Our diet starts tomorrow?!

Welcome to 2015! We've enjoyed the holidays and now it's back to reality and routine... and for some of us- resolutions. As the clock counted down to the New Year, you (like us) might have made a list of things you'd like to do over the next 365 days. Maybe you want to do simple things, like eat more vegetables or more challenging things, like solving world hunger. Never the less, by the second week of said New Year, you may have already slacked on your resolutions or may find yourself "refining" your list... to combine resolutions into solving world hunger by eating a stick of celery over the span of a week.

On New Year's Eve, we asked local artist Kal Barteski to paint words of inspiration and resolution on the skating rink under the Canopy. Words like "Walk, Stretch, Have Fun, Love, Move Your Body, Play Outside, Celebrate the Everyday, Forgive More". The icy surface became a pinboard of ideas and motivation for the year ahead.

As the ball dropped on 2015 so did the temperature here in Winnipeg, making some of our ideal resolutions seem challenging (if not impossible) to do. But fear not, because we have some ideas for fitness at The Forks that you may not have thought of.

- Spend your lunch hour going for a walk (either inside or outside).

- Grab your friends or kiddos and go for a skate on the Red River Mutual Trail.

- Breakout your sled and shoot down Toboggan Hill (not your typical workout, but if you were to track this on a fitness app 30 minutes is about 300 calories burned!).

For those that need something inside, check out S.M.A.R.T. Exercise Class (Seniors Maintaining Active Roles Together) at 9:30 and 10:30 a.m. Tuesday is Zumba and Thursday is fitness class. Just bring your runners and a bottle of water and join this low impact FREE fitness class. Class is open to all ages and all levels of fitness. But come early because there is a maximum of 25 participants per class.

Now for those that need something extreme to kick your New Year's resolution into full gear, we've got the three words: Winnipeg Gone Rogue. Inspired by the November Project, friends Tom and Rick wanted to push each other in their fitness goals, but also in their desire to stay motivated.

They began by meeting at The Forks with some friends on a lovely Wednesday in June... at 6:15 a.m. About eight people came out and did a bootcamp style workout. The next time they met, their friends brought some of their friends. The group kept growing and became known as Winnipeg Gone Rogue. Now they have 40-50 people come out and enjoy the plyometic workout with each person at a different fitness level. From marathoners to those just getting off the couch, Winnipeg Gone Rogue lets people challenge themselves physically while building a great fitness community (something which we hear is important when it comes to following through on your resolutions). 

Now you might be wondering if they shut it down during winter? NOT A CHANCE! They just layer up and introduce fitness moves like tobogganing. This past Wednesday it was -35 degrees Celsius and there were over 30 people there (seven of which, this was their first time). As one of the hashtags they use suggests #justshowup.

If this sparks your interest and you are now wondering how to find out where they are or what plyo-jacks they'll be doing, check out their Twitter and Instagram accounts for the latest details. But you can be sure they'll be meeting, rain or shine, snow or subzero temperatures. Oh, and did we mention it's FREE?!
And if you find yourself with a laundry list of excuses not to show,  listen to the encouragement from Rick and why you'll see him out there early on Wednesdays:

“There is no such thing as morning people. Mornings suck! You have to force yourself to do it. But if you can get up, you will make that day the best day ever! And it is going to make you a better, more motivated, healthier person. And that’s what you want in the end.”

So there you have it. Some ideas for continuing your fitness resolutions, or restarting them, or just show up. Here's to a fit + fun 2015.