Staying in shape when the weather outside is frightful!

So, it’s the holidays. Cold weather, getting together with family, big holiday dinners, Christmas cookies, staying warm, hot chocolate, snow and gift giving is the name of the game. However, just because it’s too cold outside to go exercise doesn’t mean you have to pack on those ever-pesky holiday pounds or feel guilty about changing your eating habits! Follow these tips to avoid those extra pounds!










1. Hit the gym on the days you won’t be having holiday fun.
Going to a gym to keep your metabolism up during the winter is a must. People gain weight over the holidays due to a combination of two things: They eat more during the holiday season and are less active because of the weather. Hitting the treadmill or elliptical and doing calisthenics, and stretching as always will help your body keep up metabolism and burn off grandma’s pie before it can manifest itself around your waist!

2. Do at home exercises!
Sometimes, a gym membership just isn’t in the financial picture, or maybe the commute to get to one is a pain, especially when it involves snow. Take some time out of the day to stretch, do some abdominal exercises like crunches, sit ups, or bicycle kicks, do some push ups or pull ups (if you have a pull up bar), jog in place for 30 minutes, whatever you can do as long as you don’t injure yourself or neglect the holidays to work out.

3. Control yourself during those delicious holiday meals
Think before you take that second helping of turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy and stuffing or that second piece of grandma’s home made pie. You can still enjoy the delicious holiday foods, just don’t stuff your face! Also, we all know that plate of Christmas cookies mom just baked look delicious, but refrain from taking more than 1 or 2!

4. Remember, it is the holidays after all
A holiday is a day for you to enjoy yourself, eat some delicious food and spend quality time with friends and family. Don’t drive yourself nuts! You can skip going to the gym on Christmas day if you want. Live a little! If you feel guilty while you are eating pie and chatting it up with your friends and family, remind yourself that this is a day, and you can always spend the non-holidays going back to your healthy lifestyle.

Happy holidays and happy working out!

For more reading, check out these links!
http://www.bukisa.com/articles/218613_top-ten-indoor-exercises-for-the-winter
http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/Lempert3.html
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/429143/ten_tips_to_staying_in_shape_during.html?cat=51

Dressing right to work out this winter!

Winter is upon us! Especially if you live up north, the cold will set in and some of us will be choosing to stay inside, stuff ourselves and pack on the pounds. You don’t have to let the cold keep you inside and not go for a run! Follow these handy tips for working out outside WITHOUT catching hypothermia or freezing up!

1. Warm up indoors first
This is one of the most important parts of working out in the cold. Before you throw on the sweats, warm-ups or whatever, make sure you jog in place, stretch and do some calisthenics inside. If your body is warm and stretched before you step out into the cold, you won’t cramp up and you will be less likely to become uncomfortably cold.

2. ALWAYS Stay Hydrated
It might be cold outside, but the dry air of a cold winter can be brutal. Also, you are more likely to get frostbite if you are dehydrated and out in the cold. Make sure you drink plenty of water (in sips, not gulps. You don’t want to cramp up!) before you go out to run. If possible, bring your water or a hydration pack with you.

3. Dress in Layers as well as according to the temperature.
If it’s freezing cold outside, you are going to regret running outside in shorts and a T-shirt. First and foremost, make sure you wear something made of moisture-wicking material on the first layer. It might be cold, but you are still going to sweat. Dressing in cotton might cause you to chafe and get wet. If you are getting wet out in the cold, you will lose even more heat than normal. The next layer should be something that will absorb moisture, like cotton or wool. The outermost layer should be something that will block out freezing wind chills. Remember, you can try your own variations depending on how cold it actually is, as well as how long you will be working out.

4. Cover you head and ears
This is one of the most important parts. Your body loses most of its heat through the head, especially the ears. A simple synthetic beanie should suffice for this.

5. Know your limits and don’t overdo it
Cold can be deadly, so know your limits. You might regret going out for a run in the snow with gusting wind chills of -10. Cold is stressful on your body, as is exercise, so always know when enough is enough. If you must work out in extreme weather, cover up as much of your body as you can to prevent potentially deadly frostbite.

Stay safe and have a good workout this winter!

For more info, check out these articles!
http://www.healthline.com/sw/wl-working-out-in-the-cold
http://www.acefitness.org/fitfacts/fitfacts_display.aspx?itemid=24
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/fitness/HQ01681

Sports In Central Park via Time Out NY!

