Health & Fitness: Ah, the New Year. Gyms are packed with eager patrons, laced up with their holiday running shoes. Parks are notably busier, abuzz with walkers, joggers and the like, bundled in new track outfits. It's the time of year when Americans vow, once again, to melt off lard that's crept up on their bellies and thighs. My question for this year, as I investigate how I, too, could melt away some booty bulge is: What is going to actually help me get to the gym? Fortunately in San Diego, there some superb tools that have spurred my enthusiasm.

Pass it on
I loathe long-term contracts and feeling stuck to a certain routine. For others that feel the same, the Fit Pass Network is a saving grace. The pay-as-you go membership gives one access to over 25 fitness facilities and activities, including boot camps, yoga, Pilates and salsa. Now I'm able to try some sexy moves while pole dancing or test my martial arts reactions while practicing Soo Bahk Do without a long-term commitment to either. What an ideal way to find my fitness passion!
Learn more at www.fitpassnetwork.com

Finding Fit Friends
Sharing any activity with a friend is usually more fun, particularly when it comes to working out. What better way to bond than over sweaty towels and water bottles? I was delighted to find Fit Together, a website portal that connects members, for free, to others seeking workout buddies and fitness friends. Find a tennis partner, lifting buddy, jogging pal, or even a volleyball player; any friend you ever needed or wanted to help you get fit is on fittogether.com. What's more, the site has fitness tips and chat groups so I can further my knowledge of getting fit.
Learn more at www.fittogether.com

Think your way thin
I'm not such a severe case where surgery is necessary for me to lose weight. Still, the idea of having a little band fastened around my stomach so that it is impossible for me to inhale heaps of food is appealing. A local Certified Master Hypnotherapist, Diane Edwards, has a great non-surgical option available. In five sessions, she leads clients through a virtual gastric band experience, thus having clients mentally feel as if a gastric band has been inserted. Good Morning America, among several news outlets, have covered this technique, which happy, thinner customers gush about. It's time I got on this "band" wagon.
Learn more at www.virtualgastricbandsandiego.com