BEAT THE HOLIDAY STRESS AND WEIGHT-GAIN! - HEALTHY TIPS TO SURVIVE THE HOLIDAYS - Part III - Commit to being Fit!

In part III of our Holiday Fitness Series, we focus on the importance of your commitment to you.

Commit to being fit! As the old adage goes “fail to plan, plan to fail”. The same approach can be taken when considering your fitness goals around the holidays. Many of us know that we have parties to attend, so we plan specifically for those events. We do so by purchasing that perfect LBD (little black dress) with coordinating accessories, we make the necessary appointments with the Manicurist to beautify the hands, the Esthetician for the brow wax, and of course the Hair Stylist for the perfect coiffure to top off the entire ensemble. If there is shopping to be done, we know that it must absolutely be completed by the time you see the intended recipients of your holiday generosity. So how exactly do we plan for holiday fitness? In the same manner that you would a party, shopping or any other “need to do” item. You have to commit to it and commit to getting it done.

1.Schedule workouts in advance. This may require some juggling on your part, workouts that are typically done at lunch or in the evening may have to be shifted to the morning.

2.Mini-workouts for maintenance. If your holiday schedule doesn't allow for the usual length of time for your full workouts, incorporate mini-workout sessions. 30 minute sessions allow enough to time to burn calories and keep the metabolism stoked.

3.One on one. If you have the ability to work with a personal trainer, schedule your appointments. This way you have someone waiting on you who will hold you accountable for your attendance. With the cases of many personal trainers, “no shows” are still charged for their sessions. Why waste the money, get in there work it out, and then hit the stores or parties.

4.Work it out in groups. Group Fitness classes offer you the added support system of a group and the energy of others around you. What are your favourite group fitness classes? Make that a priority. Team up with other members in the class and hold each one of you accountable for showing up. Send reminders to one another via Facebook, Twitter or text to help keep you on track. Need a moment to breathe? Now would be a perfect time to include a Yoga or Pilates class in your fitness routine to help you do just that.

5. Commit to YOU! In the same manner that we’ll schedule appointments with our stylist, barber, or manicurist and will NOT break them under any circumstances, schedule YOURSELF in your appointment books and DO NOT BREAK the appointment. Consider your appointment like any other important meeting in your planer and when tempted to break it, ask yourself “Why should anything else be more important than me and my health?”


6.Relax and breathe! Be sure to give yourself get away time to breathe. Depending on your schedule, that get-away could be 5 minutes, an hour, a day or more. Work with what’s good for you but be sure to do it. A little breath goes a long way.

The holidays can be a very stressful time, but they don’t have to be. Keep things into perspective by remembering why we celebrate the holidays in the first place. We treasure this time because it’s a beautiful time to spend with our families and friends. It’s about creating memorable moments that we’ll treasure for a lifetime. Have fun, enjoy. But as we’re celebrating and cherishing moments with others, we must also remember to cherish ourselves. During this holiday season, take the time to remember the importance of your being, commit to your health and wellness and ultimately, don’t forget to commit to you.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!

BEAT THE HOLIDAY STRESS AND WEIGHT-GAIN! - HEALTHY TIPS TO SURVIVE THE HOLIDAYS - Part II - At The Mall

Not only are there sales galore, but there are also numerous traps lurking about the mall that can ruin your holiday fitness plan. In today's post we'll highlight 3 easy ways to make your shopping experience work for you.

Holiday Shopping Tactics: We all have to do it at some point. Although the cyber world has made this holiday activity far easier than what it’s been in the past, some of us will still find ourselves having to brave the malls to do our shopping in person. Take this time and use this as an opportunity to work for you rather than against you

1.Don’t go shopping hungry! If you know that you’re going shopping, plan a light meal prior to going, or carry a snack with you like a healthy snack bar. When hungry, the smells at the food court become very enticing. Foods that you would not normally eat will call out your name.

2.Plan to eat. Instead of hitting the food court, plan to eat at one of the onsite restaurants. Due to their larger and more diverse menu items, many restaurants will offer you healthier food options than the fast food places in the food court. Plan to have lunch prior to shopping or dinner afterwards. This will also help to reduce holiday stress by giving you a chance to relax and decompress after dealing with all of the holiday hustle and bustle.

3.Park far! How long does it take to find a parking spot near the door? How frustrated do you get when you can’t find one, or you have found one, but someone else cuts I front of you and steals your spot before you can get in there? Rather than driving around for hours and getting frustrated while searching for that perfect parking spot closest to the entrance, park the car and walk. One way to do it is this, if Macy’s is on one end of the mall, park on the opposite end, this will encourage you to walk. 10,000 steps (2 miles) a day is required to maintain heart health, Take advantage of the walking distance and include these extra steps to and from the car in that daily allowance. In addition to the heart health, the other benefit here is that you will significantly limit the amount of stress that you will endure during holiday shopping season since you won’t be fighting with other shoppers for that ever elusive parking spot near the door.

Up next in our Holiday Fitness series... Commit to being fit! The benefit of scheduling time for YOU.

High Fashion Or Mixed Messages - If A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words, Then What Does This Photo Say?

