The After-Holiday Plan

Not that anyone I know might have this problem, but what do we do to get back on track if we happen to have spent the holiday weekend, well, celebrating?

First, as The Hitchhiker’s Guide says, don’t panic.  Panic will only cause a surge in stress hormones, which, among other things, tell our bodies to keep All The Calories.  This will not help.  If we are tempted to panic, we should perhaps keep in mind the other important advice from the Guide:  know where our towel is.  That is, take a hot bath, or a swim, or do some other thing that is both calming and foodless.

Second, we need to do our cardio.  It burns calories.  That is what it is for.  It also improves our mood, our brain function, and our ability to sleep.

Third, we need to lift some weights.  Not all the weights.  Not all in one day and never again.  But we do need to do it in order to change our body composition and to ramp up our metabolisms.

Finally, we need to eat the good foods, the ones that help us love our bodies, the ones that help us keep a clear head, a good digestion, and a healthy heart. 

If we really really over-celebrated, it might take a week or so for the new plan to get us feeling better, but we can do this.

(The photo is advice from a sidewalk in Berkeley, which is not necessarily a reputable source, but I think the advice is pretty good anyway.)

Monday Workout: Few Exercises, More Rounds

This week’s workout is another one with few exercises, so we’ll do four or five rounds.

cardio	1 min
side lunge	20
curl to press	20
squats	20
crouch jacks/plyojacks/etc	20
YTA	10
roll out abs	10

Thank you!

I am blessed.  Thank you, everyone, for being in my life.  My family, my friends, my clients, you all bring me so much joy.  May this day and all your days be full of good things.

Do it anyway!

When we are in the midst of holiday preparations or traveling, it is a challenge to fit in our workouts.  We need to do it anyway.

For one thing, we need to remember that we are important, too.  Taking care of ourselves is a prerequisite for taking care of other people.  It gives us an opportunity to set a good example for our kids (or maybe the other adults around us who could use a little nudge in a good direction). 

Additionally, we will have more energy and sharpness to use as we work and play on the holiday.  Who doesn’t want that?  Cardio will help us sleep better and manage our stress.  Weights will help us keep our metabolisms on track.  Pilates and yoga will help us stay centered and peaceful.

We can do this!

How to Holiday

This week, for most adults, begins the onslaught of holiday food (those of us who started at Halloween got a head start).  If we do not want to end up in January wondering what the heck happened, we have to have a plan.  Here are some suggestions.

Don’t contribute to the problem.  We like to give food gifts, but we can choose healthier ones, like spice mixes or pickles or whole grain muffins instead of cookies and candy.  When we bring something for the big dinner, we can choose to bring vegetables or salad without the super fatty and sugary touches.  Don’t push seconds.  Choose small plates.  Freeze the leftovers right away so they are not there, lurking in the fridge for that moment of boredom.

Manage emotions.  This is easier said than done when we mix crazy relatives and high expectations.  However, it is always a good idea to take a walk, or play some backyard football, or take the kids to the park.  Movement does wonders.  Making sure to take care of ourselves also helps; if we need to hop in a hot bath and tell no one to bug us unless things are on fire, so be it.

Have a taste, unless that is a trigger.  If Aunt Mildrid made that special pie you have loved since you were tiny just for you, it is all right to have a little.  We work on our fitness in order to enjoy life, so enjoy that small piece.  Unless, of course, that piece acts like a gateway drug and suddenly you are shooting up powdered sugar in the kitchen at midnight.

Laugh.  These are holidays, after all.  Find the good parts and savor them.

Monday Workout: Thankful for our bodies!

This week’s workout has some good-for-us compound exercises to keep our heart rate up and our whole body working.  If you do not have a medicine ball, you can do the lunge twists with a dumbbell.  If you do not have a kettle bell, you can use a dumbbell for the over yets as well.  (See here for how to do over yets).  Three rounds!

step up to press	30
ball flies	20
pushups	10
med ball lunge twists	30
ball bench press	20
over yets	10
plyojacks	30
curls	20
lateral raises	10

Friday Book Report: Emotional Intelligence

Daniel Goleman’s book Emotional Intelligence has been around for a while, but I didn’t get around to reading it until now.  In some ways, this is a meta-book, drawing together information from a lot of different researchers, some of whose work I have read in other contexts. 

Perhaps it is because the ideas have already seeped out into the culture or perhaps because they seem intuitive, but I didn’t think there was that much exciting in the book.  Essentially, knowing how to recognize and manage our emotions allows us to function in society to the best of our other abilities; we unlock our other intelligences by using our emotional intelligence.

From a fitness perspective, this concept speaks to engaging the mind-body connection.  We recognize our emotions in part through how they feel in our bodies.  Tuning into our bodies and using our bodies to enhance or soothe our emotional state will create a better starting point for our other activities in life.