sleeping? Take one to workout. If you're worried about the kids' routine, do it an hour before they wake up or for an hour once they're in bed. You won't be losing out on an hour of sleep, you'll be gaining an hour of health that will make you a much happier person. 

It will be hard to get started, it will be even harder to maintain and keep going. It will be difficult to push yourself past your limits, it will be work, and it will work. You will struggle and you will succeed. You will be sore, but you will notice a difference in the way you feel, the way you look, the way you carry yourself. You will be proud.

Welcome to the new year. Welcome to the new you. Or not. It's your choice. Because it is a choice. Make the time, see the difference. I will post routines, motivation, and answer questions that you may have. Please email me with any questions or topics you want discussed.

I wish you all a happy, healthy new year!