Winter Blues

Sometimes winter can get a bad rap and can be referred to as the SAD season. Don’t let the early sunsets and cold temperatures affect your mood. There are things we can do to prevent the seasonal mood changes. 

Start by embracing the day and finding time to get outside at some point before sunset. As little as 10 minutes of sunshine can provide benefits of Vitamin D along with a mood lifter. With the holiday season, there are a lot of cookies and family recipes that often make their way into the workplace. It’s important to not cave into the carbohydrate cravings!  Enjoy a taste of it, but be sure to include energy packed vegetables and lean proteins as well. 

As always, keep moving! With the frigid temperatures, it can be a challenge to get out of bed early to work out, yet many studies show those who get their morning workout in before their work day, are more inclined to keep up their routine and have the added benefit of burning calories in the morning, essentially eating a larger breakfast, lighter lunch and a balanced dinner. If it’s a weight workout, you’ll have the added benefit of burning more calories throughout the day. 

It’s also a great time of year to try something outdoors that you don’t typically do. Gather some work out buddies and find an activity or two that you can experience together. Most importantly, get your sleep and take your vitamins. You can’t replace sleep with an energy drink or extra coffee. Take the time to reenergize your body by getting enough rest and the vitamins will ensure a strong immune system to stay healthy throughout the winter season.

Take Time for Yourself

It’s a new day, and a fresh start. Yesterday was a time to enjoy with friends and family, sharing our favorite recipes and hopefully a little exercise by participating in an activity with a loved one.  Whether you spent most of the day in the kitchen cooking, or spent time enjoying the Macy’s Parade, it’s time to think about your action plan to get moving today and throughout December.

 Think Short Term!

It’s easy to plan ahead to what you will do come January 1, but ask yourself what you need to d now to keep fit, and get fitter throughout the holiday season. Are there any local charity workouts that you can get involved in? Perhaps a holiday run or bike ride. There are so many charities looking for volunteers this time of year, and many of the duties require lifting, moving things and some sort of running around. It not only helps us to feel better about our body image, but we feel better knowing that we are also contributing to a good cause. Couple this with healthy meal and snack options and you’ll be feeling ready to take on the New Year!

Motivation can easily unravel...

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! The holidays are upon us and so are the extra calories that come with the season. Oh, that didn’t sound so wonderful did it? The more you prepare to do something about it now, the better you’ll feel after the holidays. You won’t dread going the gym, eating healthy won’t seem like a chore and you won’t feel the guilty about overindulging because you’ve kept off the extra holiday pounds. 

How can you make this a reality this year? First, don’t deny yourself a little indulgence with your favorite family recipes.  Make a commitment to be vigilant about watching your portion size and make a mandatory appointment everyday to workout. Yes, EVERYDAY! It doesn’t mean that you have to get a full workout in at the gym every day, but make a commitment to get moving every day. This time of year, it’s getting colder outside, so we are less inclined to be active outdoors and start to slow down. Be mindful of how much you are moving everyday and make conscious effort to move more- Take the stairs, get up from your desk at work, take a walk before or after work, buddy up and find someone to support you in your effort.  Most importantly, don’t let one bad meal or a lazy day get you off track…Everyday provides us with a new opportunity to decide what healthy choices we are going to make.

Tip: Keep an extra set of workout clothes and sneakers in your car to ensure you’re always prepared for your workout! 

Not all running shoes are the same

I found a great website from Runners World magazine that I highly recommend for finding the best-fit shoe for you! With so many choices, it’s easy to quickly get overwhelmed with all of the options.

If you are looking for a new pair of running shoes or just curious to see what shoe is made for your foot, check out: runnersworld.com/shoefinder.  I recently took a look and it was so accurate that it found a running shoe that I currently run in along with other great options. Furthermore, it takes it a step further and allows you to compare the shoes that it selects for you.

The shoe finder will ask you for some basic information- sex, weight, and height. It then proceeds into questions about your running experience, mileage, pace and any recent injuries.  The last few questions are optional, but helpful to include if you know the information. It will ask about your arch. Do you have a flat, medium or high arch? Do you under/overpronate and goes on to ask a few more detailed questions. Again, the last few questions are simply to provide more about you so the shoe finder can choose wisely!

Lastly, don’t miss the tabs at the top of the page. I almost missed them! They offer, “Shoes like mine”. This option is helpful if you have a pair of shoes that you absolutely love and want to find another pair similar to them. There is also an “Advanced Search” which allows you to get very detailed for those of you who are extremely particular about your shoes!

