Fitness for 2024
{ Jenny Pacillo & LuAnn Thibodeau}
The holiday season has come and gone, the ball has dropped in Times Square, and the new year is officially here! For a lot of us, that means it’s time to whip out the vision board and take on the fitness goals we gave ourselves in December. Whether you’re starting or continuing your fitness journey, CM Pride has you covered with some great ways to implement physical activity into your routine; from workout recommendations to personal fitness journeys, here is your motivational guide to fitness in 2024!
1. YWCA
It’s more than just a song to get people on the dance floor at weddings, Central Mass has YMCA’s from Stubridge to Fitchburg. Whether you want to break a sweat shooting hoops, taking a spin class or swimming laps, each branch of the Y has options for everybody. Contact your local branch for a free trial visit and see for yourself. Bonus points: YMCA family/community branches offer free child care while you’re working out!
2. Planet Fitness
There are Planet Fitnesses throughout Central Mass, and their focus (aside from fitness) is making sure their members feel welcomed and supported. Planet Fitness has certified trainers, small group classes and they will even work with you to create your own exercise program. More of an airpods and chill kind of person? Work out at your own pace and use the equipment you feel comfortable on. Bonus points: Planet Fitness membership options are affordable, their “Classic” Membership is only $10 a month.
3. Have Fun with Your Fitness Journey
Woo Skates is a group of folks who meet every Wednesday to rollerskate in Worcester, and everyone is welcome. Check out their Instagram @woo_skates for updates, or just look through their photos and see how much fun roller skating with one of the most inclusive groups in the city is. If you don’t mind waking up early, the November Project is for you. They meet Wednesday at the Worcester Common Oval at 5:20am and 6:20am and use their surroundings as their own personal gym, think recreating the famous scene in Rocky and running up flights of stairs. Bonus points: Exercising always feels easier when you’re having fun with friends.
4. Fitness at Home
It’s 2024 and you can always embrace the future and exercise from home with a massive range of exercise options. Interactive workouts are all the rage, from Pelotons to workout mirrors, and allow folks to utilize personal trainers from their homes and join classes with people from all over the world. If getting techy with your fitness journey isn’t up your alley, simply Google “free workouts” to find an endless amount of choices like workout calendars, weekly challenges and plenty of other choices. Bonus points: You get to stay home and enjoy your personal space!
Looking Forward to a Healthy New Year: A Personal Journey
A new year has dawned, and with it, resolutions abound. Have you said that you’re going to exercise more and help yourself to learn how to relax and sleep better? If you’re like most people, you have these things on your list for 2024.
Perhaps you’ve received a new exercise bike or have dusted off the old treadmill. Or maybe you don’t have either of these or other similar things, and you’re wondering what you can do that won’t cost a lot of money, but will still provide lots of physical as well as emotional benefits? Then look no further- follow along and you’ll see.
I’ll start off with something that we have all been doing most of our lives (well, starting around 9 months old or so). I’m referring to walking. Yes, we all do it each and every day. And most of the time, we don’t even give it much thought- it’s just automatic. I know, I used to be that way. Until I opened my eyes and began to investigate a bit more. Oh, there’s a reason that I did that- you see, heart disease not only runs in my family…it gallops. My father died at 57 of congestive heart failure and both my mother and big brother had coronary heart disease that necessitated open heart surgery. Mom lived to be 92, but my brother died at 64. Was my fate cast in that same stone, or could I do something about it?
In 2019, I was hospitalized with an intestinal condition, and that’s when I really began to think about my health. Despite the pain I was in, every day, I fired up my phone and played some music that I love. I then put my earbuds in and attached to my IV pole, I went for a short walk around the nurses’ station and back to my room. The first few days, I was winded and exhausted. But each day, I walked a bit further. By the time I was discharged a week later, I was walking a dozen laps at a time. But…since it was March and the weather was far from conducive to walking outside, I fell back into my old ways and didn’t continue on the journey that I had started.
By the time summer rolled around, I was feeling sluggish and tired all the time. A friend asked me to join her team for a 5k walk for The Doug Flutie Autism Foundation, which was happening at the end of the summer. Without hesitation, I said sure. Then I thought about it- how was I ever going to walk 5k? Well, it was time to start anew and get myself ready. I began very slowly, and the first week or so, just walking down the hill from home and then back was enough to wipe me out. But I was determined not to give up. Each day, I walked a little bit more. And I noticed that not only was I feeling a lot more alive, but I was also losing weight without really doing anything else besides walking. That was an exhilarating feeling. By the time of the official walk day, I was ready, willing and able to do it. I had my music playlist on my phone, earbuds ready, and I drove to Framingham for the event.
