10 Top Holiday Fitness Tips
The holiday season can wreak havoc with your best intentions to stay in shape. It’s easy to get de-railed with parties, travel and general disruption to your normal routines. Be proactive: Plan your strategy now to maintain your fitness when life gets hectic. Use these 10 TIPS to keep on track for the New Year.
1) Make movement a daily habit. The secret of your success is found in your everyday routines. Consistency is the key to building and maintaining momentum.
2) Think “activity” instead of “workout.” Find opportunities to be active during the course of your day. Walk to work, take the steps, lift and carry your groceries, do housekeeping chores energetically. It all counts!
3) Accumulate 30 minutes of moderate physical activity most (at least 5) days of the week. Studies show that that exercise accumulated in short bouts of 10 or 15-minutes offers weight loss and aerobic fitness benefits comparable to those achieved in longer workouts. Take 2 or 3 shorter walks every day.
4) Simple exercises provide a mini full-body workout, no equipment needed. Do 10-15 repetitions of body weight exercises like push ups, squats and crunches every other day for your muscle work. Too easy? Add another set of each.
5) Combat the negative effects of prolonged sitting. For every hour you’re sitting, get up and move around for five minutes.
6) Count your steps with your smart phone, pedometer or other tracking device. See how many steps you average and then build on them. Try to add 1000 steps per day every week until you hit 10,000 in a day!
7) Use the small moments of your day to do a few minutes of exercise while you’re standing at the kitchen sink, sitting at your desk, relaxing on the couch.
8) Stand on one leg while brushing your teeth to improve balance.
9) Do range of motion exercises in the shower. The warm, moist air is perfect for limbering up stiff hands and fingers.
10) Stretch your muscles at the end of the day to discharge tension and get a better night’s sleep. Stretch every day for best results but at minimum 2 or 3 times a week. See the End-of-Day Couch Stretches in this video.
Watch Joan’s End-of-Day Couch Stretches” (Tip #10)
Get simple strategies to enhance daily life with more energy, a better mood and less stress. Call Joan today: 212-722-8116.
Joan Pagano is the author of best-selling fitness books, including the new release Strength Training Exercises for Women (DK, 2014), an informational speaker on health and fitness topics and the owner of Joan Pagano Fitness in New York City. Former trainer to Jacqueline Onassis and Caroline Kennedy, Joan has specialized in strength training for women since 1988. She is an authority on the benefits of exercise for women's health issues such as menopause, osteoporosis and breast cancer, as well as strength training through the decades. Joan is the proud finisher of seven marathons and a member of the Shaker Heights High School Alumni Hall of Fame.
Visit Joan at: www.joanpaganofitness.com/
