Weekend Wellness – Achieving Success in 2014

By Tammy Parkinson, CPT, ACSM, NASM, Nutritionist, Body Firm Personal Training & Nutrition

Here we are…2014!  It seems a little surreal.   Of course, January is synonyms with resolutions, goals, getting motivated, fresh starts and that’s just the beginning.

I’m all for this.  As you might know, I write down my intentions for the year every January.  It grounds me and helps me gain insight and direction as to how I’d like to focus my energy and attention.   I openly encourage my clients to do this (in their own way) as well…I deeply believe we need to write down what we want for ourselves in order to envelope these intentions into our lives and create the year (and beyond) we want.

So often, though I hear folks worry about the perfection and potential imperfections of setting goals.  Many people seem to be afraid to commit to “New Year’s Resolutions” because they have “failed in years past” and don’t want to claim their goals out loud; some won’t even write it on paper…even if they are the only ones who see it.  They worry that if they don’t complete their goal (sometimes with absolute perfection) then they have failed, so they don’t want to even try; for fear of letting someone (mostly themselves) down.

Better Sleep Means a Better You in 2014

By John Thompson, Executive Vice President, Intero Real Estate Services, Inc.

It’s the beginning of a new year.  That means, new goals, new commitments, a chance to start fresh.  For most people this includes goals of losing weight, eating healthier, or being more productive; making the most of your day to be the best person you can.  Why not start each day with a better night so you can accomplish these goals well rested and energized?  Your standard alarm clock just won’t do when it comes to this, but Sleep Cycle Alarm Clock does.  The app tracks your sleep patterns, waking you up in the lightest sleep phase closest to when your alarm is set to go off.

So why is it important that you wake up in the lightest sleep phase? Well, our bodies go through a cycle when they are asleep, moving from light sleep to deep sleep and occasionally going into REM-sleep (a dream state).  A normal alarm clock doesn’t take any of these phases into account.  It just simply goes off at the specific time you set no matter what stage of sleep you’re in.  Waking up in the middle of the deep sleep phase can cause a great disruption in your sleep pattern resulting in the sluggish, sleep deprived feeling so many of us are familiar with.

Sleep Cycle takes all of this into consideration using a 30 minute alarm window that ends at your set alarm time and wakes you up in your lightest sleep place.  The result: a more refreshed, well-rested you and a more productive energetic day.  Just think of all that you could accomplish when you’re at your best from the start of the day!  All of this for only $.99.

Monday Morning Mojo – My New Year’s Commitments!!

By Tom Tognoli, COO & Founder, Intero Real Estate Services, Inc

Today marks the first full week of a New Year and the day that most of us roll up our sleeves and get back to work and school. It is our opportunity for a fresh start on whatever it is that we want to accomplish in our F5 (Faith-Family-Friends-Fitness-Finance). We all just need to remember that it is the beginning and not the end. We need to pace ourselves or we will crash and burn. Don’t let what happened to your last year’s resolutions happen again this year.

I think it starts first with not making resolutions. I am not a big fan of resolutions because they never seem to stick and most of the time they are these big pie in the sky things…they are hopes and prayers. It is why our resolutions are typically the same each year. Try something different this year…make commitments not resolutions. A commitment is just that…it’s not negotiable. I would rather see people make smaller commitments they know they can keep than making big audacious resolutions that very rarely if ever stick/work.