Fitness
The holiday season is upon us. That whirlwind of gift-giving, marketing blitzes, and celebrations that make up the holidays can be overwhelming for many people. While scheduling, trimming activities, and prioritizing can make the season more enjoyable, an often-overlooked – and scientifically proven – way of combating stress while improving your health and fitness is exercise.
Exercise doesn’t have to be difficult. One of the easiest, convenient, and most fundamental ways of getting in shape is walking. If you walk outdoors, wearing comfortable shoes and clothing enhances your enjoyment. Always start any exercise with a brief warm-up and basic stretching. Consider walking with a friend for fun and safety; if walking alone, be aware of your surroundings, wear bright clothes so cars can see you, and bring a cell phone with you in case of emergency. During winter months, treadmills enable you to walk regardless of the weather or time.
Nevertheless, most people fail to exercise because they lack time, aren’t exactly sure what to do, don’t see results, or get discouraged for any number of other reasons. Successful fitness programs need realistic goals and action plans. If you don’t exercise regularly and need help starting or revitalizing a fitness program, consider professional assistance. Fitness coaches and personal trainers are available at most gyms and some offer in-home, one-on-one training.
For those who do exercise regularly, by challenging your muscles and stimulating your mind, you can reach the next level of fitness by changing your exercise routine every 60 days. It’s important to train all major muscle groups with the proper weights, form, intensity, and stretching.
As always, seek advice from your physician before starting, especially if you have a medical condition, are overweight, sedentary or have a family history of heart problems. Also, be mindful of the holiday tradition of gorging on holiday treats and zipping through the fast food lane, while neglecting exercise. Take time to arrange for healthy meals and make physical fitness a part of your holiday routine.
Exercise truly is the gift that keeps on giving to yourself and your loved ones. Not only does it help reduce holiday stress this season, but it also keeps your body going for another year.
Marty Weil is an ACE-certified Personal Trainer.
www.thefitnesscoach.biz
Visual awareness of funky looking shoes on thick rocker soles is spreading pretty rapidly. They seem stylishly challenged yet the trend is growing with names bigger and smaller trying to imitate the original - MBT that is. MBT stands for Masai Barefoot Technology and thanks to its Swiss engineered sole it can increase your lower body muscle activity anywhere from 9% - 38%, depending on the particular muscle group and whether walking or standing. How does it work? Well, the shoe is built to put you in a state of natural instability which involves a plethora of muscles not used when wearing traditional footwear. Even when standing, one must continue to engage their muscles in order to stay up. MBT also allows those with more tender joints to get back to walking for exercise or even light jogging. If I were to compare how it feels to wear the shoes I would say it is probably like walking barefoot on sand, maybe even at a gentle incline. How is that for a workout? 