Holiday Healthy

Yes, that time of the year again has finally arrived; the holidays. Pretty soon there will be cookies & candy everywhere in the shapes of Christmas trees & presents & that is only after a day where tables are filled with pies & delicious warm gooey Thanksgiving sides. This is the time of year that some people dread, knowing that the work they’ve done all year long to stay healthy is just not going to be possible. We’re here with some tips to help you stay on track this holiday season so that your New Year’s resolution does not have to be to get back on track again.

    Keep water on you at all times!

By this point we should all know how beneficial water is for every bodily function that we have. It helps our skin, it help our digestive system, it helps energy focus etc. The list could go on for a while. Drink a couple glasses of water before a holiday celebration so you don’t feel starving. Drinking water can help curb your appetite & will really save you from over indulging this holiday season.  

 Don’t stop working out!

Yes the holidays are busy. You want to be sure you’ve got the perfect present for everyone you’re going to be seeing & you just can’t seem to say no to any of the invitations you’ve gotten for parties. Don’t let yourself get so busy that you fall off of your workout schedule. Maybe use this as a time to create a new schedule around dinners & parties or preparations for both. Keep up with your workouts & you won’t feel sorry after the season is over.

       Keep the cold away!

The last thing you need during this busy & exciting season is to get sick. Don’t go out into the cold with wet hair & make sure you’re eating vegetable and taking vitamins to build your immune system.

       Encourage other with active gifts!

Instead of buying DVDs or video games as presents, why not find some workout equipment to gift to your loved one! Or maybe a gift certificate for athletic clothing. Maybe running shoes. Keep activity on your mind as well as everyone you’re buying gifts for.

         Enjoy!

Don’t cut yourself from enjoying the treats that come along with the holidays! If your favorite thing in the world is pumpkin pie, then have a piece of pumpkin pie, but cut yourself off after one piece. We aren’t encouraging you to sit back eating celery while your family enjoys, but we want you to be smart about it. Research ways to make healthy alternatives of your favorite recipes. You never know they could become your new favorite recipe.

Original: http://www.levo.com/articles/lifestyle/how-to-stay-healthy-during-the-holiday-season

Food Baby

Surely we’ve all heard of the phenomenon that is the food baby. When indulging doesn’t quite do justice to how much you truly just ate, all of a sudden your stomach is protruding and making you, men or women, look as though you’re pregnant. The growth of your stomach may sometimes make you feel as though your stomach is about to burst.

Did you know that your stomach can go from holding a shot glass size when empty to holding up to 4 liters, or a little more than a gallon of milk? The point at which you are normally comfortably full is usually only 1-1.5 liters. When you overeat, you normally get a feeling of discomfort, but when you make it a habit to eat that way the feeling of being miserable will go away because your stomach muscles will stretch. Over time, when you consistently are over-stuffing yourself, you are causing your stomach to adapt to be able to hold more food and liquid. Your stomach doesn’t shrink back up to its normal size and then you will require more food to make you feel full. The pain you feel from over eating will also be caused by your body working overtime to digest the large about of food you consumed. 

Do you normally feel like working out after you’ve just binge eaten? No, most people don’t and it’s not something you should force either. When you exercise, the blood flow to your digestive track is lessened, which leads to nausea and bloating. So don’t think that a hardcore workout is going to help that food baby disappear. If anything, go for a walk which will help your stomach muscles grind and push food into your intestinal tract faster. You also, however, should not go lie down or go take a nap although sometimes that is exactly what you want to do. It is suggested that you stay upright for at least half an hour. 

So if you want to avoid the sensation of being along 7 months into your pregnancy, pigging out, binging, going hog-wild, are all activities that should be avoided.  

Via:

http://www.shape.com/lifestyle/mind-and-body/7-disturbing-facts-about-food-baby

Fit Tip: Focus on Glutes

Most people wouldn’t mind a firm booty, but the more we sit, the softer our seat gets. To get a gravity-defying butt that’s strong and toned, commit to adding exercises that focus on your backside. 

