Awaken to Health, Confidence and The Power of You!

“Without leaps of imagination, or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities. Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning.” Gloria Steinem

Achieving happiness is by no means a matter of luck. It requires a mix of planning, dreaming and believing in yourself. If you want to awaken to the power of you, then you need to open up to your amazing potential. Tap into your creative energy, be a role model for change and actively create the life that you love by daring to dream big and by putting your dream life into action. Discover that happiness, energy and vitality are not some elusive goals but instead a matter of connecting with your body. The elixir of life simply stated is healthy living. In my latest blog, “Awaken to the Power of You,” I’ll give you a preview of my upcoming workshop at The Awakening Festival in Montreal on June 18^th. In it, I will share steps you can take towards living an inspired life powered by healthy living.

Today’s women are plagued by low self-esteem, high levels of stress, record obesity rates, physical inactivity and lack of sleep. Our lives have become a vicious cycle of increased stress due to work and family commitments, resulting in lack of time to exercise, sleep or eat well. Increased demands on our time are making us fatter, tired and creatively uninspired.

Living life in overdrive is coming at a cost to our health and well being and it’s time for a shift in our values and perspective. “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”, says Albert Einstein. And insane, we are! Our current behaviour, if not checked, will continue to result in a host of health related problems, unrestrained stress and resulting unhappiness.

“The only way for a woman, as for a man, to find herself as a person, is by creative work of her own. There is no other way,” says Betty Friedan. Sadly, when we are speeding around life in fifth gear, the first thing to get left by the roadside is our creative energy. However, it is this expression of creative energy that is paramount to our self-esteem and our sense of purpose. In the 1950’s and 60’s, Betty Freidan was renowned for her contribution to the feminist movement and for her book The Feminine Mystique published in 1963. In it, she explores the “problem that has no name”-a pervasive unhappiness of women in American culture who were left wanting more in life than being a mother and housewife.

Sixty years later, women are more liberated, more equal and more intellectually challenged, but we are still failing. We are now trying to do it all-balance work and family life and at the end of the day, there’s little left for us or our creative expression. Women are notorious for putting ourselves last. As caregivers of our families, this is second nature for us. However, by never taking time for ourselves to exercise, to eat right or to recharge our batteries, we are sending a message to our families and peers that our needs don’t matter. We know we are better mothers, wives, employees and role models when we invest time in ourselves. When we learn to say “no”, we can begin awaken to our needs and potential and we can become exemplary and inspiring role-models of health and well-being to all of those around us.

Shockingly, 80% of American women are dissatisfied with their appearance. Why are women failing so dramatically? When did we become so self-conscious and ashamed of our bodies?

More importantly, how do we get back that joy? The media is largely responsible for creating these deep-seeded insecurities in ourselves and our bodies. It’s no wonder we are insecure when the average American woman is 5’4” and weighs 140 pounds and the average model is 5’11” and weighs 117 pounds! So, we find ourselves reaching for a quick fix. In fact, in 2006 Americans paid for 11 million plastic surgical procedures, a 7 % increase over previous years. Instead, women need to celebrate their amazing and healthy bodies, not denigrate themselves for having “large hips” or “flabby abs.” I love the above photo and quote from the Dove Self-Esteem for Girls Campaign as it speaks to our need to love our bodies for what they are! (See top of page).

More than a quarter (26%) of Canadian women ages 45-64 report a high degree of life stress, according to Statistics Canada (Health Indicators 2005). Longer work weeks are the new norm, leaving less time for family, friends and less time to grow personally and spiritually. These numbers represent a hard truth and an obstacle that is difficult to work around. True we are more pressed for time, but we also need to look at our behaviour in response to stress. When we are stressed and tired after a day of work, it’s easy to turn on the TV to relax. Instead, we could be going out to a yoga class or going for a walk to get some fresh air and exercise. Or perhaps, we are dashing home from work, only to rush out the door again to take kids to a program, grabbing a fast-food dinner en route. Again, we have a choice instead to re-evaluate our kids’ schedules, maybe cutting out a dance program or chess club. We need to be careful of over programming our kids for their sake and for the sake of our family and life balance.

Among Canadian women ages 12 plus, 53% are physically inactive. Also, 53% of Canadian women ages 18+ are overweight or obese. We are spending an average of $40 billion per year on diets and self-help books searching for a magic bullet to alleviate our problem with obesity and yet, the answer is free-eat less, move more. Most nutritionists claim that the most effective way to lose weight is to restrict caloric intake, and the most effective way to maintain that loss is through regular exercise.

