Happy Holidays!

For most families, life turns even topsy-turvier than usual during December. We squeeze extra entertaining, baking, shopping, errands, concerts, and parties into our already busy schedules, and that means holiday fitness takes a back seat. Combine that with all the tempting treats ….need I say more! It's essential to find ways to fit in some family holiday fitness, and we promise there are ways to do it that won't turn you into a Grinch. 

Find creative ways to be active, whether it be while shopping (park a little further away from the Mall entrance); fitting in your workout first thing in the morning before the day gets away on you; or plan a family outing to get the Christmas tree, or go sledding, skating or skiing together.  As the old saying goes “when there’s a will, there’s a way!”

Whatever you chose to do this holiday season, we hope you have a wonderful Christmas season and a happy, healthy and active 2013! 

Gotta luv the attitude of the guy in the picture below....

Will you miss exercising?

Anyone new to exercise can attest how hard it is. It's hard for a body not used to physical movement and it's hard for a mind that hasn't quite grasped all the changes necessary to do those workouts day after day.

You move forward in fits and starts, hoping to turn that corner from something that feels completely foreign to something that's, if not comfortable, at least familiar.

What you may not realize is that, if you can find a way to be consistent something strange will happen: One day? You'll actually miss exercise.

I always enjoy the moment others realize this. Take one friend who went on vacation and because of the weather and a scattered schedule, got off track with his workouts. When he came back, he hopped on the treadmill without complaint (a miracle all by itself) and said, "I never thought I'd say this, but I actually missed this."

While falling in love with exercise is a bit of a stretch, there can be a don't-know-what-you've-got-until-it's-gone aspect to it. You may not even realize you've become emotionally and physically attached to your workouts until you're forced into an unplanned break. After a few missed workouts, you may start to feel a little twitchy. You may find yourself snapping at others for no apparent reason. You may even find that, when reunited with your workouts, you feel something that could almost be called happiness.

Yes, it seems impossible that this could occur, but it will...if you stick with it long enough. How long is long enough? That changes from person to person, but I would give it a few months.

Planning for your Winter Success

I hate to bring up the 'w' word so early in November, but it was very cold this past week-end and that got me thinking ….how am I going to stay motivated to exercise when it gets even colder/snowier/more miserable?  Will I be able to pull myself out of my warm bed every morning to work-out? It's a good idea to start thinking about these things before they creep up on you. That doesn't mean eating 'extra bacon' in order to add a thicker, warmer layer of fat to one's body!

The key to staying fit in the winter is to live somewhere warm. That means one of two things - moving to a warmer, more exercise-friendly climate or creating your own personal exercise-friendly environment with what you have available.

If you can manage the first option, you have nothing to worry about. But if you are like most of us and fall into the second category, you have a little work ahead of you.

Creating an exercise-friendly winter means planning ahead and dealing with the biggest winter exercise obstacles:

·        Cold weather - How will you make it easier to exercise when it gets cold?  Some ideas -putting your workout clothes in the dryer before outdoor workouts, a winter wardrobe to keep you warm and dry so you can get outside sometimes or setting up a home gym for days when it's just too cold to go out.

·        Lack of motivation - It's easy to lose sight of your long-term goals as you're snuggling into your warm bed on a frigid, dark morning. How could you stay motivated through the winter? Some ideas: Sign up for a spring 5K, enlist a workout buddy to meet you for regular workouts or set up a plan for monitoring yourself throughout the season to keep yourself on track.

·        The crazy holidays - Look at your calendar and mark all the parties, holidays, travel days, etc. Now, think of how you can stay fit through all the craziness. For example, could you put together a series of body weight workouts to do on the road? Could you research some healthy holiday recipes to avoid too many calories?

Are you already planning ahead for winter or do you prefer the head-in-sand approach ….or is that heading for the sand??

Herman puts it so well....

Hallowe'en Candy....

What's scarier than all those little ghouls and monsters that appear on Halloween? The calories and carbs in all those little fun-sized packs candies -- and who has the willpower to enjoy just one? Therein lies trouble. Not to deny anyone the fun of treat or treatin’ ….but for those of us who hand out the loot at the door and help ourselves regularly to one or two, five or six, nine or ten little snack bars ….the calories do add up quickly!

How much sugar is in those fun-sized chocolate bars and mini packs of candies? With full-sized packages of candy, the nutritional information is printed on the package – not the case with the individual fun-size packs of candies.   Here’s a few….   ·        One Hershey Kiss has 26 calories and 8 gm carbs ·        One snack size Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup has 88 calories and 10 gm carbs ·        One snack size Snickers Bar has 80 calories and 10 gm carbs ·        One snack size Skittles pkg has 80 calories and 18 gm carbs ·        One lollipop has 60 calories and 16 gm carbs   There’s no need to include any more examples ….we all know the numbers are scarey!   So have a wonderful Hallowe’en and surely enjoy a few treats, but when you see the pile of empty wrappers getting bigger than the candy bowl itself …..oh, am I speaking from experience here?  Well, maybe that’s why I won’t be buying my treats until the 31st!!   Have fun!

Morning Exercise

Morning people can be very annoying. And morning people who exercise can be the most "annoying people on the planet." That is a direct quote from someone who, obviously, is not a morning person.  The fact is, many exercisers end up having to become morning exercisers due to work schedules, whether they like it or not.  Mornings comes early -  it's dark and cold and the bed is so very warm.  However, knowing you’ve completed your daily workout before others are out of bed, can be very satisfying and leave your evenings open for other activities or family time.

Even if morning exercise doesn't come naturally to you, you can train your body to do it . The trick is to use every weapon in your arsenal - discipline, willpower, rewards, punishments, bribes and, most of all, baby steps.

Some tips to make it easier:

·        Adjust your schedule - One mistake some exercisers make is keeping their bedtime the same, even though they're getting up earlier. You still need that sleep, so start adjusting your schedule before adding in morning workouts. Start by going to bed 10 or 15 minutes earlier than usual and gradually add to that over time.

·        Start easy and slow - Your body is used to sleeping in the morning, so asking it to jump out bed for a 10 mile run is asking a lot. Start with simple activities - Walking, cycling, an easy exercise video or a simple yoga workout. As your body gets used to moving around at such an early hour, you can add more intensity.

·        Give yourself an extra long warm up - Your body needs extra time to get moving in the morning, so spend at least 10 minutes warming up and gradually increasing intensity. If it's cold outside, try tossing your workout clothes in the dryer before putting them on. The warmer you are when you start the more comfortable your workouts will be.

·        Keep it simple: Start with 2 or 3 days a week of basic exercise - Say, walking and basic strength training, for example. You may find you're hit or miss at first but, the more you practice, the easier it gets.