Squat it out. Squats are often touted as the best workout for your butt (and thighs), and for good reason. Perform squats using your body weight, a pair of dumbbells or a kettlebell. Stand with your feet a little wider than shoulder-width apart, bend both knees and act like you are sitting back in a chair, until your thighs are parallel to the ground.  Keep your chest up, head lifted and abs engaged. Squeezing your glutes, drive through the heels as you return to standing.  Try a few variations like narrow squats, single leg squats or squat jumps.

Lunge, not lounge. Lunges shape the legs and buns and are part of most sports.  Keep your upper body lifted and step forward with one leg in an exaggerated step that is about double an average walking step. Bend both of your knees to 90 degrees if possible until your front thigh is almost parallel to the floor and your back knee is almost touching the floor. Return to the standing position and repeat. Perform an equal number of repetitions with both legs. You can try a few variations like adding weights and doing cross behind lunges or walking lunges.

Do the bridge. Bridges not only firm the glutes, but also work the inner thigh. Start by lying on your back with your legs bent and feet flat on the floor. Place a towel between your knees and squeeze. Rest your arms by the sides of your body with your palms on the floor. Squeeze your legs together and lift your hips up off the floor, engaging your core as well. Lower back down and repeat several times. 

This FitTip was brought to you by LifeFitness

Chocolate Chip Cookies with Avocado, No Butter

If you’ve been on Pinterest you’ve probably seen some tantalizing pictures of recipes made with impossibly healthy ingredients. Can it be true? Do those recipes taste as good as they look? Our team wanted to find out, so we tested out a recipe for chocolate chip cookies that has NO BUTTER. The secret ingredient: the buttery and delicious super-food, avocado. A big thanks to Natalie over at Deconstructing the Home for the recipe.

I Instagrammed the entire process and as a notoriously horrible baker, I’m proud to say I only made one mistake. While they didn’t look as beautiful as the one’s from Natalie’s blog, they definitely passed the taste test. 

The recipe calls for ½ cup, or roughly one, avocado. I managed to buy a giant one, so I used about 2/3 and saved the rest for a delicious snack the next day. Isn’t she a beauty? 

Using a hand mixer, I mixed the avocado until it was just slightly lumpy and followed that with the sugar. The recipe calls for Splenda as a sugar free option, but I prefer to choose natural ingredients over processed foods any time I can (even if that means a few more calories.)

Next came the egg and vanilla, which I also mixed until smooth.

I mixed up my remaining dry ingredients (baking soda*, whole wheat flour and salt) in a separate bowl and slowly added to my lovely green mush.

*Welcome to my mistake. It turns out I only had baking powder on hand, not baking soda. These ingredients help the cookies rise, so I took to the internet to find out if I could substitute. The general consensus online was to use about twice the amount of baking powder than the recipe called for in baking soda. Two teaspoons it was. My cookies tasted delicious, but you’ll see very soon that they didn’t come out very pretty. Please be smarter than me and check all your ingredients before beginning. 

A good portion of chocolate chips came next to finish off the recipe! Note: The recipe calls for 1 cup chocolate chips, which made the cookies very yummy, but you can definitely get away with less. I would recommend 2/3 cup to cut the calories a bit, but still get chocolaty goodness in every cookie. 

Onto a lightly greased baking sheet and into the oven for 15 minutes. 

The finished product. Like I said, not the prettiest, but they were still a hit at home and at Life Fitness headquarters.

Have you ever used avocado in an unexpected way? Comment and tell us!

Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookies with Avocado

Ingredients:
½ Cup avocado (approximately one avocado)
¾ Cup Splenda (or your favorite sweetener)
1 Egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 Cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
1 Cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (or unsweetened to remove all sugar)
½ Cup chopped pecans (optional)
Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 290 degrees. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease.

2. Remove avocado from skin and place in mixer. Mix on medium until slightly lumpy. Add Splenda and mix on high until smooth. Add egg and vanilla and mix until combined.