Don’t wait to buy your new shoes for the New Year- Make it your motivational tool to get moving in December! 

Is your workout routine slipping away?

Prioritize: It’s essential to put your workout into your weekly schedule as an urgent appointment. Find 30- 60 minutes in your day. Start by finding a minimum of 4 days per week. Commit to your schedule for 10 weeks- Remember, it takes 66 days to form a habit!

Plan: What is it that you want to do? Then consider your schedule- Are there limitations to what you can do? If so, instead of making an excuse to not workout, it’s important to get creative and make it happen. Remember, you’ve already decided this is a priority- It’s only 30-60 minutes of your day and it will leave you feeling more energized then when you started.

Prepare: Don’t just lace up your running shoes, and head out for a 3-mile run, if you haven’t been running in months. Start with realistic expectations and goals.  Be patient with yourself and allow your body time to get into a routine, but remember, once you make a goal, stick to it and you’ll be proud of your accomplishment and progress.

Looking ahead to next week- Think of some exercises that you can put on your schedule…

Key Exercise Moves

If you're limited on time, there are a few essential moves that will keep you feeling strong and looking your best:

1. Pushup- On your knees or toes. Start with 10 repetitions and try to do 3 sets. Gradually increase this to 20 per set.

2. Hover- Elbows under your shoulders and wrists facing forward- Hold for up to 5 minutes. (Yep! That’s not a typo) Start with a minimum of 2 minutes, and challenge yourself to add more time. This move often requires some motivation from a workout partner. Grab a workout buddy and see who can hold it the longest; your core will thank you! Keep in mind you can add onto this move by sliding forward and back. Add leg lifts as an additional challenge.

3. Dips- The backs of our arms can be neglected, so tricep dips are useful to maintain or increase strength and definition. Start off with the same number of reps as the pushups. You can use the back of a chair, chest or coffee table if you don't have access to a gym.

4. Wall Squats- Find a wall, squat down and  start by holding it as long as you can- Then increase your time by 30 second increments. Once you have increased your time to 5 minutes- Add a weight to your shoulders- hold, add over head press and/or frontal raises for additional shoulder work.

5. Lunges- One of my favorite exercises. Lunge your way across a room and add upper body twists side to side. If you have stairs accessible, then double up your steps on the stairs to lengthen and tone your legs.

As I’ve mentioned before, walk everywhere you can! Park far away, avoid the elevator and if you’re unsure of how much you’re moving each day, try a pedometer to help you gauge your average number of steps per day. 10,000 + steps per day means you’re keeping active.

Sometimes we need to checkout...

Life doesn’t always make time for us to slow down, but sometimes it’s inevitable.  If we demand too much of ourselves by continuing to move full steam ahead then eventually it catches up and life come to a screeching halt!

We need to remind ourselves that life is a journey, not a destination. We will have our laundry list of household chores, commitments to social engagements, obligations to our career and precious moments to spend with our family. It’s essential for us to listen to our body when it’s asking us to slow down.  As the season is changing from summer to fall, we are seeing reminders everywhere to get our flu shot, and cold medicine commercials are in full swing as we gear up to strengthen our immune system in an effort to prevent the drudgery of not feeling well.

Start by making sure you’re taking a multi-vitamin every day. With the hours of daylight decreasing, it might be necessary for you to add Vitamin D into your daily regimen as well. Make sure you’re moving throughout the day- it’s a perfect time of year to keep a pair of sneakers in your trunk. Take 20 minutes at lunch, after work or whenever available to go for a walk. Keep your hands clean by keeping sanitizer available for when you need it. Doing all of this provides excellent prevention, but if you do become under the weather, then take time to go to the doctor if necessary, stay hydrated and get plenty of rest. It’s a busy world out there and we have to be healthy to enjoy it!

Bikram Yoga

A friend of mine invited me to join her for a yoga class last spring and not thinking anything of it, I went. I quickly found out after arriving, that the room was going to be heated to 105 degrees with 40% humidity! I thought to myself that this was going to be a yoga experience unlike any other... and it lived up to my expectations.

There are 26 poses in 1.5 hours and no music. It allows time to focus, strengthen & length your muscles and your mind. It's important to drink at least 3 liters of water (each day) a few days before you try it, and continue to keep up the water intake after your practice.

