Post-Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving week was so-so, diet and exercise wise... I went home to my parents house and my friends have totally different schedules and eating habits than I do. It wasn't horrible, but it wasn't great. Luckily my parents are pretty healthy and suprisingly, Thanksgiving dinner is not much bigger than a regular meal (healthy and small) and I'm not a fan of pie.

Even so, I got off track with exercising and I STILL haven't been to a WW meeting. They just don't work with my schedule.

But I did find this article today while I was checking my email. It had some good ideas.

"Success is only a word, but achieving it is a lifestyle."
Make the decision - that’s what you have to do first. Decide that you want to maintain, begin, or improve your training this winter, then take steps to support (and reinforce) your decision.
Then, don’t give up no matter what. Act and think, in all areas of your life, like the athlete you want to be (and look like). Making your health and fitness a priority will be the best gift you give this winter to you and everyone else in your life.

So what do you do if it’s too cold to go outside and you haven’t got time to hit the gym?

Here’s what I do:
1. Lunges across the living room: find enough space to walk/lunge 8-10 paces and do slow, deep walking lunges in your home. Take a long stride and bend deeply as you walk slowly step-by-step working your quads, hamstrings and glutes. Four sets of 8-10 strides on each leg will have you feeling as though you’ve just done leg extensions and squats at the gym.

2. Push up on the stairs, on a bench or on the floor. If you are using a bench be sure that it is securely pushed up against a wall. On the floor, you may want to do your pushups on your knees instead of your toes. Do four sets of 5-10 reps (and you can even do a little housework in between sets); believe me you will feel your upper body muscles the next day as though you were lifting weights at the gym.

3. Jump rope in the kitchen. Do five sets of 1-2 minutes of jumping rope. You’ll be conditioning your heart, burning excess calories, and revving up your system for a good day.

4. Jumping jacks in the bedroom. Nothing like a few sets of jacks to get your heart rate up and a little sweat going. Do 8-10 sets of 25 jacks and you’ll not only feel your whole body working, but the after effects of feeling your upper and lower body throughout the day will be satisfying and a reminder that you are an athlete in training.

5. Abs anywhere. First of all, keep your abs engaged on all of the above exercises. Then, on a soft surface lie on your back and do three sets of 15 crunches and three sets of 15 leg lifts supporting your lower back by keeping your hands on the floor, palms down, just under your lower back.6. Begin your day with five minutes of quiet introspection. Sit still, close your eyes and relax. Focus on your breath and let the world become simple and peaceful.



Oh, and for Christmas, I asked for a mini stepper and a pedometer :)