Whether it’s the harm to your health that comes from chronically failed New Year RE-solutions, blaming yourself for not being able to create and maintain healthy habits, feeling intimidated by setting “the right” fitness habits, you certainly aren’t alone. Learn how to form healthy habits for good!
As a fitness professional and naturopath, I am constantly asked the difference between an osteopath and a physiotherapist. Although both professions have extensive training in anatomy, physiology, pathology and hands on techniques, there are distinct differences with the two and they originate from quite different roots.
It is true that not all sugars are evil. Your body actually needs the sugar that it gets from fruits and vegetables. The sugar in fruit is a simple sugar, meaning that your body does not have to break anything down like it has to with complex and refined sugars. Refined (white sugar) sugar causes damage to your body and cells. It is also highly addictive.
Without question it is important to take rest days to first restart the body and the mind. Taking a break from a structured workout routine allows the body time to recover properly while also giving muscles, nerves, and bones time to rebuild. I have been asked by various people in my exercise classes about recommended activities to perform during a rest day. One of the first things we discuss are light activities they may enjoy so they will want to continue with it moving forward. Here are a few fun light activity recommendations along with their benefits.
Have the holiday’s gotten the best of your body leaving you with fun memories and a little ‘extra fluff’ on your waistline? It’s the perfect time to get your ‘butts’ back in gear and shape up that waistline with a good booty liftin’ and core slimming workout that will shape, sculpt, and tone these stubborn areas. Plus, your backside and torso will look and feel great as you ‘strut your stuff’.
A sample Strength & Conditioning Program with 7 exercises for your Total Gym that you can incorporate into your exercise regimen 2 – 3 days per week that will have you feeling like an athlete in no time.
Bodies are meant to be in motion especially when you can make it fun. Engage with your kids to get them up and moving by relating to something they enjoy, hence FORTNITE style. Set up a boot camp style with a few different stations that alternate between an exercise on the Total Gym, a body weight exercise, cardio, and a dance move. The person on the Total Gym counts 10 reps while everyone else performs the other exercises chosen! Then you rotate to the next station until all are performed. Perform the warmup and cool down all together.
Holiday weight gain is not just from cookies, treats, or eating too much! It’s also contributed to cocktails loaded up with extra sugars in the drink. If you’re mindful of what’s in the food and drinks you intake, you can prevent ingesting any extra - unneeded calories this season. You can have your booze and drink it too but with healthier options. This season, try making ‘healthier’ holiday cocktails that will keep you happy (cheers!) and focused on your health for the new year!
Foam Rolling / Self Myofascial Release / Self Massage all are done using a soon to be archaic apparatus (at least for those of us that own a Total Gym) called the foam roller. One day, I was rolling out next to my Total Gym when I came up with the idea. Both of these products are time honored effective fitness tools that seemed a natural fit to me.
The holidays are a busy time, but… it’s also an important time to stay on track with your own health goals. You can accomplish this by keeping stress levels low in order to focus on things that really matter for a healthy lifestyle, such as eating a good diet, staying active, and getting rest. As we move into the new year, set yourself up to feel invigorated with a healthier, happier you.