New Year, New You

Once again we are at the beginning of a New Year--a time to clean the closets, set our resolutions, and enjoy the temporary excitement that comes with the idea of a fresh start. Time to think about what you'd like to change this year, how you can improve yourself and think about what you can get rid of. Making the list is easy. But think about the definition of resolution: "the state or quality of being resolute; firm determination." When you make your list, don't forget that your goals must be specific, attainable, and meaningful--and probably not the same list you left unchecked from last year. Read on for ways to make, and keep, your health resolutions in 2013.



After the busy, stressful, fattening holidays it's not surprising that America's #1 New Year's resolution once again is weight loss. We all want a relief from the stress bomb of the last two months, and eating healthy and exercising are great ways to feel that breath of fresh air associated with our January 1 clean slate.

But let's go beyond the "I resolve to lose 20 pounds" or "I resolve to go on a diet." Those are very vague statements. So vague, in fact, that when the 20 pounds don't come floating off or the Oreos keep finding their way down your throat, it's easy to just give up. "Well, I'm not eating healthier so I guess I fail and I'll just eat the rest of the bag." "I've only lost 1.5 pounds, so I guess I fail and didn't hit my goal." When you set specific goals, you have clear perimeters and ways to keep yourself in check.

Rather than set a number of pounds to lose, you can set the exact plan you want to put into effect as to how you will lose the weight: I will exercise at least 30 minutes per day. I will go to Fusion 3-4 times per week. I will cut 500 calories from my diet each day. Rather than vow to just eat healthier in general, set a goal for how you will eat healthier. I will stop drinking soda. I will add one more serving of vegetables to my diet each day. I will trade my mocha latte blahblah for a cup of house java with half & half, or skim milk. Goals need to be concrete and achievable, or they are too easy to give up on.

The Diet Trap

Being on a "diet" has many problems:

* A diet suggests a temporary change of eating, when healthy nutrition should be adopted as your new way of life.
* A diet can easily be given up on--"I quit" is a simple way to end a diet--but eating healthy as a way of living can't be "quit."
* A diet can leave you feeling deprived physically and mentally--especially if you are cutting out whole groups of foods for a specific amount of time.
* A diet puts a lot of pressure on you, leaving you feeling like a failure if you mess up.
* When you reach your "diet goal" like losing 5 pounds for example, you are "finished" with your diet and "allowed" to go back to your "normal" way of eating. Hence, needing another diet next month to lose the 5 pounds you'll quickly put back on.
* Healthy eating includes all food groups, when diets frequently overload and eliminate specifics. Not good for your body, not good for your mind, and not good for your future of finding a healthy weight.

Healthy Eating

Check out the American Heart Association's guide to nutrition, and these tips on eating healthy:

*Remember the food pyramid you learned about in elementary school--it's been replaced by the US Department of Agriculture's MyPlate, a new and improved version of the old pyramid that can be a great start for you to base your eating on. Don't be afraid of the grains--just be sure to stick to whole grains and stay clear of the white and processed stuff.
*When shopping at the grocery store, walk in a big square along the walls. You will hit the produce department, meat department, and dairy. Try to only go in the rows for healthy whole grains (whole wheat spaghetti noodles, whole wheat bread, etc.) Avoid all the processed junk as much as you can--think of it as "not real" food. Because when you read the ingredients and can't pronounce anything except high-fructose corn syrup, remember your body can't figure out what the stuff is either--so you get a lot of junk and very little nutrition. This isn't just a problem for your weight loss journey--our Western Diet can be deadly and is responsible for all kinds of diseases from heart disease to type II diabetes to colon cancer.
*Michael Pollen, a journalist and author interviewed in the documentary Food Inc., wrote the book Food Rules--a very simple approach to clean and healthy eating explained in 64 different rules. My fav? "Don't eat anything your grandmother wouldn't recognize."

Here at Fusion we've got a few tricks up our sleeves 

to help you with your health-related resolutions.

