If you’re like most people, the fall/winter months are a time to relax after a very busy summer of back yard barbecues, family reunions, and extensive travel. And with the cold winter days and holiday celebrations it can be very difficult to stay focused on fitness.
Here are a few ideas to help you keep moving through these chilly months and maintain a regimen for your fitness success, while enjoying the holiday celebrations.
STAY FOC– USED
Setting goals can be a great way to keep you focused through the fall months when you don’t feel like exercising and/or eating right. Setting goals going into the fall/winter months will help you have something to strive for, making the months ahead exciting. Goals tend to energize you and as you accomplish one goal it makes the next goal easier to achieve, leaving you feeling emotionally rewarded for each small step you make in the right direction. Setting goals can mean the difference between success and failure this fall.
MAKE EXERCISE A PRIORITY
Try to exercise first thing in the morning before your day becomes demanding. Exercising first thing in the morning will allow you to be consistent during this time of the year when there are more opportunities for you to put on unwanted pounds. With the holiday season approaching, keeping the calories burning is very important.
FIND A PARTNER OR DEVELOP A TEAM
Exercising with a partner or a team of people can be a great support to accomplishing your goals. A workout partner can hold you accountable, push you to the level of intensity you need to win and keep you honest about meeting your goals. Working out with a team of people you may find that you are able to get more from the workout by drawing on the collective energy of a group of people all striving for the same or similar goals. A certified personal trainer can also be a great benefit, allowing you to keep your workouts fresh and always progressing.
CREATING A WORKOUT REGIMEN THAT WORKS
Cardio Vascular Exercise, resistance training and a structured diet plan are the key ingredients to a successful workout regimen.
Whether you’re walking, running, biking, or swimming, it doesn’t matter what you do, as long as you do something. There is a list of benefits from cardiovascular exercise that go beyond weight loss which makes this form of exercise an important factor in your overall health. Benefits such as; increased energy, decrease in anxiety and depression, it increases HDL cholesterol, lowers blood pressure, improves immune system and it helps protect the body against a host of diseases, including heart disease, stroke, hypertension, diabetes, and osteoporosis.
Adding resistance training to your workout regimen allows your body to burn calories at a faster rate, even while resting. Resistance training raising your basal metabolism and helps too prevent your body from storing fat. The more muscle you have, the more efficient and effective your metabolism is. Resistance training not only helps you lose more weight, it helps you keep the weight off.
Developing a structured diet plan is the single most important part of the puzzle. A healthy diet plan should include protein; such as chicken, turkey and fish, which supports muscle growth and provides basic nutrients, carbohydrates that are low in glycemic index, high in fiber and gives you a steady release of energy; such as brown rice, yams, and oatmeal, and good fats (Omega 3 and Omega 6) that your body needs to survive and cannot be synthesized from any other substances we eat.
ENJOY SMALLER PORTIONS
Trying to stay away from food you enjoy will leave you feeling deprived and cause you to eat more, so avoiding restrictive diets over the winter months and holiday season is important. Learn to enjoy your favorite foods in smaller portions using the palm of your hand or a clinched fist as your guide, which is a basic portion size, and cutting that basic portion size in half when you want to indulge in something not so healthy. Limiting these enjoyments to a free day once a week might also be a great idea for you consider.
SPREAD OUT YOUR MEALS
Don’t feel like you have to eat everything at once. Spreading out your meals is the key to retraining your sluggish metabolism and keeping it moving throughout the day. Men should eat 6 small meals per day and women should eat 5 small meals. Eating 5 to 6 small meals per day, will increase your energy levels, accelerate muscle growth, and speed up your metabolism without storing fat. In fact, by eating super-clean, high protein foods at each of your six meals, you will find that your metabolism goes into overdrive, burning up to 50% more calories and becoming extremely efficient.
DRINK PLENTY OF WATER
It is just as important during the fall/winter months, as it is in the summer months, to drink plenty of water. Water helps counter the dehydrating effects of drinking alcoholic beverages, other high calorie drinks, the effects of travel and it helps to release toxins and unwanted fat cells out of your body.
When staying fit is your focus, these fitness secrets will allow you to relax and join in the holiday celebrations, while staying focused on what’s important and continuing to make your fitness success a priority.