With a lot of folks who looked like world class athletes there for the walk, I started to wonder if I made the right decision to be there. But then, I heard the voices of my family members that I mentioned above say to me “you can do it…we believe in you”. And with that, I headed off. I wasn’t familiar with the walk course, so I had to pay attention- I certainly didn’t want to get lost! Around each corner or turn, folks had gathered to cheer the walkers and runners on. I couldn’t believe it- it was so energizing to see, as they offered us water and gave us a high five. Those things gave me the confidence and the strength to keep going. As I turned the corner and went the up hill to the finish line, I looked up to Heaven and thanked my family for their support and belief in me. I didn’t cross the finish line first, or even fiftieth, but I crossed it- and that’s all that mattered. I set the goal, and I achieved it.
Since that day in the hospital in March of 2019 when I walked only one lap, I’ve tried to walk a 5k every day when the weather permits. I’m now older than both my father and brother when they died, and I’m a lot healthier. I’ve lost a hundred pounds (yes, I was very overweight when I started). And because of my affinity for music and attending concerts when I can, I have walked my daily 5k in four different countries on two different continents, as well as in twenty-three different states in the US (including seven that I had never been to before). I feel better than I did when I was forty, and other than the price of several pairs of sneakers, the cost has been minimal, and the benefits far outweigh that. My heart is healthier, I’ve also changed my eating habits (without cutting out any of the things I love), my blood pressure is great, and overall, I’m much happier and a more confident person. And to think that it all started with that first lap at Heywood Hospital and the great tunes in my ears (yes, I still listen to great music every time I’m walking).
I truly believe that if it wasn’t for walking, I wouldn’t be here now. And it’s an easy activity to do- and as I mentioned above, it can be done anywhere. All you need is a good pair of sneakers or shoes, and the motivation to feel better (of course, as with any physical activity- please remember to get your doctor’s advice and okay before starting). I hope to see you in my travels someday.
In addition to walking, I have become intrigued by another activity that some new friends are really into- yoga. My preconceived notion of it being something that requires one to get into the utmost ridiculous positions while chanting some crazy phrases was changed when I began doing some research (on the advice of those friends). And once again, I found that it was an activity that is very beneficial and doesn’t carry a large cost. Sounded like a win-win situation.
With a fairly highly stressful career, I wanted something more than the daily walks to ease my mind and reduce that stress. Yoga seemed perfect. It has been proven to reduce stress as well as promote better sleep, which is something that I also wanted and needed. Too many nights, my mind refused to turn off and consequently, I was often tired when I started my day.
So,I began my research. I found that in addition to helping with stress and promoting better sleep, yoga is also good for heart health (another plus for me, given my genetic disposition to heart disease), and it helps with balance, strength and posture- which indirectly helps self-confidence (in my humble opinion). It also helps with back pain and the pain of arthritis (two things that fortunately don’t affect me often, but when they do, I would like a solution that doesn’t come in the form of a pill).
All in all, yoga seemed like a good idea, and I decided to give it a try. Well, even though I am not in my twenties anymore, I am still very agile, so the intro poses that I tried were not hard for me to do. But even though they were easy, I began to notice the positive effects that they were having. I could stretch more and with greater intensity and ease. I could feel the warmth traveling through my muscles and tendons, thus relaxing my body and in the process, also my mind. Just the focusing on what I was doing cleared my mind of wandering thoughts and feelings, bringing an inner awareness and peace.
I’ve only been doing it for a few weeks, but like walking, I think that this is going to become a lifelong habit for me. It too, doesn’t require any special equipment (other than flexible clothing) and can be done almost anywhere. So, I’m keeping track in my daily journaling (another habit that I find to be very useful) of the effects of my walking and newfound yoga routines. It will be interesting to chart the progress in reducing stress and increasing positive sleep and energy levels, as well as just an overall increase in the enjoyment of life. With that I say, Happy New Year 2024…and may for you, there will be many an open door, a door to happiness and health and so much more.