Anything Can Happen Day

Last year, my mom shared something with me that has influenced how I'm trying to live my life this year. She told me that when she was a child, her favorite television show was The Mickey Mouse Club (no, that's not it...keep reading). She would come home from school and tune in every day, waiting in anticipation for what the theme of the day would bring. Every day of the week had a special theme such as "Fun with Music" Monday or "Circus" Thursday. Those days were fine for her, but the day she couldn't wait for each week was "Anything Can Happen Day" on Wednesdays. How exciting to not know what kind of crazy antics the show would bring!

So, there's where the influence of the year came in...Instead of giving myself a New Year's resolution, I decided to give myself an overall theme of the year. I declared 2010 to be "Anything Can Happen Day" year. That's right, Anything can happen. I wanted to allow myself to feel the excitement of not knowing what each day will bring. This year, I'm giving myself the chance to believe that I'm capable of doing anything I want to do and that I have the power to make it come true. Ok, maybe it sounds a little cheesy, but hey, I needed it. I'm the kind of person who can try to plan things too much and sometimes, put limits on myself. It's really freeing to take a different road that can end in a fork and not know where it might take me.

You can tie this belief into your health and wellness, too. Set goals for yourself and truly believe that you can do it. It can be something like taking a class that you've never tried before like yoga or spinning. Or maybe you can give yourself a bigger goal like signing up for a race that you have to train for. Perhaps it's something smaller like always taking the stairs instead of the elevator at your office or apartment building. Whatever it is, you can achieve it! Sure, it will take a little work but hey, anything can happen! Honestly, I never thought I would run a half-marathon and now I've run two of them. Proof in the puddin'!

Get to it and believe in yourself. Open yourself up to new experiences and opportunities. Once you allow it and believe it, the world is your oyster, my friend. This year, things have happened to me that I didn't think possible. Some of those things have been small and some have been more life changing. Nevertheless, Anything Can Happen Day.

Be Well.

Healthy Body=Happy You

If you read fitness magazines like I do, you've probably seen articles commonly titled "Loving Your Body-No Matter What!" that seem to reappear again and again, month after month. They usually suggest that you stop focusing on the body parts you hate and redirect your attention to the body parts you dig the most. I strongly advocate this behavior because let's face it, most of us aren't perfect. I know I'm certainly not. Often times while looking in the mirror, I catch myself zeroing in on the parts of me that need work, not on the parts that are working pretty well already.

Here's my suggestion to take all of this 'loving your body' stuff a step further: Appreciate your body for it's health and what it allows you to do on a daily basis. Appreciate it's strength and function. Ask yourself what that is for you. Is it going on a jog in your favorite park? Pushing through a spinning class? Lifting 5 extra pounds than last week? Picking up your child? Carrying your groceries home without huffing and puffing? Whatever it is, try your best to love your body for all of the things it allows you to do.

As I was training one of my clients the other day, she told me she used to always have an issue with the size of her legs. She shared that the issue melted away one fantastic day while on a skiing trip. She was on the slopes and rocking out a difficult run when she realized that there was no way she could be such a great skier if it weren't for her strong legs. Skiing was an activity that she had always been great at and without the strength of her legs that she always had issues with, her skiing would plainly suck. From that day forward, she gained appreciation and lost hate. I love that story.

It's easy to be negative. I find myself in negative places every day! Work at being positive and eventually, positivity will come naturally. If you are a healthy person, embrace it and be thankful today. If you're not healthy, then get working at it! Focus on your health and you will only feel great as a result.

Be Well!

MapMyRun

It might not be the official first day of summer (that's June 21st this year), but it sure feels like it out there on the streets of New York City. It's time to jump off your cardio machine of choice and get outside for your workouts. Whether you're running, biking, rollerblading, or walking, www.mapmyrun.com. is a great (free!) tool for mapping any mileage in your city of choice.

Click on "Start Mapping" on the homepage and you are ready to plan out your route! If you are too busy (or lazy) to plan out a route on your own, the website also offers suggestions on the homepage for runs that other's have created in your area. It will show you a map of the route, a description of the terrain, and the experience the person had while on the run (click for an example here). Pretty cool.

I've been using MapMyRun a lot since I've moved. I didn't know where the best places to run were in my new neighborhood or how far I would be going, so it's helped a lot. This is one rockin' site! Get planning and take it to the street, park, or riverside. Also, remember that when you're exercising outside in the heat, be sure to stay plenty hydrated. Your body is working overtime to keep you cool and sweating is the way to do that. The more you sweat, the more water your body loses (our bodies are made up of about 65% water!) and the more dehydrated you can get. For tips on working out in the heat click here . Have fun out there and Be Well!