3. In small bowl mix together baking soda, flour, and salt. Slowly add to wet ingredients. Mix on medium until well combined. Add chocolate chips and pecans and mix till evenly combined.

4. Scoop one tablespoon of dough per cookie and place on cookie sheet one inch apart. If you want flatter cookies you can use the back of a spoon to flatten them out. Bake for 15-18 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.

Dig in!
Makes 24 cookies!

Brought to you by LifeFitness

Fit Tip: Get Fit with Your Phone

Your smartphone isn’t just for Facetime, Foursquare and Facebook. It’s also for fitness. More people are turning to apps to track their fitness, enhance their workouts, find better foods and customize their workout experience. Here are just three ways you can get fit with your phone:

Lose It!

Track what you are eating and how much you are moving with this popular app. If you want to be on the positive side of statistics (the people who lose weight and keep it off) track what you are eating. This app is easy to use and its database makes it easy to find, select and log your meals. Plus, it remembers foods you eat regularly so you can easily select them. Track the type and duration of your workouts and find out approximately how many calories you burned. This free app also features an online community for further support and features. 

Tabata Pro

If you are incorporating interval training into your bike rides, running, strength training or plyometrics, check out Tabata Pro. You can change the work and rest time and number of cycles to customize your workouts. Use the Tabata Pro App on your iPhone or iPad for only $2.99.  This great timer will make interval training easier when you’re at the gym or on the go.

Life Fitness LFconnect App

LFconnect lets exercisers enjoy total control of their workout experience. With an LFconnect account, you can create and personalize your cardio workouts by duration, level, speed and intervals. Easily access your personal settings and select from 17 statistics to see on the equipment display, such as calories, pace, time remaining or heart rate. Select your own heart rate targets or interval levels to meet your goals. Your personal trainer can also schedule various workouts for you and track your progress.

Brought to you by LifeFitness

Fit Tip: Basic Strength Training Tips

Strength training is a beneficial form of exercise for everybody no matter your age, gender, or fitness background. And no, it’s never too late and you are never too old to get started.
It’s important to know a few fundamental principles of strength training:

• Resistance: You have to apply an appropriate resistance to build muscle.  The amount of resistance should be above what one is accustomed to in everyday life.  Add this resistance by using weight machines, free weights, cable machines, various weighted tools or even your own bodyweight. 

• Balance: Make sure to work the entire musculoskeletal system, to avoid postural and strength imbalances and injury. Work several muscle groups at once when possible.   

• Rest: Rest between sets of exercise for about 60-90 seconds giving your muscles a chance to recover before you attempt the next set.  Also, rest 48 hours between bouts of weight training if you are sore.

Other basics to help you be successful:

Use bodyweight. Sometimes your own bodyweight can be the most effective and most challenging training tool. Add bodyweight training exercises to your workout with planks, push-ups, squats or lunges. Equipment like TRX Supsension Training Straps or the Synrgy360 can provide even more ways to make bodyweight training fun and effective.

Make the muscles do the work. It’s important not to use momentum to lift free weights. You will activate more muscle fibers if you lift and lower weights with purpose through your range of motion. If you cannot lift a weight without swinging it, it is too heavy and you should lower the amount of weight you are lifting. As a beginner, select a weight that allows you to go for 15 repetitions. Around repetition 12, you should be feeling a bit of fatigue.  

Practice good form. Stand tall with your chest lifted and your arms naturally at your side. Don’t hunch over in the shoulders or hold tension in your neck. Hold your abs tight.  The stronger your core, the more effective you will be at lifting weights. Make sure you breathe. Exhale during the hardest part of the exercise to fuel the movement.  If you have questions about form, you may consider hiring a personal trainer for a few sessions.

Pay attention to your body. Never work through intense pain and learn to differentiate between pain and muscle fatigue. Muscle fatigue is a feeling of your muscles being tired but pain makes you want to say “Ouch!” 

