Enjoy The Holiday Season Without Overindulging

Are you approaching the holiday season with excitement, or do you feel a slight sense of dread and guilt when you think about how you typically feel after those holiday parties? Overindulgence is the biggest thing I hear about when asking clients and gym members about their holiday plans. I often get responses like, "My Thanksgiving was great, but now I'm trying to make-up for everything I ate and drank!"

Our society has become so saturated in extreme behavior, we have forgotten how to live in a balanced, mindful manner. The holidays are all too often a glaringly obvious example of this. The good news is that it is entirely possible to enjoy the holidays without the typical guilt, regret and weight gain come January.

Moderation. Start practicing this one simple concept today, and you will find more joy throughout the holidays and into the New Year. Here are few tips for how to begin:

Forget rules. If you are the one at Thanksgiving dinner that says, "I would try those delicious looking mashed potatoes, but I promised myself I would stay away from carbs," then this tip is for you! Depriving yourself of simple pleasures will inevitably lead to overindulgence down the road. Give yourself a break, and take the time to appreciate the good food that you probably only eat once a year.

Remember the purpose of the meal. We eat to nourish out bodies, and we gather over the holidays to spend quality time with friends and family. If you think of a meal as a time dedicated to these two things, you won't want to overeat. Respect your body and appreciate your opportunity to catch up with the people around your table.

Spend some time outside. Whether heading out for a mid-morning jog or playing with your kids outside, take in some activity and fresh air this time of year. As we transition from Fall to Winter, the weather is cool and the scenery is changing. Thanksgiving, for example, is on a Thursday. How often do you get to spend recreational time outdoors on a week day? Take advantage of your day off from work!

Relax. Stress increases cortisol levels and our bodies respond with a "fight or flight" response. We are more likely to overeat when we are stressed, and much less likely to actually enjoy the holidays and the people around us. If you are in charge of all the cooking, ask someone to help. If time with family causes you anxiety, take a deep breath and think about their positive qualities. If you are dreading the day after Thanksgiving shopping crowds, save yourself the trouble and order some Christmas presents online this year. By giving yourself the opportunity to slow down this holiday season, you will be able to experience it with mindfulness and moderation.

A regular Yoga practice can add a new dimension of strength and balance to your workouts and your life. Like anything else, consistency is key in realizing the full benefits of the activity. Many of us feel we do not have time to add an hour long Yoga class into our already busy schedules. However, I would encourage anyone to do some schedule shifting and replace one normal workout session with a Yoga class each week. Most people find that dedicating just one hour a week to Yoga provides major benefits in overall health and wellbeing. You may be resistant to this idea because of concern that you would be missing out on a calorie burning, high-intensity "real workout." This outlook will usually change within the first 10 minutes of a well-rounded class as you realize the physical and mental challenges involved in Yoga.

If you simply can't make the time to dedicate to a class, or would like to incorporate Yoga more frequently into your training program, then try practicing these poses in the following sequence.

Forward Fold/Chair Flow

Downdog/Single Leg Plank Flow

Downdog/Warrior I

Downdog/Updog

Tired? Listening to your body is the key to fitness.

Living an active lifestyle leads to many great outcomes. Active people tend to have more energy, lower body fat percentages, less stress and a more positive outlook on life. After fitness becomes a high priority on your daily to-do list, however, you may find yourself stressing about how to fit a workout in on a busy day or feeling lazy if you miss a session at the gym.

As a personal trainer, I see how busy most of my clients are and how constant activity can start to wear us down. It can be difficult to find the energy for a tough workout when you are already awake before the sunrise, rushing to drop kids off at school before your big meeting at work, rushing home to get dinner started and not getting back in bed until late into the night(or in some cases early the next morning). On days (or weeks) like these, it is usually a better idea to ease into a light workout or try a more relaxing form of exercise like walking outside or going to a Yoga class. Our bodies need just as much rest and regeneration time as they need activity. We need to listen to our bodies, noticing levels of fatigue and energy so that we can choose the best type of workout.

Next time you feel fatigued, give yourself a day or two of very light workouts. Schedule a massage on your lunch hour instead of a workout, and notice how refreshed you feel next time you hit the gym. Try starting your workout with some foam rolling and stretching, giving you time to slow down and decide what form of exercise is best for you that day. Finding a balance between rest and activity can be challenging, but taking a few moments to check in with your body every day will help guide you in the right direction and lead you to a more balanced and healthy lifestyle.

A Balancing Act: Nutrition

Recent nutrition research has made news and sparked diet trends such as gluten, lactose and soy-free. Whole grain, dairy and soy products were once credited with preventing ailments like heart disease and cancer, but are now making headlines as unhealthy options and foods to avoid.

One day you may read that low-fat dairy products can help you lose wieght, while the next day a new report says that many people have trouble digesting them. Soy was once praised for everything from preventing cancers to lowering cholesterol, but recent news has highlighted its potential interferance with thyroid and hormone function. Gluten-free foods are popping up all over grocery stores and restraunts, and many claim that avoiding the protein found in wheat improves energy levels and digestion.

Concentrate on balance when deciding how to incorporate nutirition research into your own life. Educate yourself by doing your own resreach on the food in question, and realize that every body is different and will react differently to certain foods. Ask your doctor to test for food allergies if you suspect you have one, and experiment with different types of food for a balanced diet.

