New Hampshire Magazine September 2017

The First Steps to Fitness
We all know, whether we want to admit it or
not, that there’s no such thing as a quick fix.
True fitness is not achieved with a crash diet or
a miracle piece of equipment. It’s about changing
habits, making good choices every single
day and, yes, regular exercise. If you’re feeling
overwhelmed, then Maria-Booth has a few
suggestions for things you can do right now to
start down a path to better health.
1. Set goals. Sometimes, says Maria-Booth,
people come to her with only a desire to
change ... something. It’s her job, she says,
to be “an inspirer, a motivator, a spark.” She
helps people set smart, achievable goals.
Without something specific — and attainable
— to work toward, it’s much easier to give
up. For instance, at first train to run a 5K
rather than a marathon. Habits, she adds,
can take a long time to form and a long time
to break. Setting goals you can “wrap your
arms around” helps push you out of a rut.
2. Keep at it. Fitness doesn’t happen overnight,
but “If you keep repeating and repeating
positive new habits, pretty soon it’s going
to become a part of who you are,” she says.
“But it takes patience; it takes a little time and
repeating, and repeating. And then it’s like a
needle on a record — it’s not going to skip any
more since you’ve created a new groove.”
3. Find someone to hold you accountable.
Tell your goals to someone you trust and
that you can share with.
4. Get outside. “You might imagine I want
people to be in the gym all of the time, but I
don’t,” she says. One of her personal favorite
ways to stay healthy is by taking advantage
of the state’s many natural resources. “We
have everything at our fingertips — mountains,
trails, lakes, the ocean,” she says. “Being
outside, getting sunshine, whether I’m in
the forest hiking or swimming in the lake or
snowshoeing on a really white, shiny winter
day, is a huge battery recharge for me.”
5. Swap out just one bad thing. For instance,
every day try trading a sugary, cream-laden
Dunkin’ Donuts drink for a wholegrain English
muffin with almond butter.
6. Sleep. “I love to get at least seven hours
of sleep at night to feel my best, to keep my
body strong,” she says.
7. Eat real food. “I stay the heck away from
manufactured food products,” she says.
She also avoids supplements and medications
unless absolutely necessary. “I really,
really believe that everything I need is in
the super-healthy, colorful, look-the-samegoing-in-the-body-as-it-did-coming-out-ofthe-ground
food.” Fresh fruit and veggies
are simply better choices than boxes with
long lists of ingredients.
8. Be around like-minded people. She
doesn’t suggest trading in your friends, but
if you can, try to be around healthy, positive
people. Inspiration is important. Group classes
can be a great way to find motivation.
9. Make the time. Sorry, busy people: She
won’t accept the “I have no time” excuse. You
do. As she points out, there are 168 hours in
a week — you can set aside three for exercise.
Make yourself a schedule and stick to it.
– Erica Thoits
Lisa Maria-Booth, also pictured at left and
above, is sitting in the welcoming Green Bike
smoothie bar space — the FortCycle room is
just off to the right, and through the door you’ll
find the original Fortitude gym, all situated in
Manchester’s historic Millyard.
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