This FitTip was brought to you by LifeFitness

Fit Tip: Add a Jump Rope, Try Plyometrics

Plyometric workouts have long been known as one of the most efficient and effective ways to train, because they simultaneously burn calories and build muscle. Plyometrics or “plyos” are a type of exercise that encourages muscle development, power, speed and endurance. It can even build bone mass. Get all of these benefits by adding plyos to your fitness routine with these tips from Life Fitness:

What are plyometrics?

Plyometric exercises use explosive, fast-acting movements to develop muscular power. In other words, they are high-impact movements that involve jumping. 

Why try them?

By implementing plyos into your cardio and strength routines, you’ll help transform fat into lean muscle while increasing your heart rate and burning calories.   

What types of exercises are considered plyometrics?

Plyos include anything that involves jumping. Start with something less complicated like picking up a jump rope, skipping or high knees. Gradually add squat jumps, split lunge jumps or box jumps. Even try good old-fashioned burpees. You’ll see gains in strength and confidence in no time.  

How do you get started if you are new to plyometrics?

• Make sure you warm up properly.  Use 10 to 15 minutes to get your joints warm, muscles moving and heart pumping. 
• Start with the basics on a soft surface, such as carpet, a rubber mat or grass.   Check your surroundings to make sure there are no obstacles in the way. 
• Start at a slower pace, lesser range of motion and fewer repetitions. As you improve, build up to a faster speed, larger movements and more repetitions.
• If you feel any pain, stop.
• Take a day or two between sessions for muscle repair and recovery.  Listen to your body at all times. 

Fit Tip: Elevate Your Mood with Exercise

Did you know that regular exercise has been proven to reduce stress, boost self-esteem, improve sleep and ward off anxiety and feelings of depression? While exercising, the body releases chemicals called endorphins that reduce your perception of pain and trigger a positive feeling in the body that can make you all smiles. Often referred to as a “runner’s high,” the euphoric feeling can energize you and provide mood-boosting benefits long after a workout has ended.

Go for moderate exercise that you enjoy. To make sure you reap the most mood-boosting benefits, work out regularly instead of sporadically.  If you begin working out with exercises you enjoy, you are less likely to skip your workouts. Try biking, dancing, power walking or jogging on the treadmill to start. More good news: weight training can be as effective as an aerobic exercise in elevating your mood. Aim for two to three days a week of resistance training using machines, cables or dumbbells.  

Raise your mood with health benefits. The endorphin release isn’t the only thing about exercise that will get you smiling. Exercise strengthens the heart, increases energy levels, lowers blood pressure and improves muscle tone and strength. Just glancing in the mirror and seeing results will keep a pep in your step all day.  

Build healthy relationships. People who exercise regularly say they are less stressed, nervous and tense. Sounds like a great group of people to get to know. Joining a gym or group fitness class provides an opportunity to connect with people in a positive, active environment. Take time to build these relationships, in addition to your workout routine, for a happier, healthier life. 

brought to you by LifeFitness

Fit Tip: Fall in Love with your Personal Trainer

You’ve decided to seriously invest in your health and hire a personal trainer.  It’s a great idea to have a dedicated fitness expert in your corner that can give you advice, keep you honest and produce results. Picking a trainer that can help you overcome your physical and emotional obstacles isn’t always easy. Be smart about your investment and take the time to choose your trainer wisely with these tips:

Do the research.  Don’t settle for the first trainer you see when walking through the gym door. Chemistry, education and skill set is important. The trainer you choose should meet your needs in motivational style, training techniques and price.  Referrals can be a good assessment of a trainer and always make sure they are certified by an National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCAA) accredited organization. 

Make it a two way street. Like any relationship, communication is important so let him or her know your goals and discuss your weaknesses and strengths.  Give your trainer the opportunity to push you and test the limits without pushing you over the edge. Be willing to work hard and follow their advice, but also be open about your lifestyle and schedule so he or she can make realistic recommendations. 

