Conquering the Holidays…
Happy Tuesday!! Soo excited that it’s one day closer to Thanksgiving which involves some amazing friends and family, lots of things to be thankful for, and of course, TONS of yummy food. Oh, food…how do I keep those pounds off from eating all this food?!?! I worked too hard this year to just let it all go down the drain! Keeping this in mind, I would like to introduce you to one of my mentors and motivators at The Training Center, Jesse Dietrick, who has some fabulous advice about conquering all of the holiday parties coming up. Jesse is extremely knowledgeable in his field having interned under internationally known personal trainer, Todd Durkin in San Diego, a degree in exercise science, and a passion for hockey. Jesse is always motivating and gives excellent advice on the latest in the fitness world. Be sure to show Jesse some love today by checking out his blog, here or connect with him on Twitter.
Hey Everybody! The holidays are literally right around the corner and I have talked with a lot of clients that are asking how to keep the pounds off over the holidays. This time of the year is full of dinners, parties, get-togethers, baking, cooking, eating, eating, and more eating. So, what is my answer to all of this? One, if you’re going to splurge do it in modification. We are all human, and of course we will have our nights of not “perfect” clean-eating, and this is okay. I tell people to eat well 90% of the time. Start off with a great breakfast full of lean protein and some some healthy carbohydrates. My go-to breakfast is eggs with spinach, a bowl of oatmeal, and a big glass of water. Grab a peace of fruit out the door and I’m good to go. Eating this way will “boost” your metabolism for the rest of the day. Don’t be afraid to eat a big breakfast. You have all day to burn it off. Just make sure it is healthy. And two, add in exercises that will keep your heart rate up throughout the duration of your workout. One, it is much safer to workout with a raised heart rate, and two, with a raised heart rate your metabolism will be boosted a few hours after the workout is finished. What does this mean? More calories burned. Hear are my top favorite exercises to boost your heart rate that I have used for my clients (you may want to consult a physician to make sure you are safe to perform these exercises):
1. Burpee: (Top left) Begin with your feet shoulder width apart and quickly jump with hands over head. (Top right) After jump, push your hips back, and lower into deep squat. (Bottom) Kick your legs back into a pushup position. Chest over hands, squeeze your abs to maintain straight line from head to toes. That’s one rep.
3.Skater Plyo: (From left to right) Stand on right foot with knee bent into quarter squat position and place your left foot behind front leg. Quickly jump off of your right foot and land on your left foot. Bring right foot behind your left leg and repeat movement. The purpose of this movement is to develop lateral power, balance, and to jack up the heart rate. Start slow on the jumps and progressively lengthen your stride, height, and speed.
4. Kettle Bell Chop: (Left) Begin holding kettle bell with one hand on handle and the other on the bottom by the outside of your hip. Lower into a quarter squat with torso erect. (Right)Rotate the kettle bell from your hip to the outside of your opposite ear. Stand up as you progress the kettle bell upward and keep arms as straight as possible. This is a great “total-body” movement that involves rotation, and is highly functional for lack of a better term.
Thank you all for stopping by today! Here are my outfit details (because who says you can’t look fashionable in the gym??)
