Ready to make 2012 an outstanding year? Here are some simple ways to use the technology at your fingertips to reach your health and fitness goals:

1. Put your goals where you can see them.

New Year’s resolutions have a tendency to disappear a few days into January, so put your goals where you can see them. We recommend putting “I WILL…” and your resolution on the homepage of your computer, your mobile device, and your monitor at work so that your goals are in your face every time you power up your machine, make a phone call, or check your email.

2. Tweet your progress.

Social media is a great tool to help support your resolution. Start out by announcing a measurable, attainable goal with a deadline (ideally the first quarter of 2012) and recruit Facebook friends and tweeps who can help support your initiative by training with you, sharing healthy recipes, providing you with extra motivation at work, or simply not tempting you with treats along the way. Tweet your goal @coreperformance or write on our Facebook wall so that we can offer support and encouragement.

3. Celebrate!

Social media is also a great tool to demonstrate progress and celebrate success. Too often we talk about resolutions failed but not enough about what has been accomplished. So if you run your first 5k, lose your first two pounds, or simply have more energy to play with your kids, celebrate it! Celebrating generates momentum and helps keep you motivated to achieve your next goal.

4. Track your performance.

Whether you track your run with an app on your phone, use an online workout tracker, or log your daily food intake on your computer, technology can help you keep track of your performance and identify trends to help you better succeed. Core Performance tracking and reporting tools allow you to track your weight, energy levels, quality of sleep, pain and soreness, productivity, overall mood, impact on others, and willingness to train. Fill in your trackers daily and see your progress charted over time in your Reports section. Become a member to access these tools for free.

5. Schedule your workout like an appointment.

Scheduling your workouts like you would other meetings or appointments

(and sticking to them) is imperative when you consider your busy schedule. Carve out time on your calendar and identify a support team to help you make it a reality. Your family, coworkers, assistant, significant others, and friends should all be aware of your commitment so they don’t see your workout time as “free time,” but rather as regularly scheduled appointments.

Arturo Espitia Certified Personal Trainer Everett, WA

Advocates of barefoot running argue it’s the way evolution wants us to run—and they’re right. However, this ignores the fact that we spend the majority of our lives locked into regular shoes. Rarely do we go barefoot anywhere.

Before you start running in your new barefoot running shoes or minimalist shoes, let your feet adjust by wearing them to the store, the office, and around the house. Next, work on building strength in the tiny muscles on the bottom of your feet, also known as your foot intrinsic muscles. Here's how:

• Short Foot: From a seated position with your shoes off, cup the bottom of one foot—without curling your toes—so that it makes a ‘cave.’ Cup your hand against a flat surface to use as a reference. Once you’ve got this down, the next steps in the progression are maintaining this foot position while standing, while performing a lunge, and eventually while balancing on one foot.
• Toe Spreading: Sit barefoot. With one foot at a time, spread your toes apart as best you can, hold for two counts and release. Think of it not as creating a claw with your foot, but rather as trying to move your toes independently from each other.

When you’re ready to hit the road in your barefoot shoes, start with a half-mile run and work up to your regular distance over a two-week period. After you run, take a tennis ball or golf ball and roll it back and forth along the arch of your foot, focusing on sore spots. Do this for 30–60 seconds per foot to ease soreness and improve your barefoot running.

Arturo Espitia Certified Personal Trainer Everett, WA