Get Up & Get Moving!
It’s February. New Year resolutions are all but forgotten, it’s cold outside, getting out of bed early is practically impossible, and it’s way more tempting to go straight home after work and curl up under a blanket on the couch in front of the TV than it is to do anything else. Don’t get me wrong – it feels incredible to hit the snooze button for 45 minutes straight and to be in your pajamas 30 seconds after you walk in the door at the end of the day (you can’t really disagree with me on this, come on). But what good is any of that? Your days turn into nothing more than a pretty lazy sequence of events: you get up out of bed after sleeping 8 hours (ok, more like 5 or 6 for most people, I bet), you sit in your car and drive to work, you sit at your desk and do your work, you sit in your car on the way home from work, and you sit on the couch after work until you go to bed and sleep for several more hours before you get up and repeat the same cycle the very next day. Hello, inactivity! When you look at things that way, don’t you think it’s time to get up & get moving?
A year ago, after seeing how sedentary my life had become, I decided to get up and just do something. Don’t get me wrong – I’m no gym rat by any standards; I don’t even have a gym membership! For me, the answer was walking. Walking seemed like a no-brainer because it’s pretty easy and the price – free – is definitely right. I started off with a turtle’s-pace, 3-mile stroll around my neighborhood and, before I knew it, I worked my way up to 5-mile power walks several times a week. For me, it’s just what I need to erase the sluggish feeling of body and mind that comes with inactivity.
What works for one person, however, may not cut it for another. I’ve talked to plenty of people who tell me there’s no way they could feel they’ve had a workout just by walking; they need to run or lift weights or play a sport to feel they’ve accomplished something. So I did a little digging to see what kind of programs and options are out there for fitness buffs in the Metro West area. Turns out – there’s a lot you could do! Check out the links below and tell me: What do YOU like to do besides channel surf the nights away?
– Breathe Wellness is on Cook Lane in Marlborough. I pass by it when I’m out for my walks and the parking lot is always full, so they must be doing something right! Yoga’s on my to-try list for this year – any words of advice?
– New Life Health & Wellness is in the Courtyard Marriott on Felton Street in Marlborough. They offer personal training, corporate fitness, and group classes – including Zumba, my other to-try for this year. Everyone else seems to love it; do you?
– Wayside Raquet & Swim Club is on Broadmeadow Street in Marlborough (right around the corner from Princeton Green Apartments!). Their offerings include raquetball & tennis, aquatics, and lots of youth programs to help get your kids away from their game consoles. What a novel idea!