Gluten-free products, for example, are often made with corn or oats and can be a great option for balancing the types of carbohydrates you eat. You may try experimenting with low-fat, soy, rice and almond milk to see which option you like best. The key is remembering that, unless you have a medical reason to avoid a food group, a balanced diet should incorporate a variety of foods. Practicing moderation in your eating habits can help prevent the potential health risks assosciated with foods containing gluten, lactose and soy.

Maximize Your Workouts at the DAC

Most people do not want to waste time or energy during a workout. However, a majority of people do just that with improper training techniques and misdirected efforts. To avoid being one of these people, start training more intelligently by creating a clear and measurable goal.

With all the effort to pay for a gym membership and use that membership on a regular basis, you do not have time to be doing inefficient workouts. When used properly, the gym is full of incredible resources to help you achieve and maintain your health and fitness goals. Use these resources to their full advantage when mapping out a training program.

Ask a personal trainer for advice on how you can maximize your time. A trainer can help you adjust your workouts to ensure maximum results with minimal time and effort.

Take advantage of group fitness classes. Variety is essential to a successful exercise program. Classes can give you fresh, new ideas for exercises and training principles that you can incorporate into your own program. If you are short on time, classes offer balanced and challenging workouts that require no planning on your part.

Learn to use a new piece of equipment. Again, variety is an important part of an effective program. Learning to use a new piece of equipment will challenge both your body and your mind!

Fuel properly for energy and recovery. Many people, especially those with weight loss goals, avoid eating before and after workouts because of a misconception that this will help them see results more quickly. This could not be further from the truth. Energizing properly before a workout will allow you to work harder during exercise, yielding more results in less time. Refueling within 30 minutes after strenuous sessions will help speed recovery, ultimately making you stronger and more effective in future workouts.

Have fun. Remember that you are fortunate to have a healthy body and seek enjoyment in the exercise you choose to do. Take pleasure in the sense of accomplishment you get from a challenging workout. Balance those challenging efforts by allowing yourself time for proper recovery and relaxation.

Enjoy Training Outdoors This Fall

The Fall is a great season to participate in outdoor sports in Amarillo. With the long days of Summer quickly fading, we can look forward to cooler weather and beautiful scenery. The Fall is a busy time for endurance athletes as they try to fit in those last few triathlons of the season or begin gearing up for the next marathon. As training intensifies, it is important for these athletes to approach workouts with balance and consistency.

A balanced program should include a combination of strength and stability training, as well as flexibility and mobility work. Endurance athletes are typically very consistent with their run, bike or swim workouts but tend to neglect doing proper supplemental activities that would truly enhance performance and reduce the rate of injuries.

Here is a list of activities to include in a training program for any athlete, from recreational to professional, to enjoy a healthy and happy Fall training season:

Strength training 2 days per week. Complete 1-2 exercises for each major muscle group. Focus on strength and stability in the hips, shoulders, abs and lower back for proper posture and technique during running, cycling and swimming.

Mobility and flexibility training during warm-ups and cool-downs. When preparing for a 2 hour bike ride or an intense strength training session, practice mobility drills to prepare the body for exercise. A series of dynamic stretches can help increase blood flow to the muscles that will be used during training and reduce muscular imbalances. Cool-down from tough sessions with foam rolling and static stretching to help speed recovery and loosen tight muscles and tendons before they cause overuse injuries.

Fuel before and after training sessions. Consume 100-200 calories of carbohydrate rich food or sports drink about an hour before training. Be sure to also consume 100-200 calories within 30 minutes following intense training. This post-workout snack should have a 4:1 carbohydrate to protein ratio. A perfect example is low-fat chocolate milk because the sugars help replenish glycogen stores and the protein in the milk helps to rebuild muscle.

Sleep. Getting adequate sleep is essential for recovery of the body and mind. Aim for 7-8 hours of quality sleep each night. Sleep is just as important as workouts when it comes to successful performance and injury reduction.

Remember to have fun while training. A balanced training program will lead to more enjoyment and success this Fall.

Your Most Important Investment

Imagine you are given a new car today, and told that it will be the only car you will ever have for the rest of your life. Now, ask yourself how you are going to take care of that car so that it will run efficiently for as long as you are going to need it. You will probably plan regular maintence and tune-ups for it, making sure to preserve its condition so that it can continue to serve its purpose long term. You will likely be more than willing to spend extra time and money caring for it because it will play a crucial role in allowing you the lifestyle you need and want. Most importantly, you will probably have a great respect and appreciation for it because it is the only one you will ever have and if it were to stop working your daily life would become pretty difficult.

Now, think about your body. It is the only one will ever have. You can't trade it in for a better one. You can choose to make enhancements and upgrades to parts of it, but those parts will never function as efficiently or last as long as the originals. After thinking about how much energy you would spend caring for your imaginary car you can never replace, doesn't it seem logical to give the same amount of energy in caring for your body?

Whether it is spending extra time and money on healthier food, making workouts more focused and consistent or getting enough sleep, we all have something we could be doing to treat our bodies better. The health of our bodies is the most important factor in being able to achieve the things we want in life. If our bodies are healthy right now, we need to be doing everything we can to maintain that. If our health is not currently in perfect condition, we should be doing everything in our power to restore it. Unless we don't care about our futures, there is simply no excuse for treating our bodies with anything other than respect and gratitude.

Challenge yourself to change one major thing about your lifestyle that is detrimental to your health. Start today. Skip that second glass of wine with dinner, get in bed 30 minutes earlier or seek advice from a fitness professional about how to workout and eat more intelligently. Doing something to proactively take care of your health is the most positive thing you can do for yourself and your family.