There seems to be a real disconnect in our society between what we know to be healthy food and our behavior. We’ve all seen Canada’s Food Guide and although we probably don’t have it memorized; we instinctively know the message- eat more vegetables and fruit and eat less processed food. And yet, in the time trap of our daily lives, we still justify reaching for a frozen pizza to feed our kids after arriving home from a busy work day. It’s these kinds of processed, salt-laden, nutritionally void foods though that are killing us. Results from The Canadian Heart Health Strategy and Action Plan (CHHS-AP) Nutrition survey in 2009 indicate that processed foods are the main source of sodium in our diets, accounting for an average of 77% of our average daily sodium intake! Most processed foods are also a mine-field of unhealthy sweeteners, salts, artificial flavors, colourings, chemicals and preservatives. Shifting behavior isn’t always easy, but there are many ways to create quick and nutritious meals from home, without all the additives!

In my workshop on June 18^th in Hudson, Quebec at The Awakening Festival, together we are going to further explore many of these issues of self-esteem, stress, nutrition and weight challenges and give you tools to create positive change in your life. In this interactive session, I am going to help you Awaken to The Power of You and begin to live your best life! To register for The Awakening Festival, please go to http://www.awakeningfestival.org/registration/.  

Weight Loss Weigh In

According to the U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA,) Americans spend an estimated $30 billion per year on diet programs and products, including diet foods and drinks. However, we know that the formula for weight loss is simple and we’ve heard it a million times: diet and exercise, calories in/calories out. Or do we? As a fitness leader of 25 years, I have repeatedly paid homage to this axiom. I’ve stood by it as the gold standard truism of weight loss. Recently, however, career woman, wife, mother and dieter, Suzanne Hallam opened my eyes to the possibility that weight loss may be more complex than just “diet and exercise.”

Suzanne started a diet in January, 14 weeks ago, with a goal to lose weight, lower her blood pressure and have more energy. “Everyone says it’s simple; you just need to diet and exercise, but for me that doesn’t work,” says Suzanne. “It’s more difficult than that,” she says.  Suzanne was diagnosed with a thyroid condition at age 19 and has high blood pressure. “Everyone is so individual,” says Suzanne.

 In a candid interview, Suzanne shared the multiple challenges that she faces in her quest for a healthy weight, including her health condition, work stress, family pressures, her dislike of exercise and her emotional trials. What I learned from our conversation is that the road to weight loss may not be so straight and narrow as just “diet and exercise”. So, if you have had limited success with weight loss and are looking for a fresh perspective, read on. Suzanne will share her “real-life” approach to reaching her goals with you, what roadblocks she has encountered and overcome, as well as the weight loss program that consistently works for her!

When Suzanne was 19, she was diagnosed with a thyroid condition. Her condition developed after a bout of mono and lead to a slow, gradual weight gain over several years. It affected her energy level and her metabolism and meant that she would need to take medication to control her symptoms. She decided to take action. It was one year before her wedding and like many brides-to-be, she was motivated to get into her dress. This was the first of three times in the last 15 years that Suzanne has committed to a plan of diet and exercise to lose weight and get healthy. More recently, Suzanne hit the wall again when she noticed that it became hard to do up her shoes.

Another challenge that Suzanne faces is high blood pressure. She is quick to retain fluid, so she has to be very careful of her salt intake, challenging for a girl who loves salty food! Her answer is to drink plenty of water to flush out her system. “I drink three glasses of water before I leave the house in the morning,” says Suzanne. “I used to drink two cans of pop per day, juice and milk, all which I have replaced with water.”

Being a career mom also presents challenges to her weight loss goals. After working all day and arriving home at 6:30pm, Suzanne finds it difficult to cook nutritious meals. Not only that, the pressures of work add to her overall anxiety making it easier for her to reach for food to relieve her stress. Her solution is to use exercise instead of munching to control her stress. She also shops for the family groceries on the weekend and chops up veggies to have them ready for an easy access snack. For another quick, healthy, easy to grab snack, she bakes homemade muffins, usually on the weekend. One of her goals going forward is to look at more ways that she can keep work stress in check.