A few differences and benefits to Bikram Yoga include:
The heat in the room helps to prevent your body from overheating, but only if you are properly hydrated. Another benefit of the heat is the fact that it helps to detoxify the body. On your first few classes you'll notice and feel your heart rate increasing. You're actually incorporating a cardiovascular workout in your yoga routine which many yoga classes don't provide.  You'll also feel a considerable difference in your ability to stretch your body and overall, you'll improve your muscle strength- Trust me! All poses, except one, are done twice and you'll be challenged to hold your pose!


I challenge you to try it at least once... or maybe twice, it's an experience that is worth checking out at a Bikram Studio in your town. You might just like it and find yourself practicing often!

Balancing Your Workout Routine

Each week it’s helpful to think ahead and plan what workouts you’ll have time for each day and stick to it! Oftentimes I’m asked, “How do I know how much cardio and/or weights to do each week?” I don’t have a simple answer. It truly depends on your schedule and what you have time for. Ideally, you want to be moving for a minimum of 30 minutes each day. This doesn’t mean that you have to get on an exercise machine each day, but simply find ways to get moving and keep moving throughout the day. In addition to your effort to move more, it’s important to incorporate weights into you routine 1-3 days a week. Women start losing bone density in their late twenties/early thirties and weights are a great option to secure bone density. High repetitions and low weights are often great options to start with, but it also depends on the weight-training program which you are participating in. For example, Body Pump by Les Mills is designed to allow participants to max out their weight selection for each muscle group with high reps and not create a bulky look, which many women often fear.

Cardio is just as important for the heart and lungs. It’s also a great tension reliever and allows time to organize your thoughts. As noted earlier, move more everyday, but try to “get puffy” at least 3 times a week. If you are doing cardio and weights on the same day- Do your weight lifting first!

Lastly, take time to meditate, stretch and if you haven’t tried yoga, I encourage you to do so. It allows you time to take for yourself, to gain mental clarity and to strengthen and lengthen muscles that may not be used in your cardio and weight workouts. Most importantly, try to vary your workout and be sure to pay attention to what nutrients you’re putting in your body everyday to get the maximum results of your workout routine.

Turn up your workout routine

So, you’ve finally found time to “squeeze” in a workout at least a few times a week and you are ready to amp up your routine.  How can you get the most out of your workout within your scheduled time allotted? Start by thinking…Go harder, not longer.

First, access how much time you have available to workout. Then, adjust your workout accordingly. My thoughts immediately went to running or walking, but this can be applied to the bike, elliptical, stair stepper or a cardio workout outdoors.

30-Minute Treadmill Workout (Apply to Running or Walking)

0-2 mins. Warm-up

2-5 mins. Turn the incline up- to the highest possible option 12-15 (typically)

5-7 mins. Turn the incline down one level i.e. 15 to 14, speed up one. For example 4.2- 4.3

·      Continue this pattern 9 more times over the course of 2-minute intervals. Decreasing your incline and increasing your speed.

25-27 mins. Turn up your speed (keep your incline the same. If needed, bring it down to 1) you should be walking or running at your absolute max!

27-28 mins. Bring it down to a fast paced walk

28-30 mins Incline returns to 0. Slow down your pace to your warm up pace, and continue to descend the pace in the last 30 seconds.

Be certain to take a minute or two to stay right where you are and stretch through your legs, hips, shoulders, as stretching is just as important as the workout itself to help repair and strengthen your muscles.

Try to move more everyday...

If you can't exercise for a 30-60 minutes, try 10-15 minutes several times a day. Consider your daily routine and the options to enhance your fitness routine.

Some of these options are simple changes that you can add into your day to make a big difference in your physique:

Take the stairs every time! It’s an opportunity to stretch your legs so take advantage and to tone the backs of your legs. Already do this? Make your step a little bigger and step up every two steps.

Park as far away as possible! I understand time can be a factor, and we can find so many reasons to want a VIP Parking space, however I encourage you to find a spot that will get your legs moving, and if you’re in a time crunch, it ensures you’re walking a little quicker.

When putting away groceries or doing chores around the house or in the garage, I recommend using your legs to bend down and pick something up. Many of us face issues with back pain. Bring awareness to what you are physically doing and make adjustments. For example, when you are putting away groceries, bend down into a squat position to pick up the item instead of hunching over and causing stress on your lower back.

Lastly, if you have a few spare minutes, but can’t head out for walk, make a class at the gym and just not too sure what to do, I suggest turning on the computer, and streamline a workout video- try youtube. A colleague of mine recently used this option when traveling. Type in “Best workout videos” and give one a try!