Tips For The Holidays Season

This Month’s Topics:
1) Nutrition – Holiday Parties: How To Avoid Eating Your Way Through Them
2) Fitness – How to Fit Exercise into the Holiday Season
3) Wellness – Will You Be Making a New Years Resolution?
4) News – The 2010 Body Conditioning by Dancers Schedule

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1) Nutrition – Holiday Parties: How To Avoid Eating Your Way Through Them

Prepare in Advance: If you know your family Christmas is filled with Turkey and Stuffing be sure to eat very healthy a few days in advance and pre decide that its going to be your Cheat Day. That being said, don’t starve yourself till dinner, treat the metabolism as you would every day to avoid overindulging.

Don’t Go Overboard: If your mom is the type who insists on seconds, take your time eating your first portion and then decide if you really are hungry for more – if you aren’t, stop eating, and save room for dessert.

Easy on the Cocktails: Enjoy one or too, but be sure to balance them out with the equivalent in water! This with help with over indulging and unnecessary caloric intake from those yummy alcoholic bevvies!

2) Fitness -  How to Fit Exercise into the Holiday Season

Its easy to come up with excuses why there’s no time to exercise – to avoid disappointment here are my tips to stay on track:

(1) Walking is an exercise that can go anywhere, from the mall to the snowy street – so get your shop on or bundle up, get outside and get that heart rate going.

(2) Organize your day the evening before. Prioritizing your tasks beforehand will help you find time to exercise.

(3) Plan a little at home workout session before going out. Even if you have only 15 minutes try these 4 exercises…

Cardio: Skipping rope, or jumping jacks
Legs: Standing Squats (feet parallel or 2nd position)
Arms: Pushups  (Center and elbow, elbow, hand, hand)
Core: Plank (Center and Side)

Potential Excuses and My Solutions for You:

Problem: But Eva, I have a Holiday Party in the evening, during my regular gym time?
Solution: Wake up an hour early to get your workout in, walk, or jog on your lunch break.

Problem: But Eva, I have family dinner and I said I’d bake the dessert?
Solution: Combine Exercise and Family Commitments! Offer to shovel the driveway when you arrive, (and the neighbors for Karma Points), go tobogganing at the park with the children before family dinner, bundle up and take a walk to look at the neighbors Christmas lights before dessert.

All I ask is that you try, even if you find yourself simply too bogged down to exercise at all during the holidays, just be sure to get back on track when the season is over!

3) Wellness – Will You Be Making a New Years Resolution?

Here are my tips on How to Make a New Years Resolution:

(1) Choose a realistic, achievable long term objective
(example: “I want to run my first 10k race this year”)

(2) Write it down in the form of an affirmation
(example: “I am proud that I will be training for my first 10k race which I will run March 1st”)

(3) Break the long term objective down into short term goals
(example: “I will be running once a week in preparation for my March race”)

(4) Identify Obstacles that may stand in your way, and develop a plan of attack to get through them
(example: I tried last year and didn’t stick with it, this year I am choosing an accountability partner to run the race with me)

(5) Plan the Reward
(example: “I’ve booked a day at the spa the day after the race”)

Above all, aim for things that are truly important to you, and think year round, not just new years, if you can turn your fitness resolutions into lifestyles even better!

4) News – The 2010 Body Conditioning by Dancers Schedule

Fitness New Years Resolution? Here’s the key to your resolution success!

Preview Week
January 6th, 7th 10th and 11th
(Preview class & BCBD New Years Challenge, more information available by request)

Session Dates
> SUNDAYS 12:10 pm – 1:25 pm

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If you have a goal in life that takes a lot of energy, that requires a lot of work, that incurs a great deal of interest and that is a challenge to you, you will always look forward to waking up to see what the new day brings.

This Month’s Topics:
1) Nutrition – Quality Vitamins
2) Fitness – Wake up and Salute to the Sun
3) Wellness – A Great New Product from Ponds
4) News – 6 Week Pre Holiday Session (a few spaces left)

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1) Prayer: Standing with your feet and legs together, the core stretched and relaxed. Inhale deeply and exhale putting both palms in front of the chest.

2) Lifted arms posture: Inhale and raise the arms stretched. Bend the upper body backwards, keeping the neck relaxed and pushing the hips forward while keeping your legs stretched.

3) Hands and feet position: Exhale and bend forward keeping your back completely straight, with the head between your arms until fingers touch the ground. Contract the abdomen to exhale all the air, while looking at the belly button.

4) Extended Step Position: inhale and stretch your right leg backwards, putting both the knee and the forefoot on the floor, with arms well stretched, flat hands on the floor aligned with the front foot (left), bending the left leg by means of pressing the thigh against the stomach and chest. At the end of the movement the weight of the body rests on two hands, left foot and right knee.

5) Mountain Posture: Straighten the right leg and put the two legs together, with flat hands on the floor and keeping your arms stretched. Lift the hips and lower your head in order to form a reversed V.

6) Chaturanga: Exhale and flex the arms slowly, keeping the elbows very close to your ribs. First, put the knees on the floor, then the chest at the end of the position, only the tip of the feet, the knees, the chest, the hands will touch the ground. The hips and abdomen will be slightly raised from the ground.

7) Cobra Position: Inhale and raise the body from the waist stretching the arms which should still be bending very close to the sides, with the hands pressing the floor and aligned with the shoulders, keep your buttocks contracted and your shoulders downwards.

*Repeat

8. Mountain Posture.
9. Extended Step Position.
10. Repeat Hands and feet position.
11. Arms stretched position.
12. Exhale and slowly return to standing position. Lower the arms beside the body and join the palms of the hands (as per number 1).

3) Wellness – Pond’s Wet Cleansing Towelettes

I’ve enjoyed sampling this product for the past 30 days and will be purchasing a pack at my next visit to Shoppers as its certainly replaced my make up remover and cotton pad method!

POND’S Wet Cleansing Towelettes, are the No. 1 brand of wet cleansing clothes, containing Triple Tea Antioxidant Complex, Vitamin E and Chamomile which gently remove make-up and even waterproof mascara.

These luxuriously quilted cloths with a unique diamond texture, pleasant smell and foaming bubbles allow for a deep clean without leaving any residue behind. They are pre-moistened so no water needed!

Conveniently packaged with 30 towelettes in each resealable pack, make these ideal for travel and perfect for removing make up pre-workout!

4) News – 6 Week Pre Holiday Session – a few spaces left

The Holiday season is underway and I hate to say it but Thanksgiving and Halloween were DE-licious since Christmas is around the corner perhaps you are interested in a little PRE-holiday activity to burn off some of that Turkey and Pie in advance?

I just thought I’d let you know that my 6 Week Pre-Holiday Session still has a few spaces available:

-> SUNDAYS 1:30 pm – 2:45 pm
November 15th – December 20th

-> WEDNESDAY 8:05 pm – 9:20 pm *at L3
November 11th – December 16th

-> Thursdays 10:00 am – 11:15 am
November 12th – December 17th

-> Thursdays 8:05 pm – 9:20 pm
November 12th – December 17th

Register here!

Eva