I'm happy to welcome Ivy Lim from iPower Fitness, to Spring NUs! Ivy is a personal trainer, and founder of iPower Fitness, a boutique fitness studio exclusively for women in Brampton. Ten years ago Ivy herself was faced with a series of personal and health challenges and gained an excess of 35 pounds. As a single mom, with time constraints, she found the courage and determination to get back her health, and has since transformed her life, sharing her amazing results with other women who are looking to get their health, body, and energy back!

I asked Ivy to give us some tips and perspective from the physical fitness world to set us off on the right path in the New Year. Here is her take!

Oh the New Year, what does it mean for you? For me, it's a time when I look back and see the changes I've made in the past year. I can certainly attest to how much things can change, how much you can overcome, and how much you can achieve in a matter of twelve months.

Sometimes it's great to let "old acquaintance be forgot," whether it's the person that broke your heart, the debt you have, the habit you never dropped or perhaps the workouts you never got to.

When I used to work at the gym, all the trainers and gym employees marveled at how PACKED the gym was in January. Some would chuckle and say "Just wait until February." Even though deep down we wished the gym would always be this energetic, we knew the unfortunate truth that when February rolled around, the attendance would plummet. And it does, year after year.

So what's it going to take for you to stick to your New Year's resolution? Can you keep the New Year's high? Most of us would need more than the month of January to get the body we want.

If you have:

• 20 pounds to lose... you're looking at 3 months
• 40 pounds... give yourself 6 months
• more than that... you'll need to stay on your program - steady - for a year

Maybe you don't need to weight loss but are just looking to tone up. Well in that case you'll still need minimum 6 weeks to 3 months of a dedicated nutrition and workout plan to shape and sculpt out a toned physique.

So instead of a laundry list of best practices, I condensed it to four straight-from-the-hip points. Frankly, I too get tired of it; you know what you need to do! Only 20% of people keep their New Year's resolution. It may only be 20%, but it's not impossible. I know you can do it, get on top of your game and play it full out.

1. Keep a calendar. Place it where you will see it every day. Start one week at a time. Most of us know what our schedule is like a week in advance. Schedule your workouts a week ahead. Every day that you complete your workout, mark it with a nice big W! "W" for workout, winner, wow, whew, whatever you want it to mean. By the end of the month, you'll be happy to see all those W's on your calendar. Remember you can make workout out some serious fun!
2. Stop making a big deal out of it. Losing weight, eating well, exercising daily - it's all a lifestyle change. You will have to cut down on surfing the web, or channel flipping, staying late at the office, or putting yourself last on the to-do list. Making this change is something you have to make happen, it won't happen by accident. Your body is meant to last 100 years, so asking you to exercise 3 or 4 times a week for just 30-60 minutes - is it really a big deal?
3. Have faith. Many of us go all out for the first 2 weeks, and then slowly our momentum starts to fade. Perhaps you didn't realize just how de-conditioned you were, or how frustrating it is to last on the treadmill for 15 minutes, or how difficult it was to do 10 pushups. Then you expected the weight to just start falling off! You must know that with every change you make, with every healthy bite and every drop of sweat, will come results. It only comes with consistence. Know in your heart that if you are consistently eating well and exercising you will lose weight. Stay with it, day after day - keep the faith
4. Get support. The greatest athletes and leaders all have their support teams and coaches. Surround yourself with people who truly care about your success. Find a workout buddy, join a class, or find a trainer and nutritionist whose personality and style suits you and the things you like to do. As you go through the baked goods section in the grocery store, phone a friend if you have to in order to not pick up those brownies or bag of chips. Put pictures up of your favourite athletes or fitness photos. Subscribe to your favourite health and fitness magazine, travel or outdoor magazine. Go online and get those daily fitness tips or newsletters. Believe that you are fit, strong, healthy - no matter what condition you are at this time. Get passionate about your health and about feeling good, know that you deserve to feel great and energetic.

The New Year to me is also about freshness and forgiveness. It's the perfect time to let go and start fresh. There was a time when I thought I could never get back the weight I was in my early 20's, and that I could never feel toned again. But I kept at it, like a race horse, I put my blinders on and focused on the track, not looking back. Now I can say that I am in the best shape of my life and as each year passes, staying in shape is now something that has simply been resolved.

Ivy Lim from iPower Fitness is the owner of a boutique fitness studio exclusively for women in Brampton, Ontario. The iPower Fitness method of training entails a fusion of core strengthening, traditional weight training and bootcamp exercises, yoga and pilates strength moves, as well as athletic style training. Ivy developed this style of training because it is fun, dynamic, effective, and INTENSE. And... it works!

You can contact Ivy through her website: www.ipowerfitness.com