Danger on the High Seas

A wise man once told me that there are 3 kinds of people who go on cruises: Newlyweds, Almost Dead, and Over Fed. Boy did we see our share of each last week on our Thankscation. We were on board the Carnival Ecstasy not 10 minutes before we witness our fellow cruisers hitting the buffet hard. I guess they wanted to make sure they got their money's worth and since there were thousands of people on board maybe they were worried we'd run out of food. I know the official cause for the Costa Concordia's demise was running aground after deviating from their planned course but I think we can make a case for a few too many passengers standing on the starboard side after the midnight buffet. 

The average person gains 5-10lbs both on a 5 day cruise and during the holiday season! Many of the strategies I used to stay on track during vacation will help me throughout the holidays and the never ending food celebrations that threaten to roll us into 2013. Here are my top 5 tips for enjoying a Healthy Holiday Season. Please keep in mind that healthy and fun are not mutually exclusive terms. 

1. Change your Vocab! 

"Cheat" feels so negative and it should because if you are not careful you will cheat yourself out of the healthy goals you have been working towards. Instead plan your INDULGENCE for the week: Plan it, enjoy it,  and move on. Don't let your SPLURGE become a BINGE. You will feel sorry later and it could lead to more unhealthy decisions. 

2. Control your Food ADD

Nothing can throw you into food sensory overload quite like the alluring colors and displays of a dessert buffet. Somehow during the holidays familiar and usually safe places: the break room at work, a secretary's desk, even the copy room  can transform into a display of sugary treats poised to derail your willpower and resolve. There is something about the novelty of food you wouldn't buy or make yourself that makes you panic that you will be missing out on something. Don't fall into this trap! I find its best to focus on my planned indulgence and how much better I will feel after I walk away VICTORIOUSLY from the sabotage my coworkers have set up. 

3. Get Up and Move

On vacation and in real life I try to move as early as possible. If I start my day with exercises no matter  nothing can threaten my schedule. I know if I wait until later I can find reasons to skip it or talk myself out of it. In The Compound Effect Darren Hardy suggests bookending your days since you can't control what happens in the middle. If I plan on exercising in the morning and I prep/plan my meals for the following day in the evening I can guarantee that I am doing two things to keep me on track each day no matter where the schedule takes me. 

4. Don't Drink your Calories

Pina Coladas or Hot Toddies they both pack on hundreds of extra calories you might not be accounting for. Instead, consider these drinks a dessert or skip them all together. Same things goes for the Vino. If you are actually thirsty be sure to drink water to quench your thirst and when you chose these beverages enjoy them don't wash down your cheesecake with a tiramisu martini.

5. Add these Exercises to your workouts! 

 These two moves have 100% effectiveness in conquering the holiday bulge! You can stick to your goals find a friend who is also committed and partner up this holiday season. Its not going to be easy but its not impossible either!

3 Ways to Combat a Case of the Mondays

Does you recognize this scenario:

Last week you over did it on several occasions, fell off the wagon with your exercise and proclaimed  today (Monday) would be a great day for a do-over and start to your diet and fitness plan back up. At the time Monday seemed worlds away. Since Monday was sure to be the first day of the rest of your life you might as well give yourself a send off saying goodbye to the "bad" foods you will never eat again. Flash forward to this morning you find your packed lunch full of leftovers from the weekend binge and you wouldn't want to waste it; there are starving children in Africa after all.

You feel defeated but have a few options:

• Toss the food and pick up a healthy lunch alternative to stay true to your goals 
• Eat the lunch anyway and start tomorrow but Tuesday is trivia night, Wednesday is your off day from working out and before you know it you are back on the weekend binge cycle... there's always next Monday. 
• Find a way to make the best choice within your options. 

Here are three tips you can apply TODAY even if your bag lunch leaves something to be desired in the healthy department. 

