Keeping Track of Your Fitness Resolutions

Sheila Wenz is a native of LI who
lived in Los Angeles working in the
entertainment business. She is a
comedian, comedy writer and
comedy instructor website
www.standupstudios.com

…be gentle with yourself and take a few small steps that can change your outlook and set you in the right direction for the coming year.

I’m not one for New Year’s resolutions. How many people do you know who set a resolution and actually keep it? Rather than making grand resolutions to get in shape or lose weight, be gentle with yourself and take a few small steps that can change your outlook and set you in the right direction for the coming year.

There are plenty of free apps to download on your phone that can help. Simply put in your age, height and weight and they will estimate how many calories you need each day to maintain or lose weight. Some of the most popular ones are Lose It! and MyFitnessPal. Try tracking your food intake for just one week. You’ll get a good idea of your habits and where you might need to make some adjustments. You would be surprised to see how many calories are in certain foods, for example, we New Yorkers love our bagels with a schmear, but you’re looking at almost 500 calories!

Another step to take – literally – is to use the fitness app on your phone or get an inexpensive wrist tracker that tells you how many steps you take in a day and how many calories you’re burning. It can be fun to set a goal for a certain number of daily steps and reach it. If you compare your activity with your food intake, you’ll get an even clearer picture of where changes need to be made to reach your goals in a healthy and consistent way.

As far as activity goes, your gym may be closed but there are still plenty of wonderful options to get you moving. Walking is one of the best ways to start; it’s free, easy and lets you be socially distant. Long Island has a wealth of beautiful places to walk, whether you prefer beaches or hiking trails. If it’s cold outside you can still bundle up and take a stroll—it’s refreshing, clears your mind and exciting to watch those steps add up.

YouTube is also an excellent resource for exercise. There are work outs of every kind, for all fitness levels, that target any area of the body. Some videos are as short as eight minutes and will teach you how to do specific exercises safely in the privacy of your own home.             Now is the perfect time to find an activity you enjoy and will stick with a few days a week. Just keep it simple, be gentle and remain aware. Try making these few easy lifestyle changes and you will be on the road to reaching your fitness goals for 2021 and beyond.