In addition to work pressures, family obligations present an obstacle to her weight loss goals. Like many mothers, Suzanne is a “soccer mom” running around playing chauffeur to her son for his programs. It is also difficult she says to get “buy in” from her husband and son to adjust their diet and eat healthier. Luckily her husband loves to cook. He is typically a “meat and potatoes” guy though, so if he cooks, Suzanne uses portion control to keep her caloric intake in check.

One of Suzanne’s biggest challenges to her weight loss goals is the constant diligence that is needed to stay on course. “Being diligent all the time is hard work,” Suzanne admits. “I often feel like I’m around people who are eating what they want and I’m the outsider,” she says. It’s like she feels she cannot join the party. Sometimes she just wants to be free of the structure of dieting. Suzanne says she flip-flops between being really diligent and between wanting to block it out and relax and eat what she wants. What keeps her motivated are the results. She knows that she feels better when she sticks to the program. “It’s also positive reinforcement when people start to notice that you have lost weight,” says Suzanne. As further motivation, if she drops a dress size, Suzanne will treat herself to new clothes.

You are probably wondering what diet Suzanne attributes to her successful weight loss. Is it the popular Barry Sear’s no carbs “Zone” diet, Jennifer Aniston’s Baby Food Diet, South Beach Diet, the latest and greatest Acai Berry Diet or the Master Cleanse diet popularized by Beyonce? No, it's none of these. Her approach to weight loss is a little more old-fashioned. It’s been around for 45 years and has had proven success. It focuses on long-term results, lifestyle change, incorporating exercise into your routine and offers community support. You guessed it: Weight Watcher’s. Why Suzanne thinks the Weight Watcher’s program is different from other programs is that it allows her to use common sense and eat the foods she loves, instead of following a strict regimen. “I can work the program into the family unit,” says Suzanne. “Weight Watchers teaches portion control and recommends that you lose no more than 1-2 pounds per week,” she says.

Weight Watchers uses a “Points Plus Program”, a system that attributes a point value to everything that you eat. On the Weight Watcher’s plan, you are encouraged to eat a healthy and balanced diet. Weight Watchers also promotes healthy habits, a supportive environment, and exercise, in addition to teaching smarter food choices. Instead of a crash diet promising quick results, Weight Watchers works because it is about lasting lifestyle change.

The Weight Watchers program maintains that activity is an important part of weight loss, a key component that is missing from most fad diets. As a fitness instructor, I often assume that everyone is like me and loves to exercise; that it’s fun and gives you energy in addition to providing social interaction. For Suzanne, like many others though, nothing could be further from the truth. Forty-eight per cent of Canadians aged 12 and over — or about 12.7 million people — are inactive, getting the equivalent of less than a half-hour of walking each day, according to research from Statistics Canada.

 “When exercise is labeled “exercise”, it’s not enjoyable,” says Suzanne. “I’d rather go swimming with my son,” she says. However, Suzanne is sold on the health benefits of exercise, so when she found a Gazelle exercise machine at a garage sale for $20, she picked it up and now jumps on it for twenty minutes three times per week. She also does some resistance training to tone her upper body.

“Exercise used to be my last priority,” says Suzanne. When exercise is more about lifestyle and active living however, Suzanne is totally on-board. Another way Suzanne stays motivated to get moving is by walking her dog. “We bought a dog six years ago that needed exercise,” Suzanne admits. She deliberately chose a breed that needed a lot of exercise, so that she would need to go out rain or shine.

Suzanne has seen a lot of positive changes from her current diet and exercise regime, namely she  declares she has more energy, has less water retention, lower blood pressure, and has lost twelve pounds. Diet and exercise has helped her work towards her ultimate goals, however the road to get there has been marred with many roadblocks from dealing with work and family stress, finding exercise that she likes, coping with her health concerns and emotional trials. So, if anyone tells her it’s really easy to lose weight; that it’s just "diet and exercise", she may just sucker punch you with her newly defined biceps!

Suzanne does agree though that weight loss is achievable with dedication and a dose of reality. Being aware of your personal roadblocks and coming up with ways to overcome them are key. When asked what one of the biggest changes is that she has made to her routine since she started her diet, Suzanne answers, “making the time.” As women, we are notoriously guilty of putting others needs before our own. Recognizing this and taking the time for ourselves, makes us healthier, happier, and a better role model for our family and friends. Happiness comes first from within and radiates outward…and you should see Suzanne shine!

