12 Get-Healthy Success Stories

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12 Get-Healthy Success Stories

I Got Hooked on Adventure Sports

Abby Himes, volunteer with the National Wildlife Refuge, Yigo, Guam

Good-Bye, Gym
"My fitness routine used to be stuck on autopilot; I'd slog through twice-weekly elliptical workouts. Then two years ago I moved to Guam with my husband, who is a lieutenant in the navy. Everyone is so active here that I was inspired to be adventurous."

Finding Sole Mates
"I hooked up with a group of sporty friends and started running with them four times a week. They encouraged me to do my first 5K, and now I run one nearly every weekend. I even won a 48.3-mile relay with an all-female team!"

Banishing Boundaries
"After I pushed past my timid tendencies by snorkeling, zip-lining, and hiking, I realized that there's nothing stopping me from taking other risks. I'm more fit and confident now than I ever imagined I could be."

Push Yourself
Abby went from being stuck in a rut to an adventure lover. So can you, by challenging yourself to run a race or go skydiving. Here's how to start, says psychologist Ronald J. Frederick, PhD, author of Living Like You Mean It.

Get inspired. "Watch movies where someone takes risks and succeeds to find the inspiration to spur yourself into action," Frederick suggests. "Activities that were once daunting will start to seem achievable."

Find a support system. Enlist athletic pals -- say, by joining a running group -- for advice and encouragement, Frederick says. Another newbie can also hold you accountable, and you can urge each other on.

Manage nerves. "Recognize and accept that some anxiety is normal," Frederick says. "Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly will help you calm your nerves."