Motivators for a New Year of Fitness

So maybe you're starting (or restarting) a fit lifestyle for the new year. Or maybe you just want to use the changing of the date as a way to push yourself to reach fitness goals with renewed energy.

Either way, January is always chock full of new TV shows, books, websites, blogs and more that could motivate you to live healthier. Here are a few that Mr. and Mrs. Get Fit are excited about:

TV to watch on the stationary bike

The new Biggest Loser: Couples Edition: We weren't so hot on the fall '08 season, mainly because of the participants. We just couldn't get into them. But after watching this sneak preview of the '09 season, I am hopeful this season will be inspiring and good for us to watch. Premieres on NBC, Tuesday, Jan. 6, at 8pm/7c.

DietTribe, a new Lifetime show about a group of friends who lose together: I like the non-competitive, relationship orientation of this show, at least what I saw on the previews. This women have all enabled each other's weight gain and now are using that same influence to get fit--just like Mr. and I did! I hope they all can shed some pounds and learn how to be fit friends together instead of fat ones. Premieres on Lifetime, Monday, Jan. 5, at 10pm/9c.

Oprah's Best Life Series: We all know Oprah fell off the fit wagon. Who hasn't? Well, she's getting back on and inviting her loyal viewers to join her, starting the new year with a weeklong "Best Life" series of shows. The Monday, Jan. 5 show focuses on weight, followed by health, spirituality, money and relationships. Yep, that pretty much covers the biggies. In January, she's also doing more Best Life content on her Oprah & Friends satellite radio show and on Oprah.com. Premieres on your Oprah channel (channels and times vary by city), Monday, Jan. 5.



Books to check out
Every new year, tons of new "this is the one diet that will change your life!!!" books come out. We're not fans. We all know deep-down that diets don't last, so why start something you can't finish? Instead, we like books that inspire or motivate us to work on our fitness.

• Earlier in 2008, I talked about Hungry Girl: Recipes and Survival Strategies for Guilt-Free Eating in the Real World, which is a great guide to eating tasty but also healthy foods when you're trying to be fit.
• I also loved Half-Assed: A Weight Loss Memoir, a very motivating and brutally honest book about one of my favorite blogger's 200-lb weight loss. Read it on the treadmill and I swear you'll go faster!
• One book I haven't talked about, but have been wanting to mention, is fellow blogger Janice Taylor's All Is Forgiven, Move On: Our Lady of Weight Loss's 101 Fat-Burning Steps on Your Journey to Sveltesville. I met Janice at BlogHer '08 in San Francisco, and she's just a delightful lady. Her book is just as delightful, full of fun little stories and advice that don't shame you or pound you in the head or tell you to eat more carrots and fewer brownies. I think you'll like it.
• Here are some books I haven't read but would like to: Moose: A Memoir of Fat Camp by Stephanie Klein; The Amazing Adventures of Dietgirl by Shauna Reid; and Thin Is the New Happy by Valerie Frankel.

Websites/Blogs to Bookmark

I hope you have checked "Our Favorite Fit Blogs" listed in the lower right column. These are blogs we read nearly every day, for inspiration, ideas, empathy and laughter. As we discover new blogs in '09, we'll add them to the list.

Other sites you might like:

• My Fitness Pal: Helps you keep track of what you eat and your exercise--the basics of calorie intake/burning that can lead to sustainable weight loss.
• Gaiam Life: This is a great online guide to better living, from the folks who make cool yoga and fitness products.
• Fitness Magazine: Even if you don't subscribe to the magazine, you can get lots of good tips and tools from the website. Free of charge.
• MSN Health & Fitness: News, tips and tools that are frequently updated for fitness fans.

We hope these resources get you pumped up about fitness in 2009. Do you have one you'd like to share? Please post a comment--we can all use extra motivation for the months ahead!