Exercising Your Passion

“I really don’t know why I love skiing so much,” says my 13 year old son, Tyler, as we prepare for a day of skiing on the slopes of Stowe, Vermont, “but I just do!” I think I know the answer to his question. I believe that it’s all about sharing your love of a sport with your family. My husband and I are passionate about skiing and we have instilled that love in our children. In turn, it was my father who had an absolute zeal for skiing and taught me and my four siblings how to ski at an early age.

Any skier who is a parent knows how much work it takes to teach young children the how to’s of this daunting sport. It takes patience to endure years of skiing the bunny hills before your little protégé is ready to conquer black diamond runs with you! It is an indication that you are passionate about a sport when an average outing involves driving long distances, lugging heavy ski equipment, spending time in long line-ups and forking out your week’s wages to purchase your lift tickets and a cafeteria lunch! Oh, but I am failing to sell you on the merits of the sport!

There is little to compare with the rhythm of your skiis carving turns beneath you as you take in the fresh mountain air. It’s hard to describe the mix of adrenaline, excitement, fear and confidence that you feel standing at the top of a double black diamond run. Of course, there’s also the après-ski (my Mom’s favourite part!). The exercise, outdoors, family and friends combine to make skiing unequivocally my absolute favourite sport!

Skiing is also a uniquely family sport and it has been a real bonding experience for our family. Sharing a day together doing something that we all love is more and more difficult to find as the kids get older, but skiing is one of the few true common denominators that we all love to do. I love to watch my son play hockey, or my daughters dance, but watch is all we do, not participate. The same is true with the kids’ skating and swimming lessons, soccer and football games. What we need to find are more athletic activities that we can enjoy together as a family.

There’s certainly a place for organized sports; they are great for our kids and they create a wonderful environment for children to learn a new skill and to be with their peers, but are we perhaps over- relying on organized programming to entertain our kids? After a long day at work, we rush through dinner and then hustle our kids to the arena, dance studio or soccer field only to sit and wait. What we need to find is more balance between organized sports and things we can do together as a family that we are passionate about. Finding ways to share time together skiing, or taking a family yoga class or family bike ride is essential to bonding as a family and to being healthy and active.

Friends of mine, Carol and Dean, who had never skied or snowboarded until the age of 40, started from scratch, bought a season’s pass, lessons for themselves and their three kids and bravely took on the challenge of learning to ski. The effort paid off, because five years later, Carol and Dean and their kids love to ski and snowboard together and they are thrilled that they have found an activity that they all can enjoy as a family. What incredible role models they are! And what a positive investment in their family!

So, you see exercise and being active is not about grunting through a workout you don’t enjoy and “getting it over with.” It’s about finding something that you are passionate about. It’s about taking a step back from your busy, stressful, crazy scheduled life and carving out time for activities that you and your family can participate in together. So, get out there this spring and exercise your passion! Play tennis as a family, take a yoga class, go for a family nature walk or bike ride. Invest in something you love and watch the love grow!

“Ditch the workout, join the party!”

Zumba classes are the latest craze in group exercise and for a good reason! If you’ve ever taken a Zumba class, you know that it’s easy to forget that you are exercising because you are having so much fun! This high energy exercise class features dance influences from latin, reggae, bollywood, country music and hip hop genres and every song emphasizes a different rhythm and fun dance steps.

The Zumba program was created in 2001 by Columbian native and fitness instructor, Alberto “Beto” Perez. His concept of creating a workout that uses dance-inspired rhythms is a new twist on aerobic dance or “Dancercise” class without the leg warmers or the disco music. Zumba is a modern, exciting and fresh program, plus it’s very addictive because it’s fun and easy to follow.

The fact that Zumba classes provide “accessible fitness, without the strain, without the sacrifice, just the pure joy of a party”, is what I love most about their concept. Whereas other trends in fitness pulverize and intimidate, noteworthy are the current “Boot Camp” class craze and PX90 home workouts, Zumba has taken a much more inclusive, fun approach to fitness.  With its heart-pumping, foot-stomping, high energy approach, Zumba is all about entertaining you and making sure you have a fun workout!

 If we want to get more people to adhere to an exercise program, this is the kind of inclusive approach we need to see more of in the fitness industry. The fitness industry has been notorious for its’ hard-body, six-pack abs, ass-kicking message, and well that may motivate some, I suspect that the average coach-potato reacts to such messages  feeling demoralized and insecure at the thought of trying to attain such perfection!  Zumba even offers a” Zumba Gold” program for seniors and the deconditioned market, as well as chair classes for the disabled. Conversely, I don’t think I have ever seen a “Senior’s Boot Camp” class!

