Category: Exercise During the holidays

A Simple Exercise To Strengthen and Tone Your Core

How To Perform An Elevated Bridge - Strengthen and Tone Your Core

Sometimes you need to get a little creative with your exercise routine.

In today’s video I share a simple exercise you can easily fit into your day that will help strengthen and tone your hamstrings, glutes, and abs. It requires no equipment and can be performed almost anywhere.

Use it at home, at the gym, at your office, in a hotel, or anywhere else you can think of.

Here’s to a fit and healthy holiday season.

Have great week!
Jennifer Ledford


 

How To Enjoy Your Holiday Season Without Gaining Weight

Christmas fitness woman wearing santa hat

The holiday season is officially here!  I personally love this time of year and my desire for you is that you would enjoy everything the season has to offer without the notorious weight gain that the media and diet industry warns you about constantly.

You may have even heard or read recent media reports that the average weight gain between Thanksgiving and New Year’s is seven to ten pounds.  Holy cow!  That number seemed high to me so I did a little digging and fortunately, it’s turning out to be a myth. The truth is the average person gains about one to two pounds during the holiday season.

With that being said, I’m guessing you’d rather not gain ANY weight this holiday season so I’ve put together a list of simple ways you can enjoy yourself without adding on the extra pounds that can come along with it.

  1. Set realistic goals.  If you are currently losing weight, congratulations!  During the holidays I recommend you give yourself a break and set a very vital yet realistic goal. Maintain your weight. If you maintain your weight, you’ll already be ahead once January rolls around.
  2. Exercise.  Now is not the time to stop exercising. As tempting as it is to skip exercise to take care of something else on your to do list, you want to burn calories so you can enjoy the special treats without the unwanted pounds.
  3. Plan ahead. Schedule all your commitments for the season on your calendar. This will help you plan your exercise time.  You may decide to exercise at home rather than drive to the gym. Try a mini-trampoline or an exercise video.  Or, take your workout outside and go for a hike or a walk.  Being outdoors is a major stress-reliever.  On days that are tightly scheduled, commit to a minimum of 20 minutes of exercise to keep your momentum and your metabolism boosted. Something is always better than nothing.
  4. Do some offline shopping. You can get in your exercise while supporting your local businesses and salespeople. Win-win.
  5. Pay attention to portion sizes. Take larger portions of the fruits and veggies and smaller than normal portions of the richer fare like scalloped potatoes, prime rib, desserts, etc. Watch the dressings on the salad — put it on yourself and be conservative. Go for the dressings that will drip to the bottom of the bowl. Consider trade-offs such as if you have a glass of champagne, you may want to have just a bite of dessert.
  6. Wear form-fitting clothes. This is a great way to keep weight from piling on. You will know if your weight is out of whack if those jeans feel a bit snug. This will help you take action before things get out of control.
  7. Lighten up traditional recipes. Got to have your pumpkin pie? That’s okay! Choose lighter recipes than the more traditional fare. Cooking Light is one of my favorite magazines; however, there are many recipes on the web that have been modified to reduce calories and taste delicious.
  8. Avoid showing up to a party hungry.  This is huge!  Keep fruit, nuts, energy bars, shakes, whatever is your go to snack, with you.  Or, if you’re at home, eat a small meal before you head out to the party. When you are overly hungry, you can mindlessly overeat.  The tiny quiches look way more appealing than the fruit and veggie platters when you haven’t eaten for hours. Start with a glass of water and then check out the food platters.  If you are dehydrated the body will use hunger to signal thirst.  When you are properly hydrated you will feel more satisfied and full after eating.
  9. There are only a few days that are actual holidays–eat normally the rest of the days. When you treat every day like it’s Thanksgiving Day with the excuse “it’s the holidays,” you are at risk of packing on the pounds.
  10. Use a Fitness Tracker.  Most smartphones come with health apps that allow you to track your steps.  Things like household chores and walking at the mall all count as exercise.  The more physical you get, the more calories you burn.  Keeping track of your activity levels can help motivate you to squeeze in extra steps throughout your day.