Get out of the gym and enjoy this wonderful city we live in for all its exercise possibilities! Check out this great article from our very own Time Out NY about all that NYC fitness has to offer!

Sports in Central Park via Time Out NY

Cancer-Fighting Foods via FoodNetwork.com

From dark leafy greens to citrus, find out what foods can fight off cancer causing toxins via this great article on FoodNetwork.com!









"Researchers believe that 60 percent of cancer deaths can be prevented by adopting a healthier lifestyle. Start with your diet: Work these 8 cancer-fighting foods into your daily routine....."Read More...

The RIGHT way to diet and lose weight!

It seems no matter what, people are always trying fad diets, or sometimes borderline self-starvation in order to lose weight. Not only are these methods largely ineffective in the long term, but they are also unhealthy. Honestly, what good is weight loss if you are not going to feel good and energized, and probably still gain the weight back anyway?

First things first, set a reasonable goal to start with. Keeping a list of reasonable goals will not only help you keep track of your loss, but help you obtain realistic goals. Obviously, you are not going to drop massive amounts of weight over a period of a few days, but stick with it!

The key is burning more than you consume. Extra calories are the main cause of weight gain. If you consume more calories than you burn, weight gain is what results from it. If your weight has been steady and not increasing, try starting with eliminating 500 calories from your daily diet. Keep a tally in a notebook if you want. You can do this by decreasing you intake, or amplifying your exercise schedule.

This is all about staying properly nourished. Yes, you can eat! Just control your portions and try to make healthier choices!

For more information, check out selfgrowth.com’s article!

http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/nutrition_fat_loss_how_to_diet_properly

Interval Training

Training to get the 1 mile, 2 mile or whatever distance your goal is down as fast as possible? Stuck around that same time that you just can’t quite seem to break? First, take a look at how you are running. Do you start strong and fast and get progressively slower? Or do you maintain a constant pace? In either of those 2 cases, you should try interval training!

First, set a reasonable goal for the distance you are going to be running. Say you want to run 3 miles in 21:00 minutes, but are currently running it at 24:00 minutes. 21 Minutes is a 7 minute per mile pace, while 24:00 is an 8 minute per mile pace. Instead of running 3 miles over and over agin trying to get your time down, train for the specific pace!

Start out by running 1/4 of a mile in 1 minute, 45 seconds. Get used to running it, and then gradually increase the distance, while trying your best to keep the same pace. After a few days, move up to 1/2 of a mile in 3:30, and so on and so forth. Eventually, you will be running your full desired distance and be keeping your pace all the way!Your actual pace and distance may vary.

For more information on interval training for running, check out Military.com’s fitness guide!

http://www.military.com/military-fitness/fitness-test-prep/improving-your-pft-run-time

Trouble Sticking with it?

Find a Buddy!

Let’s face it, especially for newcomers, finding the motivation to stick with your exercise regimen, push it a little harder or even start exercising at all can be a challenge for some. Working out alone can be good for you, but it can also lead to a loss of motivation. Say you had a hard day at work, and think “I’ve been working out hard, I can take a few days off”, and you end up spending the rest of the night relaxing, on the computer or watching T.V. Well, why not take one more day off? That single day turns into a week, and before you know it, you have lost your
motivation! Once you finally get back to the gym, the bar you were up to before has been slowly sinking while you were away and you end up having to work back up to
where you were. If only you had someone to keep you going….

Bottom line is, unless you have a personal trainer or a group, going to the gym freelance without a buddy can be mentally challenging, and having a buddy to work out with can help your motivation immensely. If you are the only one working out, it’s easy to pass it up. If you have a buddy who is expecting to see you at the gym at a certain time, your not going to be calling in sick just because you feel tired out from work.

With a buddy, or even a group, fitness becomes more of a commitment. You’re not going to want to leave your buddy who is expecting you alone at the gym! Be it a friend, a family member or even a coworker, setting fitness goals and tackling them with someone by your side becomes much more of a motivation to get off the couch and in gear! Best of luck finding a buddy!

For more information on buddy fitness, check out these links!

http://www.revolutionhealth.com/healthy-living/fitness/workouts/personal-
trainer/buddy-system

http://www.weightwatchers.com/util/art/index_art.aspx?
tabnum=1&art_id=13511