Schedule a review.  After the first month, take time to evaluate your progress.  Are you happy with the environment?  Do you find the trainer’s advice and expertise helpful? Are you dreading every session or do you come ready to take the challenges ahead?  Do you feel comfortable asking your trainer questions about your body and health? Truthfully answer these questions and discuss issues with your trainer before continuing the program.

Take a look in the mirror.  A trainer is there to motivate and teach, but you have to do the work.  Sometimes lack of results or motivation can be due to internal issue that need sorting. Like all good relationships, if you carry too much baggage, it will be hard to sustain. Take a look inside for things holding you back from success before giving up on a trainer.   

Fit Tip: Working Out While Under the Weather

Flu season is on its way to becoming an epidemic in the U.S. and while a flu shot is preventative, it won’t always help you escape a winter cold.  While your dedication to hit the gym every day is admirable, there are some symptoms of sickness that should make you think twice. Please use common sense.  If your symptoms are severe, skip the exercise and see your doctor.  Otherwise, follow these guidelines to decide when you’d be better off staying at home, getting rest and keeping your germs to yourself.

Do a neck check. You can exercise while sick if your symptoms are all above the neck, like a runny nose, a sore throat, nasal congestion and tearing eyes. Of course, you should always listen to your body and take the intensity of your workout down a bit if your regular pace feels too strenuous.  

If it’s below, don’t go. If you have any symptoms below the neck, such as body aches, chills, coughing, fatigue, stomach problems or diarrhea, it’s advised to take it easy until you're feeling better. And if you're running a fever, no matter where your symptoms are, put off exercising until your temperature returns to normal.

Follow common courtesy. Just as no one likes gym goers who sweat on equipment and don’t clean the machines, you won’t make any friends having a nonstop sneezing or coughing spell. If you suspect you’re contagious, follow common courtesy and stay home. If you do go while under the weather, use hand sanitizer and wipe down all machines after use.

Listen to your body. When suffering from congestion or low energy, exercise often helps you feel better. Know your limits and take the intensity down a notch. A brisk walk can sometimes unclog the sinuses better than an afternoon on the couch. Gentle exercise will rev up circulation and counteract that sluggish, rundown feeling. Exercising while sick is a personal decision and you’re the best judge of what your body can handle.

To avoid getting sick remember to keep up a healthy lifestyle without running yourself down. Take time to relax, get seven hours of sleep, drink plenty of water, eat healthy and wash your hands—a lot.

Brought to you by LifeFitness

Fit Tip: Ride Inside for an Effective Cardio Workout

Some people assume that a stationary bike is an easy workout. Like many things in life, when it comes to indoor cycling, you only get out of it what you put into it. Indoor cycling can be a very effective, intense workout if you put in the effort. Follow these tips from Life Fitness to get the most out of a stationary bike workout:

Use your whole body. Contrary to popular belief, a quality bike workout involves the entire body, not just the legs. Try not to slump in the saddle. Keep your abs tight and your back, shoulders and arms should be fully engaged. 

Set goals.  Indoor stationary bikes offer a good low-impact cardio workout option for those that are overweight or new to an exercise program. The bike is a great tool for setting your own pace. Indoor bikes will offer a variety of preprogrammed workouts that involve hills, intervals and zone training.  They will vary according to speed, intensity, duration and resistance. By using different programs on the console or creating your own workout profiles, you can focus on improving strength, endurance and speed.

Increase the intensity. Indoor cycling can also be an great cross-training cardio workout for runners during the winter. Once again, work at your fitness level and focus on pedal speed and resistance to continually improve.  Increasing intensity is like a math equation:  pedal speed (cadence) + resistance = intensity.  Many of the newer bikes offer iPod hook ups and heart rate monitoring systems for motivation to challenge your inner athlete. 