Most importantly, have fun!  Stress can contribute to weight gain so be gentle on yourself.

Here’s to a happy, healthy, and super blessed holiday season!

With Love,
Jennifer

Have a comment or question?  Please leave it below.  I love to hear from you!

 
This post contains an Amazon affiliate link which means that if you click on the product link, I’ll receive a small commission. Twenty percent of all Amazon commissions will be donated to charity.  It’s a pleasure to serve you! 

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How To Enjoy This Holiday Season Without Weight Gain

It’s that time of year again! The Christmas decorations are going up and the parties have already begun.

Personally, I am so excited we are entering this time of year! However, from years of experience in the fitness industry, I know some of you are already thinking about how to enjoy the holidays without the weight gain. You might even be a bit nervous about succeeding.

The good news is it is totally possible  to enjoy the holidays without the weight gain!  All you need to do is follow some easy tips:

1) If you are currently losing weight congratulations! During the holidays, I recommend you set a very vital yet realistic goal. Maintain your weight. If you maintain your weight, you are already ahead when January comes! Keep it simple and realistic.

2) Now is not the time to stop exercising. As tempting as it is to skip exercise and snuggle on the couch with a glass of wine or cup of your favorite hot beverage, you want to get your calories burned so you can enjoy the special treats without the unwanted pounds.

3) Plan ahead. Schedule all your commitments for the season on your calendar. Schedule exercise time too. You may decide to exercise at home rather than drive to a gym. Try a mini-trampoline or an exercise video.

On days that are tightly scheduled, do your best to commit to a minimum of 20 minutes of exercise to keep your momentum and your metabolism boosted. Take advantage of every opportunity to be active that comes up.  Something is always better than nothing. Every minute of exercise counts!

4)  Do some off line shopping. You can get in your exercise while supporting your local businesses and salespeople. Win-win.

5)  Pay attention to portion sizes. Scan the table before serving yourself to help you plan your meal. Take larger portions of the fruits and veggies and smaller than normal portions of the richer fare like scalloped potatoes, prime rib, desserts, etc. Watch the dressings on the salad– put it on yourself and be conservative. Go for the dressings that will drip to the bottom of the bowl.

6)  If you do not already track your daily calorie intake, consider keeping track for the next 26 days to catch any potential weight gain before it happens.

Remember, it boils down to calories burned versus calories consumed, so choose treats wisely. Most of us only need about 1500-2000 calories daily, depending on the type of exercise we do and how much “lifestyle” activity we do each day. Save the higher calories for super special treats. Trade-offs work well. For example, if I have a glass of champagne, I will probably have only a bite of dessert.

7)  Wear form fitting clothes. This is a great way to keep weight from piling on. You will know if your weight is out of whack if those jeans feel a bit snug. You can take action to prevent further gain. – Courtesy of InStyle magazine

8)  Lighten up traditional recipes. Got to have your pumpkin pie? That’s okay! Choose lighter recipes than the more traditional fare. Cooking Light is one of my favorite magazines; however, there are many recipes on the web that have been modified to reduce calories and taste delicious.

9)  Avoid showing up to a party hungry. Keep low calorie snacks like fruit with you.  Eating something before you arrive will keep you from eating mindlessly. When you are starving, the tiny quiches look much more appealing than the fruit and veggie platters.

10) There are only a few days that are actual holidays–eat normally the rest of the days. Allow yourself to indulge on the actual holidays themselves — like Christmas Day, or New Year’s Eve.

On the rest of the days, stick as close to your normal healthy eating plan as possible. If you allow yourself a daily treat, that’s the time to work in a small piece of peppermint bark, or a small cookie.

Use these tips and you can enjoy the holidays without stressing out about the weight gain

If you have any personal secrets to keep you from gaining weight during the holidays, I’d love to hear about them.  You can share them by leaving a comment below!

Blessings to you and yours!

Jennifer