How many of you made a New Years Resolution to exercise more or lose weight? Unfortunately, most us forget these resolutions before the month is over! So why not try a different approach this year? Set a fitness goal. Having a specific goal will increase your chances of sticking to your resolutions. Read on to learn about my fitness goal and get ideas of your own.

My fitness goal
I’m already an active person, but tend to slack a bit in the winter months. Cycling is my favorite sport and spinning classes in the winter months aren’t nearly as appealing to me as cycling outdoors. Therefore I tend to spend a little too much time sitting on my butt instead on the bike! So I decided to commit to doing the Gran Fondo in NYC  in May. This is a 100 mile race (or you can do it without “racing”) from NYC to Bear Mountain and back. For me, 100 miles so early in the season will be quite challenging, but that is my goal and  I’m committed to training for it (assuming my chronic hamstring injury doesn’t kick in!) It will mean cycling 3 times a week starting in February. Either taking a spinning class at the gym, getting on my dreaded trainer (after I wipe off the dust) in my apartment or forcing myself to bike outside despite the chilly temps.

 Suggestions for setting your fitness goal for 2012
Here are some ideas to consider when setting your fitness goal. Being specific will help you be focused and is a lot more effective than just saying “I’m going to exercise more.”

1.If you don’t run but always wanted to, try the couch to 5K program. It will turn a couch potato into running a 5 K (3.1 miles) in 9 weeks. You can even get even get your dog off the couch with this program- pooch to 5K!

2. If you already jog on occasion, but need a little push, sign up for a race early in the spring.  Start with a 5 K then build up to a 10 K later in the season. Check out active.com. It’s a great site that lists races (not just running) and athletic events across the country.

3. Find a charity you are passionate about and sign up for an fitness event to raise money. Here are a few examples:
Avon Breast cancer walk, JDRF Diabetes walk, Bike MS (I did this one –  it was great!),  Tour de Cure,  AIDS  walk , etc.

4. If you always wanted to learn to swim, sign up for swimming classes

5. Sign up for a sprint triathlon in the spring. Check out  to find local races in your area. Again, check out active.com

6. If you’ve already done a sprint, take the next step and do an Olympic distance. Check out the race schedule now, and commit to it.

7. If you’ve always wanted to try Zumba, go for it! A great fun way to burn calories and sweat to great music. Sign up for a series. Chances are if you pay ahead of time, you’ll show up for class!

8. Sign up for boot camp classes.That will kick your butt into shape for the spring. .

Tips to stay on track to meet your goal:
1. Make a plan and commit.

2. Pick up the phone (or get online) and sign up. Paying a registration fee or being accountable to raise money for a charity event makes it even more likely that you’ll stick to it.

3. Find a workout buddy if possible. You’ll be less likely to forgo your workouts or training sessions if someone else is involved.

4. Keep records of your workouts. I personally keep a big calendar in my (miniature) kitchen to help remind me of what workouts I did – or didn’t do!

5. Plan your workouts in advance and write them in your log book. This way you’ll have no excuses!

6. Start slow with your training if you’ve been inactive for a while or if this is a new activity. If your goal is do to a 1/2 marathon walkathon in the spring, start with walking a few miles several times a week and build up a little each week.

7. Pay attention to your body as you don’t want to cause injury! Check in with your doctor before starting an exercise program if you have any health issues.

Bottom line – whether you sign up for a race, bootcamp or Zumba, don’t feel intimidated. You’ll find people of all abilities. Just have fun! And remember, focusing on this goal will help you keep your resolution to lose weight and exercise more.

So what will YOUR fitness goal be? I told you mine … send me yours!

This ride started in Babylon, N.Y. The hardest part (aside from having a sore butt from sitting on the bike seat for 7 hours) was getting up at 4:45 am to make it to Babylon for the 7 am check in. This was tough for an insomniac like myself. Seems like I was just starting to fall asleep when my alarm went off!

Highlights of the Montauk ride:
1. Great food at the rest stops – especially the stop at the 70 mile mark where homemade pies were served. Delicious! (Pic is of Martha and John enjoying their second piece of pie)Here was some of the food that was served:
 – Homemade pie from legendary Briermere Farms, along with fresh whipped cream that is made on the spot
 – The famous Clovervale Bars — peanut butter and jelly spread on two graham crackers.  (It comes wrapped like an ice cream sandwich so you can put it in your pocket and ride!) 
 – Hummus with Pita (for those who want extra protein in the middle of the ride) 
 – Ice cream
– Artisan whole-grain breads from Balthazar Bakery 
 – Fresh fruit
– Larabars 
– Foccachia from Balthazar Bakery. Biscotti. Muffins from Yura Bakery. Pound cake in a half-dozen different flavors from La Bonne Boulangerie.
– Gatorade and water, of course

2. Very scenic ride
3. Ended the ride with more food and free beer.  Nothing better than having a few cold ones after 7 hours in the bike seat!
4. Biking 100 miles burns a ton of calories. My heart rate monitor said I burned 2150 calories. Quite a bit of these calories were consumed at the rest stops…
5. Last, but certainly not least, free massages after the ride. (Pic is of cyclist Tom C. getting a much needed massage in the “seat” area)

Now, the point of this post… Cycling is one of my passions and I am usually quite prepared with food and fluid for the ride. However, I am not an early morning person and tend to bike later in the day. So here was the first problem for me –  I had to get up at 6:30 am for the tour. I overslept a bit and really didn’t have much time for breakfast – assuming I could get food at the starting line. Since we were late to arrive and were surrounded by 30,000 people starting the tour, there was no food in sight. So – problem #1: no breakfast.(Pic on the right of me and 2 friends, Tom and John, enjoying a few cold ones to help us replete our glycogen stores).

There were multiple rest stops during the ride serving snacks such as fruit and mini energy bars. I had a few of those … but you can only eat so many until your stomach starts to hurt. So I limited my intake of the bars. Problem #2: inadequate fuel.

Huge lines for the port-o-potties. Not so condusive for encouraging fluid intake. That and the port-o-potties themselves…. (say no more on that subject). Problem #3: inadequate fluid.

After the tour ended, we found a great bar in Staten Island  (this is where the tour ended) right near the ferry. Not sure of the name, however it had a big picture on parrot eating people on the outside of the bar. Nice! Problem #4: the “cold ones” took the place of eating food. Get a little tipsy after biking 40 miles with minimal food and fluid.

Multiple beers later, several friends were made and all in all, it was a great day. (Pic on the right is of new friends also enjoying multiple cold ones. City girls… you might want to check out this tour next year    )

However, note to self for the next early morning ride:

1. Do not sleep through alarm. Get adequate sleep the night before. Forgo going out.
2. Plan your food that you will take with you on the ride the day before.
3. Do not skip breakfast and assume that you will find something later to eat.
4. Take more advantage of the energy bars they provide along the ride at the rest stops. Forget about the fact that they slightly upset your stomach.
5. Better yet, pack your own food.
6. Drink more fluids during the ride. Do not let your dislike of port-o-potties and long lines hinder your fluid consumption.
7. Bring sunscreen even if it is raining. You never know when the sun will break out and give you an unwanted sunburn.
8. Take part in the after riding “festivities” with the other riders at the local pub … as long as you don’t have too far to bike home. Of course, moderation is a good idea.
9. Replete with more water after ride and try to eat something containing carbs within 1 hour of your ride. This will hydrate you and help to replete your glycogen stores.