I have been a Zumba instructor for about one year now and it’s been a wild ride. The energy from the group in my Zumba classes is equal to no other class I teach. One striking difference from my regular classes is that everybody is always smiling in my Zumba class! I have to admit that planning for Zumba takes a lot of work and practice as an instructor, but it pays off immensely when I watch my participants get the steps, smile and have a great time!

If you want to try a class, the Zumba website, www.zumba.com, lists classes in your home town. If trying a class in the privacy of your own living room is more your style, you can purchase DVD’s on the website and master the steps at home. There are also Zumba video games for Wii, Xbox and PS3. So, there is no excuse not to get moving and “join the party”! Hope to see you at Zumba class!

Sporty Moms & Babies

“Making friends with Exercise”

Every week the new moms in my Sporty Moms & Babies fitness class trudge through snow dressed in winter coats, hats, mitts and boots, arms laden with their babies in car seats, diaper bags, toys and other paraphernalia to gather for an hour of exercise.  The real workout for these moms is actually in just getting to class! They have good reason to make the effort though and it’s not just for the exercise. They also come for their sanity. Getting out of the house and sharing time and conversation with other moms contributes to their mental health just as much as the exercise contributes to their physical health.

I have to confess that I get my own heaping dose of mental health by spending time with the babies. There is real sense of renewal that comes from interacting with a delicious, smiling, adorable new baby. Time stands still and you have no choice but to be fully present, captured in the moment, enjoying every coo, every open-mouth, toothless smile, and every gesture.

I have been teaching the Sporty Moms & Babies class for 13 years now, since my eldest son, Tyler, was a baby. I started up a class in our local church basement in North Toronto, a neighbourhood that is still a hotbed of new, young families and babies. Every eight weeks the program would fill up with 15 new moms and their babies. I now live in Stouffville and I have been leading the program here for 8 years. The Sporty Moms & Babies program has grown to include Stroller Fitness, Mambo Mama Classes and Yoga and Pilates for new moms and their babies.

Week to week we experiment with a different class format, including low impact, kickboxing, boot camp, ball, muscle conditioning and Zumba. Every class includes parachute and puppet time for the babies, which means the moms feel good about doing something for themselves and also for their babies.  The class is also a safe environment to talk about anything from incontinence to mastitis as we address issues not always comfortable to talk about!

It appears that many of the health benefits of fitness classes for post-partum women like these, including improved cardiovascular fitness, improved muscular strength and endurance, better posture and enhanced flexibility actually only scratch the surface. Psychologists and scientists alike are discovering the healing power of female friendships, including lowering blood pressure, boosting immunity, and promoting healing.

The women in my classes are starting a new chapter in their lives, probably one of the most challenging life stages they will encounter. Getting support from other women who are going through the same issues as them creates a comradely that is rare and invaluable. I often run into women from my classes over the years and repeatedly hear that the women not only keep in touch with one another, but that they consider each other their core group of friends.

In June 2001, the renowned Harvard Medical School's Nurses' Health Study concluded that women's social networks play an important role in enhancing her health and quality of life. The study went so far as to conclude that not having at least one good confidante is as detrimental to a woman's health as being overweight or a heavy smoker.

The cardiovascular exercises, and muscular strength and conditioning  we do in our Sporty Moms & Babies classes are important for improving fitness post-partum, but it’s the element of female bonding that makes the Sporty Moms & Babies classes vital to overall health and wellness!

Fresh Start 2011!

Every year after the languor of the Christmas season, I feel motivated to set inspiring and purposeful goals for myself for the New Year. My list usually covers the gamut of physical, intellectual, spiritual, career, personal and financial goals and I can usually happily fill each sub-category with at least two or three action items. Whether I follow through on all of them is another issue, but writing them down helps me to focus and get clarity. You see, my struggle is with what to focus on, as I am a typical Gemini with a restless spirit and multiple interests including writing, photography, fitness, nutrition and cooking among others. My husband Jamie’s pet name for me is “31 flavours”, ie: Baskin & Robbins! “What’s the flavour of the month?” he chides!

