Mountain Views News Saturday, December 27, 2025 
1010 
SPORTS, FITNESS &SPORTS, FITNESS & 
HEALTHY LIVINGHEALTHY LIVING 
Mountain Views News Saturday, December 27, 2025 
1010 
SPORTS, FITNESS &SPORTS, FITNESS & 
HEALTHY LIVINGHEALTHY LIVING 
HAVE YOU GIVEN UP ON 

UNLOCK YOUR LIFE

EXERCISE? 


Michele Silence, M.A. is a 37-year certified fitness 
professional who offers semi-private/virtual fit-
ness classes. Contact Michele at michele@kid-fit. 
com. Visit her Facebook page at: michelesfitness 
Visit her Facebook page at: michelesfitness. 


Every January, the same pattern repeats for many people who 
want to exercise. They start the year hopeful, motivated, and 
ready to make a change. Gyms get busy, walking paths fill up, 
and fitness classes overflow. Many people truly believe this will 
be the year they finally stick with exercise. But by February or 
March, motivation fades, routines fall apart, and exercise slips 
away again. This cycle leaves people frustrated, discouraged, and 
wondering what is wrong with them. The truth is simple and important: 
the problem is not the person. The problem is the way 
exercise is often taught and expected to work. 

One major reason people give up on exercise is unrealistic expectations. 
Many people expect fast results. They want weight loss, 
strength, energy, and confidence to appear quickly. When progress 
feels slow, disappointment follows. Exercise does not work 
on a short timeline. Real improvement happens gradually over 
weeks and months. Small efforts done consistently matter far 
more than intense workouts done for a short time. When people 
understand this, they are less likely to quit. 

Another reason people stop exercising is the lack of a clear plan. Saying “I will work out more” sounds 
good, but it is not specific. Without deciding when, where, and how exercise will happen, it becomes 
optional. Busy days make skipping easy. A simple plan creates structure. Scheduling exercise like an appointment 
helps it become part of daily life instead of something that disappears. 

Many people rely on motivation, but motivation is unreliable. Some days you feel inspired, and other 
days you do not. Waiting to feel motivated often leads to missed workouts. Habits work better than motivation. 
Doing the same activity at the same time builds consistency. Once exercise becomes a habit, it 
requires less effort and less negotiation. 

Past experiences also shape current behavior. People who have tried and failed before may believe exercise 
is not for them. Maybe they joined a gym and stopped going. Maybe a program was too hard or too 
strict. These experiences create negative feelings around movement. Failure does not mean you cannot 
succeed. It provides information about what did not work. 

Exercise is as much mental as physical. Thoughts like “I am too old” or “I am not athletic” quietly interfere. 
Fear of failure and self-doubt often stop people before they begin. Learning to notice these thoughts 
and replace them with realistic expectations can remove a major barrier. Exercise should support your 
life, not punish it. 

Another common mistake is believing exercise must be long or intense to count. Many people think if 
they cannot exercise for an hour, it is pointless. This creates all or nothing thinking. Ten minutes matters. 
Walking matters. Gentle movement matters. Consistency builds progress, not perfection. Starting 
small makes success possible. 

The best exercise program is one that fits your real life. Enjoyment matters more than intensity. If you 
dislike an activity, it will be hard to continue. Choose movement you enjoy or can tolerate. Track what 
you do so progress feels visible. Celebrate showing up. These strategies are often missing from fitness 
advice. 

These ideas are the foundation of my new book, “Given Up On Exercise? Your Foolproof Path to Lasting 
Fitness”. It is written for anyone who feels discouraged, deconditioned, or tired of starting over. The 
book focuses on understanding past struggles and creating a realistic plan that lasts. 

If you have given up on exercise before, you are not alone. Many people struggle for years before finding 
an approach that works. This year does not need to be perfect. It needs to be different. Start small, be 
patient, and focus on consistency. Fitness grows when it fits your life and is doable. 

January is a powerful moment because people are thinking about change, health, and the future. Instead 
of chasing extreme goals, use this time to reset your relationship with movement. Ask what feels manageable, 
supportive, and realistic. Plan for setbacks instead of pretending they will not happen. Missing 
a workout is not failure; quitting completely is. Progress comes from returning, again and again, without 
judgment. Exercise should help you feel capable in your body and confident in your choices. When 
movement fits your values and your schedule, it becomes something you do, not something you dread. 
That shift is what finally allows fitness to last. 

Long term success is built through patience, self-awareness, and kindness. There is no perfect program, 
only one that works for you. Give yourself permission to learn as you go. When exercise supports your 
life instead of controlling it, staying active becomes possible, sustainable, and empowering. 

ALL THINGS by Jeff Brown 
NEW YEARS JAN. 1ST? 

January 1st is considered the beginning of 
the New Year largely because of ancient 
Roman traditions, later strengthened by 
calendar reforms and global standardization. 
The choice is not based on astronomy 
or seasonal change, but on historical, 
political, and cultural developments that 
began over two thousand years ago. 


In early Roman history, the calendar year originally began in March, which aligned with the 
start of spring and the agricultural season. This is why several month names—September (seventh), 
October (eighth), November (ninth), and December (tenth)—no longer match their 
numerical positions in the modern calendar. March was also dedicated to Mars, the Roman 
god of war, making it a practical time for military campaigns and civic activities to begin. 

When Julius Caesar introduced the Julian calendar in 45 BCE, he officially established January1st as the first day of the year throughout the Roman Empire. This reform created a more consistent 
calendar system based on the solar year and helped standardize civil administration. 