Join a class. Group cycling classes, guided by an instructor, are a great cardio workout. These popular, high-energy workouts happen on a specially designed group exercise bike. The pace and speed varies throughout the workout, sometimes requiring break-neck speed, and other times pedaling happens from a slow, standing position. Group indoor cycling burns calories quickly and invigorating music make the classes fun. A novice might participate in a cycling workout for 30 to 45 minutes, while a more advanced athlete could ride 60 to 90 minutes.

All you need to get started on an exercise bike is comfortable workout clothes and sneakers. Try wicking tops or padded cycling shorts to make the ride more comfortable.

This Fit Tip brought to you by Life Fitness

The Best and Worst Holiday Drinks for Your Diet

A string of holiday parties and family get-togethers is likely in your future and festive drinks are sure to be served. Make smarter choices when gathered around the tree by understanding the best and worst holiday cocktails for your diet. Those liquid calories have a way of adding up, especially when you top it with decadent family dinners.

The Worst
White Russian (6 oz.) – 374 Calories
Eggnog (8 oz.) – 343 Calories
Kir Royal (6.5 oz.) – 219 Calories

The Best
Champagne (1 glass/4.1 fl oz) – 91 Calories
Make it lighter: Go for brut (dry) champagne.
Mojito (6 oz.) – 167 Calories
Make it lighter: Use a sugar substitute.
Hot Toddy (8 oz.) – 173 Calories
Make it ligher: Use ½ - ¾ tablespoon of honey instead of the stand 1 tablespoon.

Source: http://caloriecount.about.com/

Via Life Fitness

13 Ways to Burn off a Holiday Meal

Some people can consume up to 4,000 calories from just one holiday meal. That’s twice the amount of calories most people need in a day. If you want to start 2013 on the right note instead of packing on extra pounds during the holidays, marry your indulgences with some serious calorie burn. While calorie burn varies based on your weight and ratio of muscle to fat, here are some ideas to burn a few extra calories..

Eat one serving of mashed potatoes at 250 calories and you’ll need to hop on the treadmill for an hour long power walk to burn them off.  A 150-pound person walking for one hour at 4 mph would burn about 272 calories.

Take the treadmill up to a 5% incline and you’ll double the calorie burn, making up for a serving of candied sweet potatoes or a cup of eggnog at around 400 calories each.

You can also burn those calories with your favorite winter sports and activities.

Sledding: 250 calories

Snow shoeing: 300 calories
Skating moderately: 230 calories
Cross-country skiing: 300 calories
Downhill skiing: 210 calories
Snowboarding: 250 calories
Walking the dog, moderate pace: 125 calories
Shoveling snow: 230 calories
(Approximations based on a 150 pound woman for 30 minutes of activity.)

Watch portions and be on the lookout for ways to burn extra calories this winter. Dance at your Christmas party (600 calories), take a 60-minute walk to do some holiday shopping (240 calories) or spend two hours preparing a holiday meal (320 calories). 

Discover more fun calorie burning facts at caloriesperhour.com.

Brought to you by Life Fitness 

Fit Tip: Crunches Do Not a Six Pack Make

Somewhere far, far away, there is a magical gym where there’s never a wait for a cardio machine at 6:30pm, the bootcamp instructor never raises his voice above a whisper, and jiggling upper arms instantly tighten up after just one biceps curl.  This mythical place is called Imaginary Fitness Land, and it, like spot-training to burn fat, doesn’t exist.

Welcome to the real world, where workout results take time, energy, and variety, and where our body’s ability to eliminate fat, and which specific areas it will eliminate fat from, are influenced by age, genetics, hormones, and some other factors beyond our control.

Luckily, we can control the fat-melting effectiveness of a cardio workout, so keep this real-world advice in mind to maximize your results. 

Two’s company. Combine fat-reducing cardio exercise with a consistent strength training program to tone and sculpt your muscles. Although spot-training won’t work for burning fat, spot-sculpting will tighten and tone the areas where you want to show off your results. Focus on a specific group of muscles during your strength training routines.

