Maintaining Your Weight during the Holidays

The holidays are here and with it comes parties, luncheons, special dinners and sweet treats we may not normally have.  There are steps that you can take to make sure the holidays are healthy and happy for everyone.

The holidays are not a time to make weight-loss a goal.  Save that for January 2.  Instead be realistic and strive to maintain a healthy weight and attitude about the temptations.  Also, be regular with your exercise program.  Walk daily; make the gym or “Y” a part of your shopping trip; continue to spend at least 30 minutes daily on you home exercise equipment.  Not only does the exercise burn calories, but it helps you deal with the holiday stress, which, in turn, helps improve your mental health.

Maintaining weight is easier said than done, given the bountiful food and drink available during all the festive activities.  There are some surprisingly simple tips and tricks people can use to keep holiday weight gain in check without skipping sampling all the goodies.

Eat regularly (breakfast, lunch and dinner) throughout the day.  Don’t starve yourself in anticipation of a big meal.  It may seem like it is good sense to save room, but skipping a meal usually leads to overeating.  Being extremely hungry may lead to gorging yourself.  Use a smaller plate when enjoying a buffet or snack trays.  The smaller plate will help you take smaller portions.

If you are doing the cooking or giving the party, reduce the amount of butter, oil or shorting by half  by replace it with an equal amount of apple sauce.  Use artificial sweetners instead of sugar.  You won’t know the difference.  Serve punches made with artificial sweetners instead of sugar or corn syrup solids.  If your recipe calls for eggs, substitute two egg whites for every required egg.  Using egg whites can reduce cholesterol significantly.

Serve light beer instead of regular.  Serve punches instead of mixed drinks.  My favorite is a mulled wine made with red wine, cranberry juice (1 to 1 ratio) and spices.  The spices give a festive aroma to the whole house.

After eating a big holiday meal, go for a walk.  Ask others to join you as you walk around the neighborhood.  Do something active as a group.  Play several rounds of a Wii compute sports game.  Be on your feet moving.

Mentally plan your holiday and have a wonderful time with family and friends.

Article by Bill Keeney

Choosing a Home Gym Machine

home gym machines and cardio machines – what are my options? On the most basic of levels, if you want to take care of your body (ie. exercise), you must partake in cardiovascular activities.

What is cardiovascular activity? It is an activity that raises your heart rate above its normal resting rate for a certain period of time.

What does that mean? Just run. You need to do a sustained activity that’s going to make you sweat and get your heart pounding. The activity needs to last 20 minutes to be effective – but its recommended to aim for 30-60 minutes.

If I want to do this indoors, is the treadmill my only option? No. The treadmill is the most common and widely recognized cardio machine, but it’s not the only one out there. If you want a great cardio exercise you can choose from our folding treadmill products or the best elliptical exercise machine.

The treadmill is cardio it’s purest form: running. Treadmill training is fantastic for calorie burning, tracking your progress, and seeing results quickly. A folding treadmill allows you to train from home while still giving you the same workout you’d get from running around a track or through a trail.

Most treadmills today have shock absorbers in them to reduce the impact on your feet. Also, treadmill training will keep you accountable towards your goal. When you run outdoors, your speed constantly fluctuates, whether due to inclines/declines, other obstructions, or just because you’re tired.

But when you’re on a treadmill, if you’re goal is to go 6.5 mph, the treadmill is going to go 6.5 mph no matter what – and your body will get an intensified workout because of it. Treadmill training is fantastic for those looking to train from home.

Author:  Bill Keeney

Fitness and Nutrition

Fitness requires not only a good exercise program, but also sound nutrition.  Most people exercise because they want stamina, a trim body and/or weight loss.  The human body is a marvelous machine that needs a balance of the right minerals, vitamins, proteins, carbohydrates, fats and exercise.

Those who are most successful with a fitness program have a set time, which they devote to their exercise routine.  You need to evaluate your own lifestyle and decide what is best for you.  Some like to rise and exercise before showering and preparing for the day.  Others use their lunch break for their program.  Others will set aside forty-five minutes after work and before dinner.

You also need to choose where you will exercise: outside, inside, gym, or at home.  Runners and walkers have their favorite trails; you are outside enjoying the scenery around you as the seasons change.  Others prefer the socialization of a gym or the Y; you are around others and it adds to the discipline.  Exercising at home provides convenience and economy of time, and you do not need a special wardrobe. You can choose from treadmills, exercise bikes and elliptical machines.  The advantage of elliptical machines do not stress the joints the way running, jogging or walking do.

Daily your body needs a balance of the right minerals, vitamins, proteins, carbohydrates and fats.  Recent studies have shown that most people do not get enough Vitamin D3, which benefits the immune system, the health of the colon, and the health of the skin. Studies are also showing that a daily supplement of Omega 3 fats is beneficial for cholesterol control and brain acuity.  Too much protein puts a burden on the kidneys and too many of the wrong carbohydrates cause spikes in hunger and can lead to weight gain. Diabetics need to avoid simple sugars, fructose corn syrup solids, potatoes, rice, white bread, and pasta.  Of course the best foods are fish, chicken, turkey, pork, fresh vegetables and fresh fruits. It wise for every one to avoid simple sugars and fructose corn syrup solids. (If you find it on the perimeter of the grocery store, it is probably good for you.)

If you are interested in loosing weight or excess body fat, the best regime is to eat four or five small meals a day keeping your total caloric intake around 1800 for women and 2400 for men.  The small meals “trick” the body into thinking that it is being nourished and prevent the hunger pains.  With exercise and a controlled caloric intake, the body will shed pounds, usually around one or two per week.

There is one other important thing — hydrate, hydrate, hydrate.  If you get thirsty while exercising, you are already behind the hydration curve.  A sip every ten minutes while exercising is a good routine.

Author: Bill Keeney

Fitness Training at Home

Workout training at home is convenient and time efficient. There in your home you have control of your time and your schedule. Some people like to awake, exercise and then get ready for the day.  Other will do their exercise program when they get home before dinner.  In order to get started mark on your calendar the time you plan to exercise. The plan should be for three 45 minute sessions a week, four if you want to be more aggressive.

You can train without or with gear. Let’s consider without gear first. The training techniques include walking, running, jogging, cycling, swimming, yoga, aerobics, basic exercising or oriental fighting. If you have never tried jogging, it is advisable to begin your program by walking. Always begin your routine with a two to five minutes of warm up and stretching. You need your muscles warm and loose when you begin.

There are many videos dedicated to working out.  Some are quite good with a variety of training levels and cardio monitoring systems.  But be sure to review what you are buying and then choose something that fits your lifestyle.

Then there is the gear that you can buy for your home, exercise bikes, treadmills and elliptical machines. All of them can give you a very good workout. Many prefer the ellipticals because they are easy on the joints and do not challenge the body with the pounding your feet, knees and hips would get walking or jogging.

Your workouts should always end with a “cool-down period.” Again, you should spend two to five minutes stretching.

Author: Will Keeney

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