Staying Fit Over The Holidays

Between Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years, there’s no shortage of opportunities to indulge in some festive eating, even if the holidays will look a little different this year. But you work hard to stay fit, far be it for the holidays to ruin that! So the team here at Viewheels dug into our impressive collection of content to bring you a few tips to help you stay fit over the holiday.

Measured out your portions. We get it, one look at that delicious turkey or juicy ham and you’re already thinking about second helpings. But the easiest way to avoid the holiday pounds is to avoid overeating, so make sure your portions are sensibly measured before digging right in. Stay away from seconds if you can, but if the food’s too tasty to pass up, ensure those seconds are no more than half the size.

Eat slowly and drink water. Your brain takes time to process the fact that you've eaten, and in that time there’s a risk of eating more than your stomach can handle! Taking your time to eat slowly not only leaves room for dinner table conversation, it also gives your brain the time to catch up and let you know when you've had enough. Drinking plenty of water will not only help you feel full faster, it’ll also help digest once you’re done.

Walk it off. Verdauungsspaziergang, as the Germans call it, roughly translated to “an after-dinner walk,” will go a long way towards helping your digestive system tackle all the calories it just took on. The physical activity is something your body needs anyway, so it’s a win-win!

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Accessible Exercise

It’s not always easy to devote two hours out of your day to exercise at the gym. In fact, for some people, it’s absolutely impossible due to schedule restrictions of even the lack of access to a gym. Exercise remains an essential part of staying fit and healthy in the long term, but for many, the concept of exercising equates to those hour-long sessions in rooms full of weights and machines. It need not be the case. Here are three ways to make exercise more accessible when a long session at the gym may not be an option.

Exercise at home. There’s a number of basic bodyweight exercises that coupled with cardiovascular activity like running and cycling can deliver a full body workout. For those looking for a bit more, fitness products like elastics are often an inexpensive means of adding more variety to home-based workouts.

Keep it short and simple. Time is a big barrier to exercise for many people, but a workout doesn’t need to belong in order to be effective. Shorter sessions can be worked in throughout the day, and when it comes down to it, anything is better than nothing.

Plan, schedule, and prioritize. Ultimately, be it at home or at the gym, if a workout isn’t planned, scheduled, and prioritized, it’s a whole lot easier to skip. Fitness is about lifestyle changes with short terms goals along the way, and the right approach to exercise is the first step in ensuring success.

Looking for some great fitness content? Visit our online library at www.viewheel.com for a wide variety of ebooks, audiobooks, music, and more. Accessible anytime from your favorite devices, and sure to get you moving!

The Multifaceted Approach to Weight Management

With the new year just around the corner there will be resolutions aplenty on their way. Some will resolve to lose weight or to take better care of themselves, to go on a diet or to exercise more, but the fact of the matter is that if your ultimate goal is to lose weight or maintain a healthy body weight, diet or exercise alone may not be enough. A comprehensive multifaceted approach to weight management is the best bet to maintaining a healthy body weight, and here’s why.

Diets alone don’t work. Studies have proven time and time again that any results obtained from restrictive dieting are temporary at best. More often than not calorie restrictive diets trigger an overcompensation reaction in the body, and those cravings will be stronger than ever, potentially leading to binges that will result in more weight gained than was shed due to the diet.

Jumping right into exercise can be dangerous. After long periods of inactivity, starting a high intensity workout regime can lead to injury or at the very least exhaustion, which will likely lead to abandonment of the regime.

The solution? A multifaceted approach. Consider long term diet and lifestyle changes instead of a temporary restriction. Smaller meals more often and healthier eating will have better long term results than merely cutting out certain foods or restricting calories. Do this alongside an exercise program that starts out slow and only increases in duration or intensity when you’re ready.

Looking for more fitness related reads? Check out our online library at www.viewheel.com for a wide variety of books and more to get you motivated.