This time of year it can be so difficult to stay on track
with our health and fitness goals.
However, the stronger we are now, the easier it is to begin the New Year
on a high note. Wouldn’t we rather be
pumped up and raring to go in January, instead of hauling extra pounds, fighting
addiction to sweets, and skipping workouts?
Seriously, if we can maintain even a few of our
healthy habits throughout December, we can feel AMAZING come January 1st.
So, what habits are most necessary to preserve in December? While
it might be slightly different for each of us, here are 4 suggestions.
1. Eat your fruits and veggies.
While the Food Guide Pyramid has gone through some modifications and is now MyPlate, I still often think back to that pyramid. Make sure you are getting at least 3-5 daily servings of vegetables and 2-4 servings of fruit. If we make those two food groups a priority, we’ll make smarter meal choices throughout the day and help ward off cravings for sweets. Plus, we will feel more energetic with healthy meals. We definitely need all the energy possible this time of year! I was talking to a friend today that works in an office environment. Rather than being tempted by all the sweets that her office-mates were bringing in, she decided to take in strawberries to share. They were just sweet enough to help keep her on track and avoid the cookie tray!
While the Food Guide Pyramid has gone through some modifications and is now MyPlate, I still often think back to that pyramid. Make sure you are getting at least 3-5 daily servings of vegetables and 2-4 servings of fruit. If we make those two food groups a priority, we’ll make smarter meal choices throughout the day and help ward off cravings for sweets. Plus, we will feel more energetic with healthy meals. We definitely need all the energy possible this time of year! I was talking to a friend today that works in an office environment. Rather than being tempted by all the sweets that her office-mates were bringing in, she decided to take in strawberries to share. They were just sweet enough to help keep her on track and avoid the cookie tray!
- Vegetable servings:
- 1 cup of raw leafy vegetables
- 1/2 cup of other vegetables, cooked or raw
- 3/4 cup of vegetable juice
- Fruit servings:
- One medium apple, orange or banana
- 1/2 cup of chopped, cooked or canned fruit
- 3/4
cup of fruit juice
2. Maintain your
workouts.
If your goal is to exercise three to five times a week for 30 minutes, as Nike states –Just Do It™! Don’t let your busy schedule steal your exercise time away. Your health and fitness is important for you and your family! Unfortunately, fitness is one of those things -- If you don’t use it, you lose it. Cardiovascular endurance starts to diminish within just 2 weeks. So, if we skip our workouts the rest of the month, we will be starting our New Year from a much lower point… plus we will soon be feeling crummy because we are skipping something so crucial to our health and well-being, right?!
If your goal is to exercise three to five times a week for 30 minutes, as Nike states –Just Do It™! Don’t let your busy schedule steal your exercise time away. Your health and fitness is important for you and your family! Unfortunately, fitness is one of those things -- If you don’t use it, you lose it. Cardiovascular endurance starts to diminish within just 2 weeks. So, if we skip our workouts the rest of the month, we will be starting our New Year from a much lower point… plus we will soon be feeling crummy because we are skipping something so crucial to our health and well-being, right?!
If you are working on the December Fitness Challenge—STAY WITH
IT!! Haven’t started yet? Pick a
challenge level and join us this second half of the month! I had a slow start this month as I was sick
the first couple days, but this challenge is helping me maintain my workouts
too. =)
3. Drink water.
I think we all know that water is essential for our bodies. However, there are a few reasons that I believe water is especially important for us this month.
- Dehydration leads to headaches, low energy, and fatigue. We do not need any of these issues, right ladies? Keep a water bottle with you. Take it to work, keep it out in the kitchen, or put a bottle in your purse when you are shopping. Sometimes we are so busy that we forget to drink. Make it easy on yourself by having a nearby source that you will see often.
- If we aren’t drinking water, we are likely drinking calories. Besides tea or coffee (depending on how you take it), most drinks besides water contain considerable calories. This time of year presents itself with plenty of opportunity for extra calories, so sticking with water as our primary drink might just help us stay on the lighter side of life! (P.S. I am not going to get into diet drinks and artificial sweeteners, but I personally believe those are absolutely awful for you and it would be better to drink the sugar calories in regular soda…but that’s another conversation for another time…)
- Water can
promote a feeling of fullness and help keep our appetite in check. Drinking water
throughout the day is much better than snacking throughout the day! Additionally, if we are dehydrated, we
may even not recognize the signal for thirst and want to eat
instead. Drinking water before
meals (or eating a soup at the beginning of the meal) may also help us
consume less calories.
4. Sleep tight! Without sleep we
are likely to fall off the deep end in December. There are often so many activities and events, that we
stay up late trying to fit everything into the day. However,
remember that our bodies need rest to maintain health during stressful
periods. Keep to your bedtime as
much as possible and don’t allow yourself to get run down. (I am preaching to myself on this one,
because it’s such a struggle for me!) If you find your to-do list is just
impossible --delegate or delete!
Your presence is much your important than your presents, and a healthy mom is absolutely critical this time of year. Get your rest!
What healthy habits are you shooting for this month? Feel
free to leave a comment below or join us on Facebook to continue the
conversation. Happy December!
References
Sentry Health Monitors, Inc. (2011). Food Guide
Pyramid. Retrieved from LifeClinic.com: http://www.lifeclinic.com/focus/nutrition/food-pyramid.asp
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