Indulge without the Bulge!

The holidays are full of magic, love, thanksgiving, excited children, tears of joy, Christmas carols.... and they are also full of peanut butter filled crackers dripped in chocolate (thank you, Chelsea!), eggnog, red velvet cake, white chocolate covered pretzels with m&m's (thank you, Allison!), peppermint candies - oh, I could go on and on!  All of this means that some of us pack on a few pounds.  I like indulging in all the holiday fare, but I don't want to end up like Charlene:

A few weeks ago during breakfast while Brooke was in her high chair, I stood up and did 20 squats.  A couple of hours later, I did 20 more, and as the day went on, I took one minute several more times to whip out 20 squats.  By the end of the day, I had done 100 squats!  I didn't sweat - I didn't have to change into workout clothes - it took no time - but I did 100 squats!  I woke up the next morning and boy was I sore!  I loved it!  So, I focused on my arms and did 12-15 push-ups about 5 times throughout the day.  Again, no sweat, hardly any time, no dedicated gym time....

How about we do something for ourselves, beginning RIGHT NOW, that will increase our strength, help prevent holiday weight gain and make us feel confident when we don a sleeveless short holiday dress?!

 Here is a day by day plan - alternating arms, legs and stretching.  I typically run 4 days a week for about 30-45 minutes.  I have realized the past few years how important it is to do some strength exercises and stretch in addition to just running.  So, for beginners, start with 20 reps 4-5 times a day; 40 reps 5-6 times a day for the more advanced. 

Monday:  chair dips

Tuesday:  squats

Wednesday: stretching (each time you stretch, pick a different body part to stretch)

Thursday:  wall push-ups or regular push-ups

Friday:  wall sits

Ways to sneak in your reps:

• waiting on your shower to heat up
• waiting on your coffee to brew
• while you're on the phone
• while you're waiting on the bus or in the carpool line (don't feel silly - be an example of health!)
• cooking dinner and waiting on that pot of water to boil?
• sneak it in before you load the dishwasher
• right before you jump into bed
• first thing when you wake up
• before or after you run an errand
• have a few minutes before that little league football or basketball game begins?
• while you're watching Modern Family, The Office, Parenthood, Once Upon a Time (my new favorite!), or whatever your favorite show...

While I am at work, I try to do a set once an hour every hour - right at my desk. 

Dr. Vall provided me with a nice list of exercises that I will share after the first week or so. 

So, here's to a leaner, stronger body this holiday season!