However, traditions varied, and many regions continued to celebrate the new year on different 
dates. 

The important shift to January 1st occurred in 153 BCE. The Roman Senate decided that 
newly elected consuls, the highest officials in Rome, should take office earlier in the year so 
they could respond promptly to military and political challenges. January was named after 
Janus, the Roman god of doorways, beginnings, and transitions. Janus was often depicted with 
two faces—one looking to the past and the other to the future—making January a symbolic 
and appropriate starting point for a new year. 

During the Middle Ages, New Year’s Day was observed on various dates across Europe, including 
March 25 (the Feast of the Annunciation), Easter, and December 25 (Christmas). These 
differences caused confusion in legal documents, taxation, and historical records, as the same 
date could belong to different years depending on the location. 

The issue was resolved in 1582 with the introduction of the Gregorian calendar by Pope Gregory 
XIII. This reform corrected inaccuracies in the Julian calendar and reaffirmed January 1st 
as the official start of the year. Catholic countries adopted the change first, while Protestant 
and Orthodox regions followed gradually. 

As global trade, science, and diplomacy expanded, the Gregorian calendar became the international 
standard. Consequently, January 1st emerged as the universally recognized beginning 
of the New Year—a date shaped by history, governance, and tradition rather than by natural 
cycles. 

Happy New Year!!! 

Lori A. Harris 


When you hear 
"self -care,"
what comes to 
mind? Bubble 
baths with candles 
and wine? 
Mani-pedis and 
massages?

Let me upgrade 
your thinking. What if we thought of self-care 
as stewardship instead? 

The Science of Kind Self-Talk 

Real self-care is being deeply aware of and in 
touch with your own desires. Not just what 
you want, but more importantly, how do you 
want to feel? 

Research by Dr. Kristin Neff at the University 
of Texas shows that self-compassion is one 
of the most powerful sources of resilience 
we have, and people who are compassionate 
toward their own failings experience greater 
well-being than those who are harshly self-
critical. How you talk to yourself matters profoundly. 
Is your self-talk kind and encouraging? 
Or mean and self-deprecating? 

Studies reveal that self-compassion provides 
greater emotional resilience and stability than 
self-esteem alone, with fewer downsides like 
ego-defensiveness. When you stumble, do 
you speak to yourself as you would a dear 
friend? That's not weakness, that's sustainable 
strength. 

Stewardship: Your Life as Sacred Resource

According to Merriam-Webster, stewardshipis "the careful and responsible management of 
something entrusted to one's care."
What if you viewed yourself, your body, your 
time, and your energy as sacred resources entrusted 
to your care?
Psychology research on resource stewardship 
emphasizes that sustainable behavior requires 
intrinsic motivation—we're more likely to 
engage in practices when they align with our 
personal values and when we feel a sense of 
autonomy and competence.
Self-care as stewardship means:

• Proper nutrition that fuels your body
• Adequate rest that restores your nervous 
system
• Healthy relationships that energize 
rather than deplete you
• Essential movement that honors your 
body's design
• Environments that reflect how you 
want to feel 
How do you want to feel in your home? 
Comfortable? Expressed and expressive? 

REDEFININF SELF-CARE AS 
SACRED STEWARDSHIP 

Surrounded by plants and greenery? Art that 
moves you? These aren't luxuries—they're expressions 
of responsible self-stewardship. 

The Mental Clarity of Letting Go

Here's what the research tells us about decluttering: 
A study in the Personality and Social 
Psychology Bulletin found that people with 
cluttered homes have higher levels of cortisol, 
the stress hormone, than those with tidy spaces. 
Research shows that home clutter accounts 
for substantial variance in wellbeing, particularly 
affecting negative emotions, life satisfaction, 
and mental health.
But decluttering isn't just about your physical 
space. It's also about:

• Thought clutter: Recurring negative 
thought patterns that no longer serve you
• Relationship clutter: Connections that 
drain rather than sustain you
• Commitment clutter: Obligations that 
don't align with your values
• Digital clutter: The constant noise 
competing for your attentionAs you review and prepare for the new year, 
what are you carrying forward? What are you 
leaving behind?
A Stewardship Reflection for the New Year

Take a moment with these questions:

1. What am I eliminating? (physically, 
mentally, relationally)
2. What do I want to feel more of in 2025? 
(peace, creativity, connection, vitality)
3. What does my body/mind/spirit need 
that I've been ignoring?
4. What's one small act of stewardship I 
can practice daily?
5. If I treated myself as a sacred resource, 
what would change?
As a good steward of your life and body as a sacred 
resource, these aren't just nice questions. 
They're essential ones.
Self-care doesn't have to be about doing, acquiring, 
or achieving. It can be as simple, and 
as meaningful, as speaking kindly to yourself. 
Clearing space. Choosing rest. Honoring what 
you need.
Ready to step into 2026 as the sacred steward 
of your own life? Join me for a complimentaryVision Session where we'll clarify what you're 
carrying forward, what you're leaving behind, 
and what you're truly called to create. We'll 
explore your four-quadrant framework health, 
relationships, vocation, and time/money freedom 
and identify your next aligned step. 
Visit LoriAHarris.com to schedule, or email 
me at [email protected]. Your most aligned, 
well-stewarded life is waiting, let's unlock it 
together.

Lori A. Harris is an Integrative Change Coach, Life 
Mastery Consultant, and host of the "Unlock Your 
Life" podcast. She helps high-achieving women move 
from successful but unfulfilled to aligned and alive. 


YOUR AD COULD BE HERE! 
Call Patricia 626-818-2698
Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com