Finding time for fitness can be challenging but there are three pieces of advice I can give that may make your search for time a little easier.

The first one is to set a goal and once you reach that goal, set another. Having a goal tricks you into making the achievement of that goal a priority in your life. When I trained for a half marathon a while back, I couldn’t believe how much I was surprising myself. My goal was to complete the race in less than 2 hours and 15 minutes. My means of achieving that goal was to train almost every day for three months. I had a set plan and I was sticking to it. The first time I hit 18 kilometres during my training, I couldn’t believe I had done it. I had never imagined being able to push my body that distance. When race day came, I was prepared physically and mentally because my body was ready, and my mind was convinced I could do it–after all I had completed every training run I set out for myself. Somehow fitness crept it’s way closer to the top of my long list of to dos. When I crossed the finish line with six minutes to spare, the feeling was incredible.

The second piece of advice I can give is to make your social outings active. By doing this you are checking two things off your list in the amount of time it takes to do one of them. Continuously building and strengthening the relationships with your partner, your family and your friends isn’t always easy, but it’s crucial to leading a well-balanced, happy life. Get creative when you get together with those important to you; go for a hike with a group of friends, commit to doing a Group EXercise class every week with your new gym buddy, or go for a walk with your partner after dinner. The more you begin to combine being social with being active, the more you will realize that even the quality of the time you spend with your loved ones is improving.

Finally, I once read somewhere that if you don’t have time, stop watching TV. That one’s self-explanatory.

You can’t let yourself give that age old excuse that you just don’t have time, so my challenge to you is to give at least one of these suggestions a try. You may surprise yourself just like I did. Make fitness a priority and a necessity in your life.

Here are 10 exciting ways to take advantage of what’s left of this beautiful Canadian summer:

1. Visit a local Farmer’s Market: Go local and support farmers in your area by visiting a Farmer’s Market. The produce, cheeses and meats are fresh and affordable. My favourite? Trails End Market just outside of London on Dundas Street East. The variety of produce, baked goods, plants, flowers and herbs may have your head spinning, but the experience is always fantastic! Look online for a Farmer’s Market closest to you.
2. Go to the Drive-In: Grab some healthy snacks, blankets and pillows, a few friends and of course, a car, and head out to the Drive-In for a selection of recently released movies. There’s nothing like a visit to the Drive-In on a cool summer evening.
3. Rent a canoe: Most cities are close to some sort of body of water so it’s never too far to escape the sights and sounds of the city. Find out if a nearby lake offers canoe or kayak rentals and spend the day on the water.
4. Hit the beach: Slap on the sunscreen and soak up some rays at a beach near you. Pack lunch in a cooler and bring a volleyball or football to keep entertained and moving.
5. Host a BBQ: Invite a few friends over for a healthy BBQ. Check out the August/September 2012 issue of Clean Eating Magazine for some fantastic meal ideas: http://cleaneatingmag.com/preview/CE31/
6. Treat yourself to a meal on a patio: The selection of outdoor dining in all Canadian cities is vast this time of year. From Granville Island in Vancouver, to the Danforth in Toronto, to the Halifax Seaport Market, find a spot that catches your eye. Look for restaurants with Catch Of The Day options or local ingredients. Why not try a craft beer if they have one?
7. Enjoy local concerts and festivals: Most cities have an extensive festival and concert schedule throughout the summer month’s that will keep you plenty busy. Check your municipality website for events that interest you.
8. Go strawberry picking: There’s nothing better than spending a few hours in a strawberry patch on a warm summer day. And you get to take home amazing tasting strawberries afterward.
9. Watch the sunrise: Wake up early one morning and go to a quiet spot to watch the sunrise. It can really make you appreciate your surroundings when life can get just too busy to take it all in.
10. Too humid to be outside? Although we never want to complain about the heat, sometimes it’s just too hot to be outside all day long. Don’t fret. There’s always a GoodLife Fitness nearby where you can escape the humidity for your favourite workout; whether it be a Group EXercise Class, a Personal Training or Team Training session, or just a good run on the treadmill, we’ve got it all.

There’s plenty of Summer left to give all these ideas a try! Make it a fun, local, (somewhat) healthy August and enjoy everything your surroundings have to offer.

The summer months bring so many amazing opportunities to get outdoors and be active. After a long winter, the snow in the streets and trails is replaced with the buzz of runners, rollerbladers and cyclists.

The options for exercising seem endless and the motivation to get out and move your body comes natural after being cooped up inside for so many months.

It can be easy though, to fall out of your summer workout routine when you set off to the cottage for a long weekend, or a week’s vacation. If you’re lucky enough to own a cottage or are able to visit one this summer, relaxation and indulgence can take the place of routine and balance. Sometimes we forget the endless list of activities that a cottage can offer.

Here are a few ideas to keep you moving at the cottage this summer:

• Gardening not only contributes to the overall look of a cottage, but it is a great way to enjoy the outdoors while being active. Pick up a bunch of your favourite flowers and herb seeds on your next trip to the cottage and get planting!
• The cottage is an amazing place to clear your head of the stresses and worries that come from your everyday life. Wake up as the sun rises one morning and practice a few Yoga and Pilates moves on the front deck. Take mental notes during your next BODYFLOW class and memorize some of the key poses and movements so you can FLOW at the cottage without direction. The view will be spectacular to top it off.
• Discover ‘off the beaten track’ trails and go for a run. We are so blessed to live in a Country with stunning scenery; whether you are in the flat, tree-filled lands of Ontario, or surrounded by mountains in British Columbia, finding a good trail at the cottage will make your run fun.
• No matter what, there is always something that needs to be done at the cottage. Having a large supply of chopped wood for the bonfire or fireplace is key. Replenish your stock by helping chop wood.
• Get wet! Take advantage of your proximity to water and go for a swim or try water skiing or wakeboarding. Your adrenaline will be pumping after a good water ski which will help keep you energized for the rest of the day.
• Encourage a friend or family member to join you. Working out with someone will help keep you motivated; you can push each other to do that little bit extra.

Your challenge this summer is to enjoy some rest and relaxation while at the cottage, but take an hour every day to do some good for your body. Sweating from the humidity isn’t enough. Try something you’ve never done before, you may just surprise yourself.

Photos courtesy of March Seven Photography by Mike Barry – http://m7p.ca

Every Thursday we are featuring a Six Essentials post. Our fantastic blog contributors will be sharing what six items are key for them to have a healthy, happy and all-around really good day.

This week Richelle shares what makes her day awesome. She is an Internal Communications Specialist at GoodLife Fitness, and enjoys being active in some way every day. Here’s her six essentials for a healthy day:

• Eat a well-balanced breakfast first thing every morning – usually a multigrain English muffin with peanut better and a smoothie (banana, mixed berries, greek yogurt, skim milk).
• Drink LOTS of water throughout the entire day – it’s amazing the difference hydration can make with regard to alertness and mood
• Do something active every day – although I’d like to make it to the gym or out for a run every day, sometimes it’s just not possible. For those days I can’t get my workout in, I go for a walk at lunch time or do outdoor tasks (gardening, cutting the lawn, etc.).
• Wear face moisturizer with SPF in it every day – healthy skin is a good reflection of overall health
• Laugh a lot – no matter what my day brings, I try to make the best of every moment and laugh with my peers, my family and my friends.
• Unwinding before bed is key for me! Some of my days can get pretty hectic so I make a point to enjoy some ‘me’ time at the end of the day – whether that means reading a book or a magazine, having a glass of wine or enjoying a quiet evening on my back deck with friends, ending the day relaxed means ending the day right.