January 16, 2026

Ready to Get Healthy? By Sarah Pace

Ready to get healthy? With a new year comes new resolve to improve ourselves in so many ways, including our health. My advice this time of year is to be consistent with the basics:

Don’t worry so much about what exercises to do and in what order you should do them; just show up.  Set a goal to show up 2 times each week for the first month, then 3 times each week in February. Can’t make it to the gym? No problem: get outside for a walk or take the stairs all day-all intentional activity counts!

Pack your gym clothes, shoes and water bottle the night before to avoid rushing around the next morning. You’ll develop a routine and soon it will become part of your ‘out the door’ mental checklist: do I have my gym bag? Water bottle? Check!

Bring a piece of fruit with you everywhere you go. Having something on hand will prevent impulse eating decisions. Ask yourself ‘am I hungry enough to eat this apple?’ And if the answer is no, you’re probably not actually hungry.

Mark your progress in a calendar or another physical and visible space to hold yourself accountable. When you can see that you made it to the gym 4 weeks in a row, you’ll want to make sure you continue in the 5th and 6th weeks, and even beyond!

 
For more fitness tips follow Sarah on Twitter: @SarahPace_Fit

Quality Fitness Time

Get Fit Quick Tip:

Quality Fitness Time

Getting in your workout is not a luxury, it is a necessity.  Quality fitness time is essential for all aspects of health. Whether a 10 minute walk or a 90 minute power class, your body AND your mind will thank you. Here’s how to insure quality fitness time:

Rotate workout focus. Choose a different focus for each workout to maintain mental interest.

Not all exercise has to be structured to count. Choose to live active during each day.

Choose a skill-set to master. Take up a new sport or a new mode of exercise. There is motivation in learning something new.

 

 

 

 

Standing Hip Stretch

Get Fit Quick Tip:

Standing Hip Stretch

Do this post-run standing stretch to ease tired legs.

Stand on your right leg only. Cross your left ankle over your right knee, bend both hips and sit back into the stretch. Hold on for safety and balance. Hold the stretch for 15-30 seconds, then release. Repeat crossing your right ankle over your left knee, bend both hips and sit back feeling a gentle stretch in your tights and hips.

 

*Consult your physician before performing exercise.

Share Your Love of Fitness!

Get Fit Quick Tip:
Share your love of fitness!

Sharing your love of fitness with others is easy- simply invite a friend or family member to join you! You never know who will be inspired. Many who wish to begin an exercise program are unsure how to begin. A buddy workout is a great first step! At the very least, those close to you will see how much you love fitness and be happy to see how you spend your free time. Here’s how to make it a positive uplifting experience for all:

Keep it user-friendly. This is not the workout to shoot for your pull-up PR or your sprint interval personal best on the community track. Keep the intensity low, duration to 20-30 minutes and workout mode easy as far as coordinate/agility required.

Keep it interactive. Chat it up, take water breaks, focus on having fun.

Keep it to a small group. A large group or the most popular fitness class at the gym may be intimidating to a new exerciser. Choose off-peak times and classes, or times when the trail is not packed with runners.

 

Your Posture: Avoid the Hunch!

Get Fit Quick Tip:

Suffering from tight and sore muscles at your desk? Your posture may be to blame! Avoid the hunched over slump by doing 3 daily posture-reset exercises. Begin each by sitting up tall with your core engaged and feet flat on the floor.

Do each of the following exercises daily:

1. Pinch your shoulder blades together, then release. 5 reps.

2. Inhale/Pull your shoulders up to your ears. Exhale/Pull your shoulders down and back. 5 reps.

3. Place both hands behind your head. Pull your elbows wide and pull your shoulders down and back. 5 reps.

 

*Consult your physician before performing exercise.

Stand and Stretch

Get Fit Quick Tip:

Stand and Stretch!

Don’t have time to sit or stretch on the floor? You don’t need too! Do this standing stretch to ease sore legs and back tension. Stand on your right leg only. Keeping your torso straight, lift your left leg up. Using one or both arms hug your knee in toward your chest. Hold for 10-30 seconds, then release. Repeat standing on your left leg only.

 

*Consult your physician before beginning exercise.

5 reasons why you shouldn’t skip your workout…

Get Fit Quick Tip:

Make your strength workout a priority during the holidays.

Think skipping your weight workout will help during the holiday season? Think again. Here’s why logging your workout will HELP you during the holidays:

 

Decrease stress through forcing deep breathing to complete your set.

Look good at your party.

Increase energy and maintain your physical fitness to accomplish the extra tasks on your schedule.

Enter the New Year with fitness momentum.

Time to yourself to quiet your mind and move your body.

 

 

Fitness Goals: It’s not too soon…

Get Fit Quick Tip:

Prepare and plan your 2017 fitness goals now!

It’s not too early or too soon to prepare for your 2017 fitness goals. Here’s how to get started:

Write freely for 5 minutes. Grab a pen and paper or your keyboard and write whatever health and fitness-related thoughts that come to your mind. The purpose is to keep writing to brainstorm. An important goal may not be at the forefront of your mind and may take some digging.

Pick your top 3 ideas to focus on immediately. Which of the topics you wrote down are the most interesting and inspiring to you? Which scares you the most? Which makes you the most nervous? Choose those topics!

Gather information to establish a starting point. Commit to take one action step each day, beginning TODAY! Make a phone call, do a google search, talk to your friends, ask around.

START! Go.

 

Make your workout WORK!

Get Fit Quick Tip:

Make your workout WORK!

Want results from your exercise? You’re going to have to WORK! Your cardio workout should be challenging, that’s the point. So, ditch the workouts leaning on the bars of the cardio machine, forgot the exercise when you’re checking your email the entire time, get rid of workouts when you’re chatting it up, distracted and putting forth half-effort! Your fitness= you get out of it, what you put into it. If you’re cruising through your exercise, check yourself:

1. You should be breathing harder than normal.

2. Your perceived exertion (how hard you gauge you’re working) should be somewhat hard.

3. You should have to focus on proper execution of your exercise.

4. You may be sweating.

5. You should feel fatigue for about 30 minutes post workout.

Shrug Your Stress Out!

Get Fit Quick Tip:

Shrug your shoulders!

Shrug your stress out with this daily stretch. Here’s how:

Inhale and pull your shoulders straight up toward your ears. Exhale and pull your shoulders down and back. Repeat 3-5 times, extending the duration of your exhale/shoulders down with each deep breath.

 

*Consult your physician before performing exercise.