Add instability. Use the BOSU ball, balance disk, or wobble board to throw off your balance and force your core muscles to work overtime. With a strong core, you’ll be able to take on more challenging workouts, and achieve success faster.

Pilates, please. Heralded as the secret behind tons of toned tummies, a Pilates mat workout provides an effective ab routine when you want to add some necessary variety to your exercise program. Pilates utilizes very focused and specific movements, so find an instructor to get you started. 

Intensify. Interval training is a great way to incorporate high-intensity exercise into your workouts. Start with 30 seconds of jogging followed by 2-3 minute of walking, then repeat for 30 minutes. Once you can complete the program with ease, lengthen the jogging intervals. Your increased intensity and elevated heart rate will result in more calories burned and a smaller waist line.

The trick to getting the fit, sculpted body you want is to be realistic. If you have overall body fat to lose, you aren't going to see washboard abs without eliminating that excess insulation first.

Brought to you by Life Fitness

Fit Tip: Ski Season Training

We all know that après ski activities consist of sipping hot chocolate next to a roaring fire in a Navajo-print jacket, but what about avant (before) ski? Skiing and snowboarding are physically demanding sports and optimal conditions occur at high elevations (less oxygen) and in cold temperatures, but it’s also fun and a great way to get your heart rate up during those winter months. Whether you are a Blue Circle bunny or a Double Black Diamond Slalom, uh, mogul, you may want to do some ‘pre-season training’ to prepare before you hit the slopes, focusing on these four areas: 

Stamina.  Optimize your cardiovascular strength so you can schuss all day. Higher elevations and cold weather put extra strain on your lungs, so do some interval training on a treadmill or elliptical machine to challenge your heart rate and improve your oxygen intake capacity. Begin with at least 3 days a week for a half hour and increase the time, frequency, and intensity over time so you are in prime condition to conquer the mountain.

Core. Core strength is key for skiing. A tight, stable core allows you to control your movements with more precision. Simple exercises such as bicycles on the floor, back extensions, and full body roll ups or crunches on an exercise ball will benefit your core and therefore your skiing abilities.

Balance. All Carvaholics know where to find their CM (that’s ski slang for Center of Mass). Improve reaction time and agility by taking advantage of the balance-training aids available at the health club or for the home, such as a Bosu ball. Begin by balancing on one foot and progress up to balancing on the Bosu ball itself.  Take it a step further and try squats and plyometric drills on the Bosu ball.

Flexibility. Yoga not only keeps you limber but improves your mental focus and breathing techniques. Yoga can help protect against injury by addressing muscle imbalances and improving flexibility, so try out a beginner-level class and work your way up. The positive influences that yoga can have on your skiing (and other athletic activities) may surprise you.

This Fit Tip was brought to you by Lifefitness 

STAY ACTIVE DURING WINTER MONTHS

From skiing to shoveling snow, there are many winter-friendly ways to stay fit this holiday season. 

Even sledding is more work than you think! Every time you take a ride down the hill, you most likely have to walk all the back to the top - you can burn more calories by pulling a few kids on the sled as you go up! Try sledding for 30 minutes, and you can burn as many calories as a two-mile run.

One of our top manufacturers, Life Fitness breaks down potential calorie burn* of trying these outdoor activities for 30 minutes:

Sledding for 30 minutes: 250 calories

Ice skating for 30 minutes: 230 calories

Cross-country skiing for 30 minutes: 300 calories

Down-hill skiing for 30 minutes: 210 calories

Snowboarding for 30 minutes: 250 calories

Walking the dog for 30 minutes: 125 calories

Shoveling snow for 30 minutes: 230 calories

And when getting outdoors isn't feasible, hop on your home treadmill or elliptical trainer and indulge yourself in a favorite music playlist while sweating off some of those extra holiday treats!

*approximations based on an average 145 lbs woman for a 30 minutes of activity

Fit Tips are provided by Life Fitness, the leader in designing and manufacturing high-quality exercise equipment for fitness facilities and homes worldwide.