Preventing Those Holiday Pounds

It's here again. Just look at the seasonal shelves in your favorite store. Retailers refer to this time as the holiday season, but I like to call it the "Weight Gain" season and it runs straight through New Year's.

The next few weeks will bring plenty of opportunities for you to indulge, overeat, and expand your waistline. Of course the choice is yours.

Now is the time for you to plan for the weeks ahead. Once the whirlwind of holiday activities and obligations begins, you'll be too caught up to put a plan into action.

So in this moment of relative clarity, this calm before the storm, let's outline a plan that will save you from unwanted holiday pounds.

Put Your Feet to the Fire:
Exercise is the first thing to go when people get busy, and the holiday season is notorious for deserted gyms. This year do something drastic-obligate yourself to exercise. Promising to yourself isn't enough, you need to promise to others so that you won't drop the ball.

• Commit to working with a fitness expert – the perfect solution for consistent, challenging and effective workouts. You'll get the attention and assistance that you need to power through the holidays in better shape than ever – talk about motivating!
• Join a class – we've determined that you simply won't be as effective on your own during the busy holiday season, so joining a class would lend accountability. Stick with something challenging that gets your heart rate elevated and incorporates strength training.
• Find a serious exercise buddy – some friends can be the biggest help while others end up pulling you down. When looking for an exercise buddy choose carefully and consider the following questions:
  - Do they share your fitness goals?
  - Are they typically encouraging?
  - Do they stick with things?
  - Are you at the same fitness level?
• Get your spouse involved – what a great way to spend more time together during this busy season, and you'll be able to support each other in your shared quest for fitness. Decide on an exercise activity that you can both enjoy and set a schedule for your workout dates.

Cut the Treats:
I'm not going to imply that you shouldn't indulge in any seasonal treats, but think moderation. So often the holidays are used as an excuse to eat to the point of being uncomfortable – would you really miss that bloated feeling? Decide on a few fattening treats to cut out this year.

• Do you really need to bring sweets for everyone in the office, especially since you know that you will end up with the leftovers? How about a fruit basket or flower arrangement?
• At holiday parties load your plate first with greens, vegetables and lean meats before breads and heavier foods. Also drink water with your meal and keep alcoholic beverages to a minimum.
• Watch what you drink, most beverages are filled to the brim with calories. Hot drinks from Starbucks, cocktails at parties and eggnog around a crackling fire-all very enjoyable and all filled with.
• At no other time in the year are we faced with so many sweets. To avoid being a Scrooge, but without adding pounds to your frame, try the one treat rule. Each time you're in a social situation that involves sweets just eat one, and enjoy your treat slowly.

If you truly want to enjoy the coming festivities without dealing with added pounds it is all in your hands. The key is your mindset.

Most people approach the holidays with the mindset that says ‘I deserve to indulge and I shouldn't have to exercise since it's the holidays.' This is fine if you don't mind entering 2009 a few pounds heavier, a little less healthy, and with lower energy than ever before.

I believe that you deserve better. I believe that you should enter 2009 in better shape than you are today, healthier than you've been in a long time, and with more energy that you thought possible.

I'm always available to help – call or reply to this email to set up a fitness and consultation with me and I'll show you how you can see a lot of change over the next few weeks to come.

Have you been thinking about getting back into a fitness
routine? NOW is the time to re-commit yourself to your health! We all at least think about resolving to do something better in our lives when the New Year approaches. Maybe you want to quit smoking, stop eating all those M&M’s or spend more time with your family. A great start to doing all those things is to make time to exercise. There are specific stages that we go through when we are preparing to make changes in our lives.

1. Contemplation: You realize there are changes that should be made, but you are ambivalent about making a commitment. You make excuses, such as time, money, etc., but you also consider the rewards.
2. Preparation: You are preparing to make your specific change.
3. Action: You are finally taking the action needed to help you achieve your goals!
4. Maintenance: Once you begin to make changes, you will need to keep up the effort.

When we resolve to make change, there are a few steps that we take to help us commit to our resolutions. Write down your resolutions and state how you will go about beginning to make those changes. Set a date for each small step to be accomplished. Remember: if your resolution is to exercise more, or to start, then there will be no end date. There will, however, be dates for certain stages of these accomplishments. For example:

Your goal: Begin to exercise and lose 30 pounds this year.
1. Call Fitness Together to schedule an assessment – Complete by December 7, 2008
2. Meet with your FT trainer – Complete by December 14, 2008
3. Begin exercising with your trainer three days per week - Complete by December 21, 2008
4. Train 12 times in one month – Complete by January 21, 2009
5. Lose 5 pounds in one month – Complete by February 21, 2009

You get the idea. Each time you achieve one of those small goals, you have come a step closer to the result. The busy season is upon us, New Year’s Resolutions will be made, and our personal training schedule is filling up. Don’t wait for all the prime time spots to taken. I look forward to hearing from you and getting you started on your “New You Resolution”!
 

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Fitness Together 951-302-2995

            Ed Ferrell

As owner, manager and head trainer of Fitness Together - Temecula, I have found that there is nothing more rewarding than helping my clients reach their personal fitness goals. It goes far beyond helping them to lose weight and feel better about themselves. I have seen lives completely changed when clients learn and apply proper nutrition and exercise to their lifestyles.
No one I know has ever regretted losing weight and getting in better shape. The improvements and enjoyment that clients experience in their daily lives as a result of their personal training is why I do this. I may work with each client less than an hour a day, but I known they are enjoying the benefits of their improved energy, health and fitness all day long -- and that's what its all about. Without your health, nothing else matters.

Contact Us

Fitness Together
31045 Temecula Parkway #103
Temecula, CA 92592

951-302-2995
www.fttemecula.com

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Quote of the Month

Success is nothing more than a few simple disciplines, practiced every day; while failure is simply a few errors in judgment, repeated every day. It is the accumulative weight of our disciplines and our judgments that leads us to either fortune or failure
 - Jim Rohn

Health Trivia

On average a person will blink over 10,000 times a day.

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Holidays

Pearl Harbor Day: Sun, 7
Hanukkah: Sun, 21
Christmas: Thur, 25
New Year's Eve: Wed, 31
 

Healthy Humor

"I'm prescribing these diet pills for you," said the doctor to the overweight patient. "I don't want you to swallow them. Just spill them on the floor twice a day and pick them up, one at a time...."