With the joyful spirit of the holiday season, it is easy to consume more than your fair share of cookies and other sweets on a daily basis. This, combined with little physical activity, can leave you feeling sluggish, and may even result in a few extra notches to your belt. Here are some simple tips that will keep you toned and energetic throughout the winter.
1) Drink lots of water, and limit your intake of refined carbohydrates. Refined carbohydrates are processed in ways that remove nutrients and fiber from the food such as stripping the germ and/or the bran from the grain. This technique of processing concentrates the carbohydrate so that our bodies process the food quickly, which allows our blood sugar to rise.
Refined Carbohydrates
- Sweetened fruit juice, soft drinks, and sweet tea.
- Bagels, bread, muffins, and packaged cereal made from white flour.
- Cookies, cake, cupcakes, and donuts.
- Candy, potato chips, and pretzels.
- White rice and pasta made from enriched or white flour.
2) Fit at least 60 minutes of cardio/aerobic exercise into your daily routine. If you have access to a treadmill, cross trainer, bike machine, or step machine, these are easy options. Otherwise, you could dance around to music, try an active video game, do a workout DVD, or check out YouTube workouts as well.
3) To stay toned, incorporate squats, lunges, push ups, weight lifting, and/or an ab workout into your daily exercise routine. Yoga is a great way to sculpt muscles while relaxing from daily stressors; enroll in a free week of CorePower yoga! Go to http://www.corepoweryoga.com/ for more details.
4) Try something new! Cross country skiing, skating at a local ice rink, and/or dance classes at a local gym are fun options to get a workout without really realizing it.
5) Make sure to stretch out all of your muscles! This is super important since muscles tend to be tighter in the winter, and they are more susceptible to strains or injury.
What to look for in food labels
Get in the habit of looking at labels. If the label contains high fructose corn syrup, then the food is probably refined with a lot of sugar, which makes it a refined carb. If you want to add a little sweetness to your food, choose honey or natural maple syrup instead. Also, look for the words “whole wheat” or “whole grain”. These words mean that what you are about to eat IS NOT a refined carb.