The perfect tools for my New Year’s resolution!

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Several of my New Year’s resolutions this year speak to the idea of getting down to my ideal weight and becoming more physically fit before my 45th birthday in July.  And since I am “all about the right tools for the job”, I wanted to share with you some of the tools that I will be using in my quest to achieve these resolutions:

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Tool #1-  The Guidebook

While we were visiting family in Michigan over Christmas, I noticed a book sitting on an end table that my mother-in-law had bookmarked, and the title caught my eye…..  ”Younger Next Year….  Live Strong, Fit, and Sexy Until 80 and Beyond”.  I was intrigued…..so while the kids were occupied by playing Crazy 8′s with their grandparents, I took the opportunity to pick up the book and read the first few chapters.

This book really “found me” at the perfect time….  here I am focusing on taking better care of myself before I reach a specific age-related milestone- and instead I am realizing that this is a wake-up call for me to really examine the shape I want to be in, in order to make the most out of the 2nd half of my life.  Written by Chris Crowley and Dr. Henry S. Lodge, this book tells you that it is absolutely possible to be fit enough to do everything you’d like to do well into your 80′s and 90′s.  And it gives you 7 rules to live by in order to achieve that end….  the most important of which is exercising six days a week- every week- for the rest of your life.

One of the things that I love best about the book, is that it gives you the science behind why we age, why we gain weight, and why our bodies are programmed to decay…..  and reading and understanding the science is very motivating to me…..  and I am hoping will help me to stay committed.  If you click on the link above (full disclosure here- this is an affiliate link) and read some of the customer reviews about the book, you’ll see that many people felt that this was a life-changing book for them…..  and I am betting that it will be for me too.

Tool #2-  Cool technology- a new heart rate monitor

Younger Next Year really convinced me that I need to do a better job of tracking the level of cardio workout I am getting by using a heart rate monitor.  My frugal self didn’t want to have to buy a new one, when we already have one sitting in the basement on top of our nearly never-used elliptical machine.  But it has been so long since I used it, that the batteries in the watch were dead, and even after replacing them, the chest strap transmitter no longer worked.  So rather than buying a new strap for a 10 year old watch, I went ahead and ordered a new monitor.

Tool #3- More cool technology-My Fitness Pal

This is a great free web application that allows you to track your food diary (which I really feel is key to keeping me honest about what I am eating), your daily exercise, your water intake, and of course the readings from your bathroom scale.  The program has a very complete food database, so when you are listing what you consumed for breakfast, you can start typing in “oatmeal”, and it will pull up a list of dozens of different name brands so that you can find the type of oatmeal you are eating, click on it, and enter your serving size- and it then lists for you the calories, carbs, fat, and protein for your selection.  It keeps a running total for you for the day for each of these categories, and compares them to a daily goal amount (based on the profile you established when you set up your account).

And of course, there is a companion app for your smart phone too.  (I just LOVE cool technology like this!).  Check it out at:  http://www.myfitnesspal.com.

So with all of these cool new tools- I should be all set to achieve my goals….  and I am counting you to help keep me committed!  Have you found the right tools to help you reach your New Years’ goals?  If so I would love to hear about them!