Category: Personal Training

Six of the Best Healthy Christmas Food Gifts

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Are you considering a food gift for someone on your list? Food is a great Christmas gift for the people that are hard to buy for and almost everyone likes to receive a goody in the mail! However, many people are working hard to maintain their weight this time of year. So if you know your recipient is trying to watch calories, you may want to skip the giant box of truffles and go for something a bit easier on the waistline.

1)  Fruit Basket or box of fruit. Harry & David is a great option. One of their most popular gifts this time of year are fresh pears. They’re delicious and can be served in multiple ways. You can even suggest poaching them and topping them off with a bit of cinnamon for a dessert! 

 2)  Indoor Herb Garden. Great idea for families and people who love to cook! Kids will enjoy the gardening project, and it’s convenient to have your herbs fresh in the kitchen. 

3)  Flavored Oils. Heart healthy flavored olive oil is a treat that cooks might not buy for themselves, but would enjoy having in their kitchen.

4)  Coffee and Tea. Specialty coffees and teas with a nice mug are a great Christmas gift that won’t sabotage a person’s healthy eating plan. If you’re not sure about the caffeine, go for an herbal tea that is naturally caffeine free.

5)  Subscription to a healthy cooking magazine or a cookbook. If you know the person on your list likes to use “lighter” recipes, this is a great gift. If they’ve never mentioned a desire to use low-cal recipes, I would skip this idea. A random arrival of a magazine like “Cooking Light” could be taken the wrong way. Best to know for sure on this one.

6)  Gift Cards. Restaurant or coffee shop gift cards are excellent Christmas gifts to send someone. You can be sure it will get used and won’t linger around the house like a box of chocolates! Your recipient will be able to work the gift into their healthy eating plan and will love you for the treat!

So relax and enjoy that last bit of shopping! It’s easy with the gifts I mentioned above!

Have a gift idea you’d like to share? Please leave a comment below.  I’d love to hear your ideas!

Merry Christmas!

Jennifer

 

 

How To Increase Circulation While Sitting

Little Known Workout Routines to do While on the Road

The month of December is a big travel month for many people.  Whether you are traveling by car, bus, train, or plane, they can all require long periods of sitting.

Sitting for too long can affect the blood circulation in your legs. In some cases, it can lead to a blood clot in the legs — also known as deep vein thrombrosis (DVT).  This can be life threatening if it goes untreated. So if you know you will be sitting for long periods of time, it’s important you know how to increase circulation in your legs to avoid DVT entirely!

Use these five simple tips to help increase circulation while sitting:

1)  Compressions stockings.  

Unlike traditional dress or athletic stockings and socks, compression stockings use stronger elastics to create significant pressure on the legs, ankles and feet. Compression stockings are tightest at the ankles and gradually become less constrictive towards the knees and thighs. By compressing the surface veins, arteries and muscles, the circulating blood is forced through narrower circulatory channels. As a result, the arterial pressure is increased, which causes more blood to return to the heart and less blood to pool in the feet.-courtesy of Wikipedia.

Compression stockings can be found on the web, at your local drug store, shoe stores, and athletic stores.

2)  Stand up!  If you are flying or using any other mode of transportation where it’s safe to stand up,  make sure to get up every hour and move around a bit. If you’re driving, get out and move when taking breaks to eat or use the restroom. Every time you stop, take a moment to stand up and get your circulation going.

3)  Use your feet. Place your feet flat on the floor and raise your heels until you are up on the balls of your feet. Then, lift your toes while keeping your heels on the floor. Do this 20 times and then repeat. You can do this exercise hourly. Your legs can handle it!

4)  Use the alphabet. Lift one foot off the floor by straightening your leg out in front of you. Rotate your ankle by drawing the alphabet with your toes. Do this twice with each ankle. This can be done hourly as well.

5)  March in your seat! Sit on the edge of your seat and lift one foot off the ground with your knee bent. Alternate right and left in a marching pattern. Time yourself for 60 seconds and then repeat every hour.

The methods above will help you increase circulation while sitting. It’s still best to stand and move as much as possible to keep your blood circulating. However, these tips can help when you find yourself sitting for longer periods of time.

Have a tip on how to increase circulation while sitting that you’d like to share, or a question for me? Please leave a comment below. It’s always great to hear from you!

Blessings!

Jennifer

 

10 Ways to Enjoy The Holidays Without the 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 37 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, the 8 days of Hanukkah, 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