“If 2004 was a year of unsettling news in healthcare – rising obesity rates, drug recalls and safety questions, surging insurance rates and more people going uninsured – 2005 can be the year we resolve to start turning it around. Eighty percent of the disease we pay to treat is preventable, if we change our lifestyle and habits in the areas of exercise, eating, stress management, alcohol consumption and tobacco use. No one needs to be perfect, but we can all think of one or two things we could each take small steps to improve right away, to help reduce the burden of healthcare on our nation,” says calendar creator Jennifer Luhrs, 54, a do-it-yourself fitness enthusiast who has used her system since 1999 to shed 40 pounds and ease herself into a more active lifestyle. She believes enjoying what you’re doing is the ultimate fitness motivator, and recently had a blast running her first half marathon through Walt Disney World and competing in her first sprint triathlon.

The Luhrs women wouldn’t issue such a broad fitness challenge to America without offering an inexpensive tool that makes it easier and more fun to stick to your fitness goals. The Streaming Color Fitness Journal ($15.95) is a calendar you color in each day with your positive fitness actions and health choices. Yellow could indicate an outdoor hike, green could show you ate a healthy breakfast, red might celebrate a french-fry-free day, and blue could help track your water intake. Coloring the boldly outlined daily modules provides a fun, instant reward for the good choices you made that day. Seeing too many days without color reminds and motivates you to do more.

“Everyone colors their calendar differently, and that’s what makes it creative and interesting. At the end of each month you have a colorful, unique mosaic that’s all about the new and improved YOU. Then you can keep things fresh with new colors, goals and rewards for the next month, to continue improving throughout the entire year,” says Alexis Luhrs, 26, an architect by training, who has been immersed in the business with her mom since its inception.

“We seem to have tapped into the power of journaling and goal setting, but made it fun by adding the element of color. Our Charter Edition 2004 calendar users have embraced and adapted it even further to suit their needs,” she adds. “Some track their wine consumption, smoking, dental flossing, reading, or even their pet’s fitness regimen. One entrepreneur colors outside the lines of the daily module on days when she has succeeded in her goal of thinking outside the box.”

Both women want to convince more people that better fitness is attainable for everyone, regardless of age or current activity level. “Many people think a fitness program just isn’t for them. But the fact is, we’re all on a fitness program already, by virtue of what we do – or don’t do – every day,” says Jennifer.

For non-athletic “average” people who want to become more fit, but may not have access to gyms and trainers, they offer some practical solutions.

“Simplify it. Don’t try to change everything at once. Pick just one or two things you think you’ll be successful in improving, and then track it for a month or two. Take baby steps. If you can’t give up donuts entirely, cut back to eating them only every other day, and then go to just once a week – whatever you think you can reasonably get used to doing. Then move on to the next thing. The idea is to just get started, and to have some fun as you gradually ease yourself into better habits and a healthier lifestyle in 2005—and beyond.”

Streaming Colors Fitness Journals make great holiday gifts and are available in selected stores and at streamingcolors.com and amazon.com. If you’d like to get started right away and avoid holiday weight gain, there is a 16-month calendar available only at www.streamingcolors.com.