• Cut your food into small pieces- Do you remember the Seinfeld episode where George took a cue from Mr. Pitt and attempted to class up the Yankees organization with the way he ate his Snickers bar? This classic episode can help you keep your food intake in check: cutting your food into small pieces give the appearance of abundance on your plate. Slowly eating each piece gives your body the time it needs to alert your brain that you are full helping you to avoid another over indulgence.

• Veggies First-  If you managed to get something that passes for healthy in your lunch be sure to eat the vegetables first treating heavier parts of the meal as the side dish. Veggies didn't make the cut? Grabbing a side salad is an inexpensive way to supplement your lunch. Just remember that not all salads are created equal. Go for clear dressing on the side and dip your fork into the dressing before each bite rather than pouring the dressing over your salad. 

• Portion BEFORE you heat & eat-  Just as you should avoid serving family style at home the same idea works in the office too. Lets face it, if you spent the past few days making less than stellar food choices chances are your Tupperware is another opportunity to over serve yourself. Avoid letting the portion distortion carry over into the week by putting the remaining leftovers back in the fridge. Finish your meal, drink some water, and wait about ten minutes before reevaluating the remaining leftovers. Better yet, take a quick lap around the office or even just to the restroom to give yourself some time to really consider if you are really hungry or just considering it because of your proximity to the food. 

Remember life is a series of choices that take you toward or away from your goals. This Monday morning aim for making the best choice within any give set of options. You can do this just choose to be successful by making choices that are in line with your goals. 

"I don't want to bulk up"

     As a fitness professional I am blessed to be in the company of many strong women who have become my Fat Free Friends. These are women who share my passion for health and wellness and have been a great resource to me for strategies, encouragement,  and ideas. I am so lucky to have a core group of women (and men) who trust me with the task of keeping them healthy and increasing their fitness levels. 

     That being said I am surprised and ultimately saddened when I hear this common arguement from women as I stress the importance of strength training:"I don't want to bulk up". 

     This statement is usually reinforced when they refuse to pick up anything more than the same 3-6lb weights they have been using in their "toning" classes for years wondering why they have the same problem areas (not so fondly refered to as "bat wings", "saddlebags", or "thunder thighs"). Even after I gently remind them that they have to "Make a change to see a change" they look at me defiantly in the mirror ferociously curling their "cute little weights" in order to prevent this:

 The above photo is clearly not a naturally occurring phenomenon. Why are otherwise intelligent women so uninformed when it comes to strength training? They look at me skeptically when I suggest adding a total body strength training session or class into their regimen as they are determined to burn fat via the cardio fan favorites: running, Turbo Kick, Spinning, Zumba, and endless hours on the cardio deck. Muscle burns fat. If you don't believe me check out this motivational photo as proof: 

In all seriousness, here are a few things you need to know before choosing your weights for your next workout: 

• You want to GAIN- Lean Muscle Mass that is.  Contrary the common belief muscle does not weigh more than fat: 5 pounds of muscle and 5 pounds of fat weigh the same 5 pounds. Muscle is however, much more compact. Yes its true the lean bodies you lust after in fitness magazines are chock full of lean muscle mass. 

(5lbs of each)

• Trust the principle of overload. Amy, my trainer back home was not shy to remind me that my legs are strong they lift 100+lbs all day long. Therefore, if my Portuguese rear end and thighs were truly my enemy I would want to conquer them by lifting heavy to change their make up. 

• Men are from Mars... We recognize the difference between Men and Women in virtually every other area of life so why would we assume that Men and Women would respond the SAME exact way to strength training? The amount of testosterone men have causes their muscle fibers to grow in that "bulky" way women find undesirable. Women have 20-30% less testosterone so we can gain the strength without the bulk effect. 

• Age is just a number! Your age and metabolism are NOT DIRECTLY related- lean muscle mass is the missing link. So many women tell me that their metabolism slowed as they aged when in truth the amount of lean muscle mass they have has decreased causing their metabolism to slow. Unfortunately you can't do anything about your age but you can INCREASE your lean muscle mass therefore increasing your metabolism.  

Go on Girls, lift Heavy this week! Please post below if you have upped your usual resistance load!