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Your Holly Jolly Workout
Shopping, pageants, parties, family gatherings, and food, food, food. The holiday season is filled with good things, making it the holly-est, jolly-est time of year. And it's easy to get caught up in the tinsel, lights, eggnog, and chocolate and forget about barbells and running shoes. This is why people gain an average of one pound (overweight folks gain even more) during the winter holiday months. You may not think a pound is that big of a deal but pack them on year after year and they add up. While a pound is the average, who wants to be average? Beat the statistics and avoid holiday weight gain by fitting in exercise this year. Here’s how. A New Tradition Along with stockings, trees, and carols, why not create new family traditions that include exercise? After your big family meals, plan to take a walk, go on a hike, or ride bikes together to burn off the extra calories. Spending time outdoors beats sitting around on the couch and you won't regret it. Shed the Stress In case you’ve not heard, stress can be a major contributing factor to overeating. For many, the holidays can bring on all sorts of stress. The good news is that you don’t have to hang onto that stress and use it as an excuse to overeat. When going into a situation that you anticipate will be stressful, gear up beforehand with a run or quick trip to the gym. The good vibes coursing through your veins afterward should help ward off negative stress and help you make better dinnertime decisions. Lose Your Tunnel Vision Ideally, you will be able to get in for a workout four to five times each week. However, the holidays often make this impossible. Not only are you on the road part of the time, you also have parties to prepare for and presents to wrap. Don’t let this cause you to fall into complacency. Wherever you are, you’re able to exercise. Remember: jumping jacks, push-ups, sit-ups, lunges, chin-ups, and running requires no special equipment. Just effort. Shop Healthily In today’s world, many people prefer to sit in their pajamas and do all their holiday shopping online. Don’t be one of them. Appealing as it may be to shop online, you can burn off a few more calories if you’re willing to shop at stores. Sure, there will be loonies out who are willing to do whatever it takes to get the last toy or sweater available, but shopping at actual stores forces you to walk and get rid of calories while you’re doing one of your favorite things. Be Useful Across the world, the holidays are pictured as times of fun and relaxation. While they should be both, that doesn’t mean you should sit around doing nothing. No matter where you’re spending your holidays, someone still has to work to make sure everything goes off as planned. Have family coming over? Better grab a shovel and clear the snow off the sidewalk and driveway. Your mom cooking up her famous recipes in the kitchen? Get in there and help by cleaning the dishes! It’ll give you a chance to burn a handful of calories, while spending quality time with your loved ones. After all, that’s what makes these days so holly jolly.    Holiday Parties Don’t Have to Play Havoc with Healthy Eating  No matter where you are in your fitness journey, the holidays can through you off track if you’re not careful. Just the parties alone are a problem for lots of us. The cocktails, the heavy appetizers, the irresistible desserts (that often end up being, you know, not even worth it). Well, by now you’ve navigated a few of these busy seasons and have learned how to make them work for you. So, here are a few reminders to help you enjoy the parties without suffering any regret.
Remember that holiday parties are supposed to be fun. But don’t let your guard down too quickly. You don’t want to face 2024 with a month’s worth of regret! Antioxidants: Eat All Your Colors! Antioxidants are all the rage today, and justifiably so. Antioxidants help neutralize free radicals which cause cell damage, which ultimately can lead to diseases of the heart and cancer. It seems everywhere you go it's blueberry this and blueberry that. You have your choice of wild blueberry juice, blueberry-pomegranate juice, blueberry-cranberry juice and so on and so on.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I love blueberries. But, in our rush to embrace the latest antioxidant food craze (blueberries, cranberries, pomegranates) we’re ignoring some very high-antioxidant foods that are probably sitting ignored in our cupboards.
“What?” You ask, “What could possibly be higher in antioxidants than my beloved wild blueberry?” Well, how about the small red bean? That’s right, I said “bean.” The small red bean actually has more antioxidants per serving size than the wild blueberry. And the red kidney bean and pinto bean have more antioxidants per serving size than a serving of cultivated blueberries.
What other foods are high in antioxidants? For starters, there are artichoke hearts, blackberries, prunes, pecans, spinach, kale, russet potatoes and plums. And, no, that’s not a mistake. Russet potatoes are on the list of foods high in antioxidants.
The truth is, there are many common foods high in antioxidants and you should not just restrict yourself to one particular food source. Why? Well, have you ever heard the expression, “eat your colors?” That refers to the fact that foods are in different color “families” containing different types of antioxidants which have different benefits. For example, the yellow-orange color family of peaches and nectarines help our immune systems. The purple-red color family of foods (pomegranates, plums, berries) helps reduce inflammation. It’s important to eat foods from all color groups to reap the full benefits of antioxidants.
The good news is that you can eat healthy foods high in antioxidants (by eating them raw, cooking them, or juicing them yourself) without having to pay a high price for the “flavor of the month” antioxidant juices being peddled in the supermarkets.
So, give your blueberries some company at the dinner table. Invite some beans, spinach, potatoes and artichoke hearts and enjoy your antioxidants! South-Of-The-Border Chicken & Rice Soup
A bowl of this homemade soup is a wonderful meal to enjoy during the holidays. It’s low carb and filled with protein and veggies to power your day and curb your cravings. Best of all it’s made in the slow cooker, so preparation is quick and easy. What you need 2 organic, free range chicken breasts Instructions 1. Combine all of the ingredients, except the cilantro, avocado and tajin, in a slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 3 hours. 2. Remove the chicken breasts from the slow cooker. Shred with a fork and then return to the slow cooker. 3. Garnish each bowl with a sprinkle of cilantro, a few slices of avocado and a dash of tajin. Enjoy! Nutrition Motivate your friends, family and co-workers! Use the “refer a friend” link below to forward this newsletter to your friends, family, and coworkers. |
Lawrence Marcuson 2670 Charles Ct NW 5072023894   GRAND PA STRONG Online Life Transformation Online Coaching/Training is a new and exciting way for me to provide more effective, and more cost effective, body transformation services for people looking to be their best and Move Well to Age Well. Your virtual Personal Trainer - Anytime or Anywhere!! Learn more: Drops of Inspiration “Make sure your worst enemy doesn’t live between your own two ears.” – Laird Hamilton A Gift For YOU
This is the time of year that you focus in on getting something special for all the important people in your life. You put time and thought into finding that perfect gift that will make them feel loved. But what about you? With all that you do for others, it’s time to do something just for you. How about the gift of a totally reshaped body in 2025? You and I both know that you deserve it. It’s your time…embrace it. Let me be the one to make it happen. Call or email now and we’ll get started. |