(re)Boot Camp--January 13th12-1:30p or January 20th 12:30-2p @ Overland Park: After the blur of the holidays, come reboot your system from the inside out--get a major detox through 30 minutes of tabatas, 15 minutes of abs, and 45 minutes of Fusion Fire. Then learn what kinds of foods will help rid your body of toxins and increase organ functioning to get you back into the swing for 2013. Register here.

WLBC and Amp Camp--Are you inspired by the results you're always seeing on the blog from our Weight Loss Boot Camp and Amp Camp? Not only do you workout together and learn new ways to incorporate fitness into your lives, you also get a crash course on what it takes to adopt healthy nutrition into your kitchen. We have our first sessions of the New Year starting soon-- WLBC Jan 6th and Amp Camp Jan 20th. Click here for more info and to register.

Fusion Run--Check out our newest creation led by RCAA Certified Running Coach, our own Alex Goblet. Get together with your fellow Fusionistas and your own running coach for twice weekly runs followed by mini Fusion classes--and have your workout tailored to your specific abilities and goals. We'll also be training together for the Rock the Parkway Half Marathon! (You don't have to run the half to be in the group.) Starting January 16th--click here for more info and to register.

Fusion Classes and Personal Training--We've listened to you and adjusted our schedule for the new year, adding new class times, a new class: Bata Barre w/ Francie, and even new instructors. Check out our schedule here and join us for some calorie-torching fun.
Our instructors also offer personal training on your schedule. Contact us fusionfitnesskc@yahoo.com for more info and pricing.

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to stay current on everything Fusion!

Aside from weight loss, or adopting a healthy lifestyle, what are your other resolutions? Popular ones include spending more quality time with kids, organizing your closets and file cabinets, incorporating ways to de-stress into your daily (or weekly) lives, eliminating cuss words, spending less time on the computer, etc. As I was trying to do a craft I saw on Pinterest with the Sunday KC Star (because I'm going to be more crafty this year), I came across the Dear Abby New Year's Resolutions list, reprinted each year in newspapers around the country. I want to share them here, because I think that Dear Abby knows a thing or two. Enjoy:

Dear Readers: Welcome to 2013! While the last year has been a stressful one for many, a new year has begun, bringing with it our chance for a fresh start.

Today is the day we have an opportunity to discard destructive old habits for healthy new ones, and with that in mind, I will share Dear Abby’s often-requested list of New Year’s resolutions that were adapted by my mother, Pauline Phillips, from the original credo of Al-Anon:

Just for today, I will live through this day only. I will not brood about yesterday or obsess about tomorrow. I will not set far-reaching goals or try to overcome all of my problems at once.

I know that I can do something for 24 hours that would overwhelm me if I had to keep it up for a lifetime.

Just for today, I will be happy. I will not dwell on thoughts that depress me. If my mind fills with clouds, I will chase them away and fill it with sunshine.

Just for today, I will accept what is. I will face reality. I will correct those things that I can correct and accept those I cannot.

Just for today, I will improve my mind. I will read something that requires effort, thought and concentration. I will not be a mental loafer.

Just for today, I will make a conscious effort to be agreeable. I will be kind and courteous to those who cross my path, and I’ll not speak ill of others. I will improve my appearance, speak softly, and not interrupt when someone else is talking. Just for today, I will refrain from improving anybody but myself.

Just for today, I will do something positive to improve my health. If I’m a smoker, I’ll quit. If I’m overweight, I will eat healthfully — if only for today. And not only that, I will get off the couch and take a brisk walk, even if it’s only around the block.

Just for today, I will gather the courage to do what is right and take the responsibility for my own actions.

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2012/12/31/3988420/dear-abby-resolve-to-live-for.html#storylink=cpThe prayer of St. Francis (of which there are several versions) contains a powerful message:

Also, the Prayer of St. Francis contains a powerful message:
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace;

Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

Where there is injury, pardon;

Where there is doubt, faith;

Where there is despair, hope.

Grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;

To be understood, as to understand;

To be loved, as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive,

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,

And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

And so Dear Readers, may this new year bring with it good health, peace and joy to all of you. — Love, Abby

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p://www.kansascity.com/2012/12/31/3988420/dear-abby-resolve-to-live-for.html#storylink=cpy