4 Keys to Keeping Your Health and Performance on Track this Holiday Season

In my last post, I provided 4 fantastic tips to prepare yourself for the holiday season. If you missed it, check it out here. This time, lets talk about how to keep yourself going as the holiday season continues on. While preparing is very important, there are things you can be doing to keep yourself on track as the weeks continue on and temptations surround - treats that beckon or a cozy couch that suggests you not work out today. When you feel the pull of the holiday coming on strong, try these key tactics:

1. Conduct a "treat clean-up" every few days
I find that somehow more and more treats appear in my kitchen as the season continues. Whether it is leftovers from a family party, a well-meaning neighbor sharing joy through food or my own purchases/creations, it seems that I am surrounded by treats! To better control how much is at arm's reach, I do a treat assessment every few days or so. Look around your kitchen and in your fridge to check what is available to you/your family. If I think it's getting a little of hand, I'll do one of the following: throw the food out (very rare, actually), freeze what can be frozen (very common) or give to my husband to take to his coworkers (also pretty common). I like to put treats in our deep freeze in the basement, so it requires even more effort for me to get at it. This isn't done in an effort to restrict or take away all treats, (because I obviously know where they are) but simply to keep aware of how much is easily available. You simply want more healthy options than treats at easy reach in the kitchen when snack time rolls around (for you and your loved ones). So, just keep tabs on this, and I promise it will make choosing healthy so much easier.

Why I Won't Belittle My Athletes as Motivation

This morning - for the third week in a row - I shared the lap pool with one of the local swim

teams. And for the third week in a row, I watched one of the coaches criticize, belittle and embarrass swimmers in an effort to get them to "do better". Today, a young swimmer who I would estimate was around 8 years old teared up after the encounter with the coach. Now, I am not a team coach, a personal trainer or a fitness class teacher. As a sports dietitian, I am a different type of coach - a food coach.  But, like any other type of coach, it is my job to motivate my athletes to make changes that will improve their performance. You might disagree with me, but one thing I have not done and will never do is belittle or - even worse - swear at my athletes. These practices have unfortunately become expected in some settings. Other coaches and trainers often ignore this type of treatment of athletes, believing that this is what needs to be done to make athletes "the best". Whether the athlete is 6 or 60 years old, I disagree. 

Make the Time, Mom!...Five ways for super busy moms (and dads) to fit in exercise

This week, enjoy a guest blog post from Nick Perri - a fantastic Naperville in-home personal trainer. Check out his website here.

Be extraordinary,

RDKate

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Recently, I was interviewed and asked three questions regarding exercise and the pursuit of a healthful lifestyle. They were all great questions but the last question was of a subject matter that can really stir up debate and emotion in trainer and client alike. Here is the question and here is my answer...

Q: Why is it important to carve out time to exercise (even if you're a super busy mom, etc.)?

Tiny eating and exercise tricks for big weight loss

About this time of year, many of my athletes come into my office asking about dropping weight. Whether it is for health, performance or vanity reasons, a request to drop 5-15 pounds is common. Perhaps with the snow thawing and weather warming, your overall health and/or summer races are on your mind too. One thing I emphasize with my athletes is that weight loss is not easy. It takes commitment every day and throughout the day. However, there many tricks with respect to eating and exercising that will increase your chance of success.

Methods of Eating
1. Eat slowly. Commit to at least 10 minutes for a snack and 20 minutes for a meal (minimum). Chew your food thoroughly. Put the fork down and drink water between bites.
2. Eat with someone. Enjoy conversation; this will naturally slow your eating pace.
3. Cut food into small pieces. This creates the allusion of a greater volume of food, as well as - again- slows your eating pace.

Exercising the Body by Motivating the Mind

This week's blog was written by a guest blogger: Allison Brooks. On her down time between travels, she enjoys writing guest articles about the things she's passionate about, such as natural and nutritional therapies for everyday ailments. Enjoy!

Good health may be the most important thing but a traditional understanding of medicine and diet may often lead to more harm than good. Natural remedies for health are safer, cheaper and more effective. Natural health has a lot of options but some neglect the simple importance of exercising the mind and body.

Physical exercise is not just a way to lose weight, but the quickest way of achieving overall well-being. Many hospitals and rehab facilities promote the use of exercise, physically and mentally, to expedite healing and reduce stress. Since many cancers have harsh treatments, exercise, or other mind-body therapies are great ways to balance the body. Many patients have said they feel better about treatments when combined with exercise. Doctors hope the use of physical and mental exercise can prolong the survivability of cancers like pancreatic, mesothelioma, and late-stage breast cancers.

 
But as you know exercise should not be limited to the hospitals or people trying to get their high-school body back. Exercise is a great way to relieve stress, improve mood and overall well-being. However, before even moving the body, a lot of people need help getting their minds on board with physical exercise. Organized planning and daily task checking can help keep people active and lead them to accomplishing their goals.

When presented with the health benefits of exercise, motivation sets in. But sometimes after a day or a week the motivation dies down. Other daily chores and work issues can get in the way of exercise, which often mistakenly falls under the free-time category. By rearranging priorities people can ensure they fulfill their obligation to their mind and body by getting exercise, which in turn helps keep them active and motivated to complete their other tasks for the week.

A feeling of accomplishment will not only help with the current day’s motivation but will feed into the next. Keeping a calendar that is marked off for each day a goal is met will manifest patterns in the mind. If a big check mark is made in marker on a large calendar placed in a highly visible location, the mind will notice when a whole series of checks occurs and feel a great sense of achievement. Visual reminders like a calendar can help lead to re-prioritizing goals and ensuring that they are met.

Physical achievements can also help keep the mind motivated. Being able to increase the length of a run without getting winded or the amount of weights lifted in a set can fuel the drive needed to maintain a desire to exercise. Most importantly, the body when consistently exercised will feel healthier, more upbeat and recognize the changes. This can lead people to start changing other areas of their health, enjoying the benefits of natural remedies.

Thanks Allison!

Be Extraordinary,

RDKate