Jamie on the other hand is like a vanilla ice cream, but a good Hagan Daz, French vanilla ice cream, pure and simple, not seeking a lot of variety and change. When asked what his New Year’s resolutions are, he answers, “nothing, I’m good!” When I asked Jamie’s father the same question at Christmas dinner, he said the same, “I’m good!” I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree! I started thinking about their answers, first critically...who doesn’t have at least one thing they’d like to improve upon...and then enviously...am I missing the key to happiness? Perhaps, I put too much pressure on myself to change and grow. Perhaps, the secret to happiness is just as Mitch Albom suggests in Have a Little Faith, ‘being content and grateful for what you have.’

According to Eckhart Tolle in The New Earth, the need for change or wanting more can be an addictive need, not an authentic one. Instead of enjoying the present moment, people constantly seeking change may feel a sense of unease, restlessness, boredom, anxiety, and dissatisfaction. This is the ego at work not our authentic selves.

Whether you’re a restless spirit or contented with life, the New Year serves to remind us to be grateful for all that we have and to reflect on our priorities in order to be our very best selves! The year 2011 holds special significance as the number eleven represents both renewal and balance, renewal meaning a fresh start and/or new beginnings and balance being equilibrium of work/play, feminine/masculine, and emotion, thought and spirit.

What does 2011 mean for you? Does it mean starting a diet and probably falling off the wagon in a few short weeks like every other time you’ve tried? Or does it mean starting a new exercise program-but this time you're going to stick to it, really!? If that sounds like your track record, why not rephrase your goals to sound more like, "I want to feel more energized, fit, and healthier". Or maybe in keeping with the significance of the number eleven, you simply want to find more balance in your life.

Maybe then instead of a new year's resolution, you can make a choice for just today that brings you closer to being your best. Life is a series of everyday choices- so today it may mean waking up and fitting in a yoga class before work instead of hitting the snooze button. It may mean a commitment to planning your meals for the week on Sunday. It may mean making a promise to yourself to work a little less and start to take control of your stress. You are a summation of all your conscious and unconscious choices in life. Know that you can make little choices for the better every day that add up to the best you can be. It's up to you really!

Get in touch with your authentic self and only seek change that is healthy, achievable and helps you to be your best as opposed to setting lofty goals

and/or seeking change for the sake of change. For me, that means being a little less serious about goal setting. I’m not sure I’m ready to settle for just the vanilla ice cream yet, but perhaps just butterscotch, chocolate and heavenly hash, instead of all 31 flavours!

Fitness at Any Age!

The women of Thornhill Golf & Country Club put their fitness first! This group of 27 women have made fitness a lifestyle choice. For the last fifteen years, these ladies have been coming three times per week to participate in yoga, low impact aerobics and resist-a-ball classes.

The women in this exercise group, ages 60-80 years old, certainly don't show their age! They are energetic, active and very fit! And it's not just about the exercise. This group is about community and coming together to share ideas for recipes, movie and restaurant reviews, and stories of friends and family. Their stories of health and well-being will inspire and motivate the most entrenched couch potato!

These fitness classes are not for the light-hearted either! They are active cardiovascular and muscular conditioning workouts complete with squats, sit-ups, grapevines and weight work! These ladies are not afraid of challenging themselves, neither in fitness nor in life, and their spirited outlook seems to be working!

There is an infectious energy that people who exercise regularly emanate. They are healthy, energetic and happy. They inspire you to be your best self. Especially, when they are 80 years old and exercising regularly! The good news is that it’s never too late to start.

In fact, as we age exercise becomes even more important because it makes it easier to do common daily tasks, a proven factor in maintaining independence and mobility. Strength training exercises increase bone density, which reduces the likelihood of fractures. Also, according to many studies, socialization through exercise is a deterrent to depression and anxiety. That’s a big part of the reason the Thornhill Fitness ladies keep coming to class-to be with their friends.  Plus, new research in dementia and Alzheimer’s indicates that regular exercise may ward off mental deterioration.

I feel lucky to be their instructor and look forward to leading the ladies through classes every week. But they are the real teachers. They teach me week after week that attitude is everything. They teach me that in order to maintain a healthy body and mind and meaningful friendships, you need to invest the time. The rewards are everlasting! I affectionately call the group my “Moms”; they are my teachers and mentors and they have brought me into their circle with kindness and affection, and I consider myself lucky to know them.

Hopefully, as we approach the new year and along with it, New Year’s resolutions, you will feel inspired by the Thornhill Fitness group to begin a regular exercise routine, too. No matter what your age, it’s never too late to get moving!