Health & Fitness

By Joe Bocek

Fitness Director, Sport Fit

Can you believe it? It’s December! The days are short, it’s cold outside and all of your free time is filled with shopping, planning, prepping and parties! No wonder this time of year is known for decreased activity and increased waistlines. Fear not though, it’s not impossible to stave off the holiday bulge. Here are some ideas to get you through to January safely.

Robert Dos Remedios, TRX (Total-Body Resistance eXercise) expert and trainer and coach to celebrities and stars in California, recommends short frequent workouts. “So rather than three one-hour sessions, try to put in five or six 20 or 30 minute sessions. From the mindset it’s very easy, because I know I am going to be out of this thing in 15 to 20 minutes and in the shower and boom, I’m off to the next party or whatever I have to do. So high intensity, full-body type circuits.”

You can also try a few well-planned tactics like being flexible and mixing it up. In an article for WebMD, Rich Ray, chairman of the Kinesiology Department at Hope College in Holland, Michigan suggests “Be flexible when your days get busy. Instead of simply blowing off your 5:00pm trip to the gym in favor of an office party at the same time, wake up an hour early and walk or jog before work. Or fit a brisk walk into your lunch hour.” Ray also advises mixing up your routine to avoid boredom. “If you usually run four days a week, try running once, swimming once, and lifting weights twice," Ray says. "The novelty of the new exercise will hopefully be a stronger motivator than the 'need' to do something else during your normal exercise time." You can also try creating a home workout routine for those times you can't make it to the gym. Crunches, push-ups, and many other exercises can be done without any gym equipment.

You also want to focus on setting reasonable goals. I just came across a promotional item that read “My December Promise… I will keep eating right, I will continue to work through the pain, I will wake up every morning determined to go to bed with satisfaction.” Don’t get me wrong, they are all excellent mantras, but how about focusing on getting yourself into the gym first! The holiday season should be more about simplicity. Careful not to confuse that with apathy or laziness, that is not at all what I mean. Rather, try to focus on this mantra: move more, eat fewer bad things. That sums up what we’re trying to do.

Find ways to be more active and put yourself in positions to do more things and then eat a little less of what’s bad for you. And if you want to go above and beyond, that is fantastic! Hitting your regular spinning classes and getting in regular weight training will get you ahead of the curve. And having a few more salads with grilled chicken and light on the dressing for lunch to offset the evening get-togethers will set you up better for success.

One less cookie, walk away from that dessert and keep it at one glass of eggnog. Trust me, all that tasty stuff will be back next holiday season to sample again. Your health and your pants will thank you come January!