South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Sunday)
Free, cheap wellness events to ring in 2020
We make New Year’s resolutions with the best of intentions, but now that the roaring 2020s are here, it’s time to greet the new decade with a personal challenge.
We — perhaps like you — keep telling ourselves that 2020 is the “get on track” year, ambitiously filled with hard workouts and abundant self-love, meal-prepping galore and personal trainer gurus. Naturally, we scuttle this health kick by the time Valentine’s Day rolls around.
Forget these overambitious designs. Instead, start smaller by joining a group challenge. Group wellness events not only help you
stay accountable, but because fitness trainers and yogis lead them, they’re also competitive. And inexpensive.
Here are five free and cheap health and wellness events to kick off New Year’s 2020 from Boca Raton to Fort Lauderdale, such as free community yoga, sunset boardwalk hikes and burning bowl ceremonies.
Stretch and pose at Something Big
10 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Jan. 1 at Mizner Park Amphitheater, 590 Plaza Real, Boca Raton; free;
561-479-7819 or Some thingBigYoga.com and Facebook event page
Call it a pose-in. Or South Florida’s biggest free public yoga class. Something Big is the literal name of this massive yoga shindig, for six years organized by Yoga Journey in Boca Raton, returning on New Year’s Day to Mizner Park. Leading the sessions will be yoga teacher Leslie Glickman, and there will be music from DJ Drez, food trucks and vendor marketplace. Bring your own yoga mat, and no pets are allowed.
Stay mindful at a beach meditation
7-8:30 p.m. Jan. 1 at Oceanfront Park, 6415 N. Ocean Blvd., Boynton Beach; free; Peaceful Minds.org or Facebook event page
You can always meditate on a quiet pocket of beach by yourself, but those who prefer guided group meditations can partake in this free event. Groups will meet on the beach north of Oceanfront Park’s volleyball court, and each participant will be asked how they plan to approach the new year and decade differently.
Let the past go at Burning Bowl ceremonies
Unity of Delray Beach,
101 NW 22nd St., Delray Beach (7 p.m. Jan. 2); Unity of Fort Lauderdale,
2501 NE 30th St. (10 a.m. Dec. 29); Unity of
Pompano Beach, 261 SE
13th Ave., Pompano Beach
(7 p.m. Dec. 31); and Unity of the Palm Beaches, 1901 N. Flagler Drive, West Palm Beach (6 p.m. Dec. 31)
All those regrets and resentments of the past year (e.g., why didn’t we think of duct-taping a banana to the wall first?) can rob you of the joy of living in the present moment. Those negative energies can be erased at ceremonies called Burning Bowl rituals, to be hosted at Unity churches in Broward and Palm Beach counties. To partake, jot down on a slip of paper something powerful in your life you want to release in the New Year — then toss that message into the flame.
Take a Sunset Boardwalk Hike
4:30-6 p.m. Jan. 2 at Grassy Waters Everglades Preserve, 8264 Northlake Blvd., West Palm Beach; $5;
561-804-4985 to RSVP spot or WPB.org/Grassy Waters
The sheer size of Grassy Waters — 23 square miles — is breathtaking enough, but you’ll find plenty of eyeraising diversions while strolling its boardwalk.
Measuring a mile long (round-trip) and carving through the mosaic of wetlands, tree islands and forested hammocks that compose Grassy Waters, the boardwalk is a perfect vantage point in which to spot wood storks and white ibis, great blue herons and white-tailed deer, bobcats and, naturally, alligators. So bring binoculars — and comfortable sneakers. The boardwalk is also strollerand wheelchair-friendly.
Train for the New Year New Me 5K — South Florida
5 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 5, at Tradewinds Park, 3600 W. Sample Road, Coconut Creek; $30-$35 via Active.com
If you wrote “couch to
5K” on your New Year’s resolution checklist, this carefree walk/jog along Tradewinds’ tree-lined roads may be just your speed. Kicking off at 7 a.m. at the north park entrance, the race will finish 3.1 miles later across the street. Runwalkers can pick up their welcome packets from 3 to
7 p.m. Jan. 3 at Runner’s Depot (2233 S. University Drive, Davie). More details: SouthernTimingFL.com.