Spring is Near -- Here's a Few Healthy Tips For Getting Your Rear in Gear

After several months of cold, wet weather, holiday feasting and winter slothfulness, many of us could use a little help shedding extra pounds before summer rolls around. Honestly, it’s been a few years since I’ve seriously hit the gym. But I finally got so tired of telling myself I needed to get in shape that I finally laced up my sneakers and took a long solitary walk. It cleared my head and felt so good to be moving long-forgotten muscles.

That small glimpse into the benefits of physical health motivated me to start taking advantage of my faculty gym privileges at Northwest University. I was just getting on a roll when the campus closed for spring break. So this week, I must get creative with where to exercise.

Below are some ideas for rising from that butt-shaped impression on the couch and rolling into a workout. By the way, after just a few weeks, I no longer need coffee in the morning. How cool is that?

Join a Gym: Kirkland is home to a number of gyms, including Columbia Athletic Club in Juanita, Gold’s Gym in Totem Lake, and 24 Hour Fitness and Kirkland Crossfit downtown. If you’re really in a time crunch, the downtown X Gym promises “real results in 20 minutes twice a week.” In a recent conversation with X Gym member Kristi Harrington, she noted how she’s “never had a trainer work muscles to complete fatigue before” so quickly.

Hike a Local Park Trail: Kirkland Patch editor Greg Johnston is a local park nut and has passed on his passion through several articles. boasts more than eight miles of trails with several hundred feet of elevation gain. Or take a quiet forest run through where you’re likely to find yourself completely alone with your thoughts.  offers both a fairly level loop through forest trails and a steep elevation descent down to Cochrane Springs for an extra leg-strengthening boost.

Stretch Your Way to Better Health with Yoga: When done properly, yoga can be an intense, albeit quieter, workout. Yoga studios abound in this neck of the woods. A few options include: Dahn Yoga near PCC, Soul Ease Holistic Yoga Spa downtown, Hot Yoga Inc. in Parkplace, and Bala Yoga in Juanita Village near the Urban Coffee Lounge.

Go for a Waterfront Jog: Woodinville may have wineries and Bellevue tall buildings, but Kirkland has a beautiful waterfront. So when the sun sneaks through, take advantage of the serene beauty of Lake Washington with a walk or jog down Lake Street. You’ll see lots of strollers and dogs, not to mention the motivating force of spandex and lycra on Kirkland’s surprisingly large crew of in-shape residents.

Sign Up for the Kirkland Mother’s Day Run: This is what gets me on the treadmill or running down a quiet street daily. My friend and fellow mom Amy O’Neill convinced me that we should sign up for Kirkland’s Mother’s Day running event. No, I’m not running the half marathon. Are you kidding? I haven’t exercised regularly in close to four years. To run the full 5K seems daunting enough. But it’s a great goal, an achievable goal. Join us if you dare, though you shouldn’t expect a conversation out of me as I’ll be seriously concentrating on getting oxygen to my newly visible muscles.