Happy (And Healthy!) Holidays

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(NAPSI)—Start your holiday season off right with a balanced approach of healthy choices and a little guilt-free indulging, too. With a mix of high-intensity workouts and smart food choices, you’ll feel motivated and invigorated come 2016!

<strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">Adios, Gluten!<o:p></o:p></strong>

While never diagnosed as gluten-intolerant, as a fitness expert, I made a personal choice two years ago to remove gluten from my diet and found I was less bloated and tired after meals. I stuck with it because I had more energy throughout the day and saw a noticeable improvement in my workouts. It also helped me achieve a balanced and sustainable healthy lifestyle.

Here are a few healthy eating tips to reduce gluten:

1. Switch from wheat-based pasta to veggie noodles. Spaghetti squash, shaved zucchini ribbons and slices of hearty eggplant all make excellent pasta substitutes.

2. Grab a great tasting gluten-removed beer. Omission Beer is brewed with traditional beer ingredients, so it tastes like real beer, but it’s specially crafted to remove gluten.* If I drink beer, their Pale Ale is my go-to because I love its bold and <span class="SpellE">hoppy</span> flavor—no taste sacrificed!

3. Stay away from fried and flaky appetizers. Instead of reaching for gluten-full and calorie-laden bites, reach for fresh fruits and vegetables and protein options like hummus, shrimp and Greek yogurt dip.

4. Focus on naturally gluten-free foods and stick to an overall anti-inflammatory diet. Foods like wild caught salmon, blueberries, cucumber, leafy greens, ginger, garlic and sweet potatoes are naturally gluten-free and help reduce internal and external inflammation.

A large part of living a balanced life is finding ways to fluidly stick to your routine no matter the season.

<strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">The Holiday Challenge<o:p></o:p></strong>

Time is of the essence during the holidays. It’s normal for your schedule to be thrown off but that doesn’t mean you should compromise your training. Take a family hike or take the dog out for a run to get your body moving.

You don’t need to go totally off the rails during the holidays AND eat low-quality food. Just keep your “off day” food standards just as high as your “normal day” food choices. If it includes the words partially hydrogenated oil, throw it out and instead look for items that have minimal, whole food ingredients.

Having a few go—to workouts makes it easier to squeeze a workout in-even if you’re on vacation or have a house full of visitors.

<strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">The Workout <o:p></o:p></strong>

Body weight exercises don’t have to be fancy to be effective. All you need is the space of a yoga mat and your body. Here are three moves easily incorporated into two quick workouts:

1. Push-ups (on knees or on a bench for beginners/full extended body for advanced athletes)

2. Single leg reverse <span class="SpellE">flys</span> (foot can be on the floor for stability for beginners)

3. Air <span class="GramE">squats</span> (beginner)/squat jumps (advanced).

<strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">Workout #1:</strong> 1 minute of each move, repeat 4x with a 30 second break between rounds:

Keep track of how many moves you get per minute and try to beat it the next time you do this work out. That’s how you progress with your fitness!

Push-ups

Right leg reverse fly

Left leg reverse fly

Air squats or jump squats

<strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">Workout #2:</strong> 5 rounds of the following moves:

3x Push-ups

6x Right leg reverse fly

6x Left leg reverse fly

9x Jump squats

Consistent workouts are important, but are just one piece of the equation for a strong training program.

<strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">Five Fantastic Training Hacks<o:p></o:p></strong>

1. Science has shown that High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)--short bursts of intense exercise—causes the quickest body change and gives a terrific 36-hour post-workout calorie burn called the EPOC effect. Perfect for the holidays, when overindulgence can use the post-calorie burn!

2. Choose full-body exercises like bench press, squats, pull-ups, reverse lunges and <span class="SpellE">deadlifts</span>. For these, use weight that feels like a “7/8” on a scale of 1 to 10.

3. Schedule your training a minimum of a week in advance. Treat your training time as a non-negotiable hour for yourself. If you’re feeling unmotivated, join an online challenge or ask a friend to complete 4 weeks of training 3x a week together.

4. Trade-off imbibing with choosing a good, hearty meal to start the night. A turkey sandwich with spinach and tomato on whole grain bread with avocado will keep blood sugar levels stable and you’ll feel better the next morning!

5. Invest in a fitness tracking device. Knowledge is power, and knowing what kind of activity level you engage in will help you reach your goals and then adjust them accordingly.

On the Net:<a href="http://www.napsnet.com">North American Precis Syndicate, Inc.(NAPSI)</a>



<p>Eating right and staying fit during the holidays can help you have a happier New Year. (NAPS)</p>


        The Gazette-Democrat

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