I like to move it, move it!

I like to move it, move it. I like to move it, move it. I like to move it, move it. Ya like to move it! For a quick distraction from exam studying, check out will.iam's music video "I like to move it" from Madagascar II. For me, this song represents how I managed to get fitter this year and had fun while doing it! Yes, this year, I moved my body in ways I didn't think were possible. I shimmied and shook my hips in a spicy Latin salsa sequence at Zumba. I picked up complete strangers (who quickly became friends) and threw them in what felt like a back breaking catapult at Tae Kwon Do. I laced up my grandma's old skates and tried out some of Toronto's public skating rinks. I got some fitness and nutrition tips at Frosh Fit, and even dragged the UpbeaT bloggers back for a crash course on working out. It was fun, right guys? Hey Cynthia and Lori, have your legs recovered yet??? And it was all thanks to you readers. In September, before I started blogging for UpbeaT, I struggled to get into a healthy routine. I told myself the same excuses: too busy, don't know how, have no one to go with, too tired, don't have the "right gear." But, then I made a resolution to try as many physical activities as possible on campus. At the time, I thought this commitment would turn out to be another dreamy ambition too lofty to reach. Like the year I tried to teach myself to play the guitar and turned into just another one hit wonder strumming a botched version of Pearl Jam's "Last Kiss" over and over. Somehow, this commitment worked. Knowing that my devoted UpbeaT readers believed in me gave me that extra push to really put myself out outside my comfort zone and flail about awkwardly in activities like cross-country skiing and ashtanga yoga. Yes, readers, you were my cyber trainers who made me accountable for following through with my plan to get fit this year. Here's a few tips I learned along the way that helped me get fitter: Schedule physical activity: You need to make physical activity a priority and schedule it into your life like you would an academic class. Write down a specific date, time, and location of activity and block it into your routine. Ex. Mondays: Women-only weight training at the Strength and Conditioning centre from 12-1 pm. Find a work-out buddy: Meeting up with a friend makes it harder to back out on your work-outs. My friend, Ali and I did the Hart House Circuit every Tuesday morning at 7:30 am. I'm not a morning person, but just couldn't let her down by not showing up! Body power= brain power: No matter how stressed I got this year with the amount of reading or studying I had, I always felt better and worked more efficiently after a good workout. Have fun! It is much easier to stick to activities that you enjoy. I have a hard time motivating myself to get to the gym if I know I'm just going to run on the treadmill or sit on an exercise bike. But, I actually look forward to things like going for a swim, or playing squash with a friend. So readers, I'd like to thank you for motivating me and helping me to stick to my commitment to get healthy this year. I only hope that next year, when I'm no longer a student, I keep up with these healthy habits. But at least for now, I'll bop along with the Madagascar characters that I'm: "Physically fit, physically fit, Physically, physically, physically fit Woman! Physically fit, physically fit, Physically, physically, physically fit." Thanks, readers! Please promise that you'll motivate next year's UpbeaT team to stay fit and healthy like you did for me! -Shannon