This has been a year of change for me, I made my way back to my original roots – sunny California. I was living in New York for the past 6 years and absolutely loved the city life. One of the many reasons why I loved NY was the variety of outdoor activities that were at my disposal. If it was a beautiful day, I would go for a long walk in Central Park or just walk around the city and get my fill of the fast paced city life. I also made sure to take advantage of the free yoga in Bryant Park and all the other free classes available in the city. It was as easy as going online and visiting Shape-Up NYC and I would find a variety of fun, free classes in any of the 5 boroughs.
So now that I was moving back to Cali, I couldn’t help but wonder how was I going to keep active. I know there was always the gym, but personally I am not a gym person. But then I realized I was just being silly. It really didn’t matter where I was living, if there was a will, then there was a way. Last year, I finally came to the realization that I will no longer do any kind of working out that I did not enjoy. I would only focus on activities that I enjoy and look forward to doing. Let me tell you, that made all the difference in the world. No longer did I feel that I had to exercise, I wanted to exercise.
Now that I am living in the LA area, my perception has changed and after living in Cali for 20 years, it is barely now that I have been introduced to the wonderfully hidden hiking trails available to everyone. Today, my friend took me to a trail near where we live and I have to admit it was pretty rigourous, but it felt so satisfying. It brought back those wanting feelings to exercise. To feel the hot sun on my skin and the dirt under my feet, it was a spectacular start to my day.
Like I said earlier, I enjoyed walking around NYC and now that I am living in LA, I am lucky enough to live close enough to my work location, that I am able to walk to and from work. Yes, it might not be as exciting as the big apple but it still feels really nice to be outside, getting fresh air and exercise. The one downfall about living in NY was the fact that I was unable to own a bike due to living on 3r floor walk-up, but now that I am here, I can afford the luxury of owning a bicycle and include that in my weekly routine. These are just some examples of what I enjoy to do, of course I am not saying that you need to stay away from the gym, if that is what you enjoy then by all means gym-it-up! All I am saying is, find what activities you enjoy and you will find that it will stop feeling a job and start feeling like fun.