Monday, December 14, 2009

'Tis the season to be active!

The holiday season is in full swing! Only 11 days until Christmas and 17 until New Year’s Eve! Have you been able to stay on track with your workouts and keep up with the demands of the holidays? It’s not easy but here are some tips that will help you through the remaining days of the year. After all, we want to end the year on a high note and fit into that fancy New Year’s Eve dress we’ve got hanging in the closet!

Get started at the gym with The Eat-Clean Diet Workout
1. Kick it up at the gym. Condense your time at the gym by adapting your workout routine. Make each exercise more intense by increasing the weight and reps and decreasing rest time between sets. You can also cut down on time and add intensity to your workout by adding supersets throughout your routine. The idea of supersetting is to alternate two different weight-training exercises in succession without resting in between for your desired quantity of sets. Be careful not to do too many in a given workout, as supersets are intense and can lead you to become overtrained. Learn more about supersetting in The Eat-Clean Diet® Workout.

2. Diversify. Add new moves or forms of exercise into your routine. Maybe you can’t make it onto the treadmill during the holidays, but you can definitely make a family activity of Nordic skiing, skating, tobogganing, hiking, jogging and more. If you do have time for the treadmill you can get more benefit in less time with interval training. Speed up the treadmill for 30 seconds and then slow it down for 90 seconds. Do this ten times after a warm up and followed by a cool down for maximum effect.

3. Take it easy. This may sound counterintuitive, but sometimes the best workout is one that helps relax the body and gives it a rest from your regular routine. Being active doesn’t have to always equal intense cardio and strength-training sessions; it can be as simple as a long walk with your family, a yoga class or a game played with your kids on the Nintendo Wii. There are certainly times when gearing down my workout improves my mental wellbeing, particularly when the activity I chose doubles as quality time with my family. Listen to your body and decide if this is the right decision for you.

4. Eat Clean. If you’re indulging in too many holiday treats, you will feel lethargic and tired. When you’re following The Eat-Clean Diet® you are eating foods that will not only keep you energized for your workouts and your last-minute shopping, these foods also keep your brain in tip-top shape to handle every circumstance that comes your way this holiday season. Keep yourself accountable by journaling your meals in The Eat-Clean Diet® Companion.

Keep it tight!

Tosca Reno

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