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Fitness Topics
(As appeared in the Holiday, 2007 issue of Healthwise magazine.)
The holiday season is usually the most difficult time of year to adhere to a healthy lifestyle. However, there is no reason to abandon – or to avoid beginning – healthful lifestyle choices. There are day-to-day choices that can make a difference in your shape, your health, your energy – both during the holiday season and afterward. The worst way to begin the New Year, after all, is by feeling heavier and more lethargic. That’s the natural consequence, though, when healthful patterns are not maintained during a season of parties and added social commitments.
It’s during the short period of time between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day that most extra weight is typically gained. In other words, an average person tends to gain more weight during these five and a half weeks than throughout the rest of the year. And with such rapid weight gain, it is much more difficult to burn it off completely during the other 47 weeks.
So here are some basic steps that will help you stay fit, reduce stress and, thereby, allow you to enjoy your holidays to a greater extent.
EXERCISE
1. Establish a health and fitness plan and commit to it. In spite of the holiday rush, schedule your workout sessions and routines in advance. By putting it on your calendar, it will be easier to follow through.
2. Squeeze in two to three strength workouts each week. Shorten their length, by as much as half, if you must. (Keep a pair of adjustable dumbbells or resistance bands at home for in-home training when you absolutely can’t get to a gym. While gyms offer more varied and intense workouts, this is a great way to bridge the gap.) To compensate for the shorter length, bump up the intensity. This can be done as follows:
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Take shorter rest intervals between sets and between exercises.
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Superset exercises; in other words, pair off exercises and perform one set of each back-to-back before resting between sets.
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Stay focused. Avoid schmoozing or watching TV during workouts. Remember that you’re on a mission to be as fit or fitter by the end of the holidays.
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3. Perform three to five aerobic workouts each week. This can be done at a gym, at home or outdoors. Incorporate it into your daily activities, even if you must break a 30-minute session into three bouts of 10 minutes each. Go for long walks. Use walks as a means of transportation in cities; in suburban and rural areas, park far enough from your destination, whether on the street or in parking lots, so that you walk 10 minutes to your destination. Walk several laps around the mall prior to and after having dinner or going shopping.
EAT–AND DRINK–SMART
4. Determine what your weekly limit is for having unhealthy calories. Be mindful of every time you cheat, or consume something less than healthy, whether in liquid or solid form. Adhere to your limit.
5. Drink enough water prior to parties. First, it’s always important to remain hydrated. Secondly, this will give you a sense of satiety, making it easier to avoid over-indulging.
6. Eat fruit before and during parties. This will give you a sense of satiety and will help to minimize sugar cravings.
7. Eat every three to four hours. This will prevent the drop in blood sugar levels that leads to the craving of unwholesome foods.
By following these steps, you will not only get through this most health-challenging of all seasons, you also will be fitter while enjoying your holidays … and the New Year, as well.
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