Cross Training makes exercising fun!

There's one important thing we need to remember regarding our exercise routines and that is to change them occasionally or mix in different routines. It's important for many reasons. One great reason is that it makes exercising more fun and challenging so that we don't become bored with the same routine.

It's great that we may lean towards certain areas such as yoga, Pilates or conditioning DVD's but we can easily become bored over time with the same routines. It's also true that our muscles become conditioned to the same routine over time and become less challenged. That's why it is great to look for new sources in the same areas. It could be new DVD's or simply turning into TV programs like Exercise TV on Demand.

It's great to mix things up on different days. Walking/jogging, swimming, weight lifting, tennis, etc., are great ways to get your workouts in all while presenting new challenges.

Remember staying fit and in good shape is all about creating a balance!

Key West Vacation for July 4th was incredible!

Wow! Our family vacation to Key West was incredible! What a wonderful new experience for me. This was the first trip my husband and I have taken with our adult children since I lost all of the weight I had put on over the course of two decades. It was also a year from the date I had reached my goal weight.

It was so great to be able to wear the new clothes I have purchased since I lost the weight. I can remember struggling so many times to find the best clothes to camouflage my extra pounds for so many years. Not fun! This was so different. I purchased two new bathing suits before the trip, one for snorkeling and one for pool side.

The heat was intense but I was able to keep up or walk ahead of everyone at times because I'm in the best shape I've ever been since my 20's! Trust me, I could not have withstood the heat for that long a time period with the extra weight I had carried previously.

Guess what? We entered the Key West 4th of July 5k! It was so much fun; I had an awesome time. I walked/jogged 3 miles! My husband walked and everyone else jogged from our family. It meant the world to my children that I was able to do these things with them at 54, when for so long I only dreamed of participating in these type activities.

Wow, setting up a healthy eating and fitness pattern for life has been a tremendous blessing in my life and for my family. It wasn't that hard once Sharon and I came up with a plan through our research. It boiled down to common sense and it has worked beautifully. It can work for you just as easily. Both of us reached our dream goal weight of our early 20's. From a personal standpoint, I'm so happy that I've left this great example to my adult children for the remainder of their lives. It is never to late to do something you never thought once again possible. You can and it has to be the most liberating, confidence building experience I have ever had in my life. You can do it too. Our forthcoming book, "TAME YOUR INNER OCTOPUS!" sets out in detail how to do it in a totally easy to understand fashion!