While surfing the web looking for photos to post on my blog, I typed in “images of holiday workouts”. I expected to get images of people working out in the gym, or working out on vacation. I did see those, but one of the first images to pop up was the following. I cocked my head to the side and thought… “Hmmm… really??? Maybe this is just an editorial pic to sell couture workout attire ala the gold lame outfit and black heels.” So, I let my curiosity get the better of me and clicked on the link only to find that this photo was from HarpersBazaar.com to encourage working out during the holidays. Okay, kudos to HB for encouraging holiday fitness, that’s the right message. But did HB have to use this photo? Wrong message! Yes, I know some of you are thinking “but it’s Harper’s Bazaar, they’re a high fashion magazine and focus on everything couture” Yes, I know. I love high fashion as much as the next Fashionista, I even have the shoes shown in the photo, but I am also very realistic when it comes to body images and what we sell to the public. This photo in my view sends a pretty conflicting message when selling fitness. Now granted, because of Harpers Bazaar’s image and marketing strategies they would never opt to use a Fitness Model for a photo like this, but better options other than the use of a rail thin model sans muscle tone could have been considered. Within this same Harpers Bazaar holiday reel, previous photos encouraging stress relief and lower sodium intake contained photos of a bubble bath with candles and a photo of a salt shaker. In the same vein, HB could have also used a stylized photo of hand weights with a water bottle and towel to convey the same message about fitness. For those who may consider this to be a harmless photo, the reality is this. Many women and young girls see these photos and aspire to be that model. As a result, many of these same women and girls will also do harmful things to their bodies and psyche to get there. When placing images into the public’s eye, we should be mindful and responsible for what we deliver. As we know, the fashion world has been routinely criticized for the negative body images they promote by using extremely thin models for editorial shoots and fashion show runways. Dressing the same type of model in athletic fashions and placing her in a workout setting next to a caption promoting fitness workouts doesn’t do much for changing the mindset or the practice. What this now does is shift the paradigm to say that not only is this the standard of beauty, but it is also the standard of physical fitness and health.

BEAT THE HOLIDAY STRESS AND WEIGHT-GAIN! - HEALTHY TIPS TO SURVIVE THE HOLIDAYS - Part I - At the party!

The Holiday Season is here and in full swing while many of us are finding that our schedules are now filled with parties, dinners, shopping plans, and trips to visit friends and loved ones. Statistics show that the typical holiday weight gain during the 6 weeks between Thanksgiving and the New Year is 7 – 15 lbs, while most people spend the rest of the next year trying to work it off. But with all of the excitement and festivities, keeping on track with fitness goals can be very tough. The good news is that it’s not impossible, it just requires a bit of strategy and planning ahead. At a loss for what to do? No worries, here are some easy to do tips which you can follow to minimize your holiday weight gain and the holiday stress.

Party Time and Time to Dine – this is where so many of us experience the majority of our drop off during the holiday season because of the countless temptations that are there; the food the desserts and the cocktails are all so enticing how could you possibly resist? If you know what to look for, you’ll know how to prepare.

1. Don’t go to the party or dinner hungry. The hungrier you are, the more likely you will over eat and binge on the treats. Have a light snack before you get to the restaurant or party such as a handful of nuts or a piece of fruit. If you’re a person who’s always on the go, opt to carry foods that travel well such as apples. Clementines are now in season; their diminutive size and ease of peeling make these a great portable item for snacking and with less than 100 calories and 0 fat grams, these fruits will aid in your feeling of “fullness” without compromising your waistline and will also keep you from overdoing it with the hors dourves and appetizers. This brings us to the next point…
2. Be mindful of the hors d’oeuvres. Although seemingly harmless due to their size, many of these treats can add up quickly in calories as they can start at 100 calories each. Try choosing no more than 3 hors d’oeuvres and eat them slowly.
3. Socialize and mingle with other guests. What’s talking and mingling got to do with anything? The more engaged you are in conversation, the less likely you are to fill your mouth with food. So those 3 hors d’oeuvres items that were just suggested will now take longer to eat.
4. No hovering allowed! Do NOT camp out at the hors d’oeurves table. When standing next to the food table, the food is right in front of you and within immediate reach, because of that, most people have a tendency to eat out of convenience even though they are not hungry. Move away from the table!!!
5. BYOD: Bring your own dish! If the party is potluck, bring a healthy dish that you will enjoy, this way you know that there’s at least something for you to eat without ruining all of your hard work
6. Limit the amount of holiday cocktails. There are so many hidden calories in holiday cocktails especially the sweet, creamy and frothy beverages that are so fun to drink during this time of year. As an example, an 8oz. serving size of Egg Nog without the alcohol is over 400 calories, add in the rum and you’re close to 500. Apply the same principle here as with your food. Enjoy in moderation taking your time to drink what’s in your glass. Talk with those around you and space out your drinks by drinking water in between cocktails.
7. Portions! Portions! Portions! Don’t glob everything onto your plate at once; take smaller amounts of your delights.
8. Eat until you’re no longer hungry, not until you’re full. This is a BIG DEAL. Many times we eat because the food is there and no matter how many signals our bodies give us to say that we’ve had enough, we continue to eat. If you are no longer hungry, stop eating! Take it back to the point of socializing, enjoy the conversations around you.
9. Shake Your Groove Thing! When the music starts, get up and move. One of the best ways to burn calories after dinner is to dance so tell the DJ to pump up the volume and then hit the floor. This IS a party right?

Up next in our Holiday Fitness series... At the mall. Not only are there sales galore, but there are also numerous traps lurking about the mall that can ruin your holiday fitness plan. We'll show you how to make your shopping experience work for you. Stay tuned...