"Exercise Your Options: Making the Most of Mid-Winter Workouts"

by Jodi Peckich, MS, CFT

With the emergence of the New Year still fresh, renewing your exercise routine likely ranks among your top resolutions. While you're probably already working harder, you may also wonder how you might work smarter. Your "resolution solution?" Consider investing in a multi-faceted approach to help make 2008 your most successful endeavor ever. Incorporating one, two, or more of the following suggestions into your existing regime can yield major benefits while requiring little or no additional time:

Incremental Changes

The most lasting changes often occur gradually. So before you conduct a complete lifestyle-overhaul, think twice. Implement one or two dietary improvements each week. Try the "Ten Percent" guideline: increase the amount of weight you lift each week by ten percent, or increase the distance you walk or run by ten percent. Challenge yourself!

...And Keep Challenging Yourself

Over time, muscles grow accustomed to repetitive activities, so mix it up! Since muscles respond best when one varies the stress placed upon them, so recruit different muscle fibers with cross training. Similarly, by changing your regular routine every six to eight weeks, muscles are forced to respond to new challenges.

"All," "Nothing," and Somewhere In Between

In terms of fitting in fitness, is your schedule generally unfit? Many exercisers find it easier to squeeze in several smaller bursts instead of one longer session. For example, three fifteen-minute bursts may spark your energy as much as one 45-minute session. Short bursts still yield effective cardiovascular and strength benefits. Also, you may be more likely to offer more all-out effort, rather than "budget" your energy, as/which is typical of a longer session.

Get the Gadgets

Fortunately, many basic cardiovascular activities require little more than a pair of athletic shoes and a morsel of motivation. To enhance your stride, a couple of gems are worth mentioning. First, whether you wish to incinerate fat or boost your total calorie burn, heart rate monitors can help you reach your specific fitness goals. Not only will they alert you when it's time to pick up the pace; many of my clients are surprised to learn that they've been working too hard and can turn their huffing and puffing down a notch!

Second, are you meeting the daily recommended number of 5,000 steps per day? Gentlemen, start your pedometers! Challenge your inner competitor, and aim to beat the number of steps that you strode on previous days. Better yet, engage in a friendly competition with your children. Kids love competition, and everyone wins in terms of improved wellness.

Do Your Homework

The Internet offers a wealth of information to find fitness ideas and to help you track your progress. For example, sites like Charlotte's Fit City Challenge (http://www.fitcitychallenge.org) serve as one-stop shopping for everything from activity calculators to calorie counters. Or, check your favorite restaurant's website for nutritional information so that you can order with the confidence that you're making healthy choices.

Ditch "Diets"

It is particularly important in the wintertime to eat right to protect your more vulnerable immune system, plus recover from less-than-stellar eating choices during holiday celebrations. Equip your body with disease-fighting antioxidants and combat weight gain by aiming for a balanced diet containing:

• "Go" foods - plenty of whole grains, fruits, and vegetables;

• "Slow" foods - fewer moderate-fat, calorie-dense items; and

• "Whoa" foods - high-fat, highly-processed sweets and foods loaded with additives.

Beware of plans that require you to slash calories to the point of sluggishness, ask you to eliminate entire food groups, and promise major results in a short period of time. Remember, "guarantees" that sound too good to be true probably are! Rest assured that saying "no" to the latest fad diet may be one of the best New Year's Resolutions you can uphold!

Supporting Players

Coupled with your balanced diet, consider taking a daily multivitamin and/or multimineral supplement to combat the viruses and bacteria that lurk around us. For instance, Vitamin C and Zinc may help prevent and relieve the symptoms of colds, while B vitamins may keep energy levels high and guard against seasonal depression. And while many health professionals advocate that the body assimilates vitamins and minerals from actual food sources more efficiently than man-made versions, supplements may complement hectic schedules when hectic schedules don't accommodate the "perfect" menu.

"Fab[ulous]" Fluids

You may not be inclined to drink as much in winter as during the hot summer months. Regardless of the temperature outside, ample fluid intake remains as important during cold weather. Stay hydrated and flush toxins with at least eight to ten cups of water, fruits, vegetables, soups, fruit juices, milk, coffee, and tea each day. And while steamy drinks like coffee, hot chocolate, and teas may seem appealing, be mindful that the caffeine contained within them, a diuretic, may eliminate more fluid from the body. Adjust your intake if you experience symptoms such as headache, fatigue, dry nasal passages, dry cracked lips, and general discomfort.

Spark Your Spirit

The mind-body connection recognizes the close connection between our physical and emotional states; if one spirals in either direction, the other often follows suit. Abbreviated daylight hours, frigid weather, and fewer hours outside can lead to tiredness, lower spirits, and perhaps even depression. Therefore, it is important to care for both your mind and body for total wellness. Regular exercise, mentally-engaging activities, connecting with family and friends, and creative pursuits can elevate your outlook.

Bundle Up

Fifteen to twenty minutes per day enables sunlight to metabolize the body's vitamin D stores, which may help lift your mood. While you're outside in cold weather, remember to dress in layers to help keep you warm. Pay particular attention to keeping your head, hands, and feet warm. Also, choose silk, wool, nylon, fleece, and other man-made fibers to maintain body temperature and allow for proper sweat evaporation. Lastly, avoid cotton, which absorbs moisture and can lead to the chilling effect of trapped sweat.

Address Stress

Ring in the New Year by wringing out stress. Stress is an inevitable part of our daily lives (work, time-crunched schedules, and lengthy "to-do" lists) as well as our children's lives (homework, tests, and equally time-crunched schedules). However, prolonged stress can increase the production of a hormone called cortisol, which may suppress the immune system and increase one's susceptibility to illness. Maintain our strength and reduce your chance for weight gain with exercise, along with other effective stress management techniques such as meditation, massage, deep breathing techniques, and laughter.

The Case for the Couch

During a time of year when "Couch Potato Syndrome" is at its peak, one doesn't often receive reminders to lie down more. However, sleep is needed to repair and rejuvenate a hard-working body; conversely, sleep deprivation compromises the immune system and may even promote fat storage. Step up for your ticket to enjoy a favorite sitcom in the evening (although minus the pound of potato chips), or hit the sack a bit earlier than your usual schedule allows.

Hygiene Helps

Your kindergarten teacher gave smart advice: Wash your hands frequently and thoroughly! Health professionals recommend that you wet your hands with warm water, apply soap, and rub your hands together for 20 seconds. While preventing food-related illness, hand-washing also reduces your risk of receiving and spreading cold, flu, and other [unpronounceable/who-knows-what-other] germs.

In summary, to complement your exercise efforts, adopting a holistic approach may help strengthen your body, your outlook, and your resistance to illness. If you still succumb to sickness, chances are that your recovery will be shorter and easier. Finally, perhaps the most encouraging aspect of your New Year's plan is that you've already conquered the greatest challenge: finding the time to "fit in" fitness. By adopting any or all or the ideas above, you may find that maximizing your exercise efforts offers a better post-holiday bargain than any clearance rack in town!