25 Days of Fitness

Does your workout routine get heave-ho-ho-ho’d to the back seat of Santa’s sleigh once December rolls around? If you’re like most people, friends, family, office parties, and shopping commandeers your precious time around the holiday season. Now, more than ever, it’s important to squeeze in those workouts wherever you can. Studies show that even two weeks of physical inactivity can diminish the effects built by regular fitness activities. You already know that exercising for at least 150 minutes a week can increase your fitness and energy while decreasing your chances of developing heart disease, but did you know that just 20 minutes of exercise in a day can significantly reduce feelings of stress? Holiday-induced stress: never heard of it, right? And then there’s the challenge of holiday nutrition bombs. This is where many people claim to struggle the most. Between family gatherings, gifts of chocolate, and endless baked goodies, it can be hard to resist your sweet tooth. But instead of trying to cut or limit particular foods, try turning your focus toward eating more of the good stuff. Not only will fruits, veggies, and whole grains fill you up with vitamins and nutrients before you go out to face all those naughty treats, but foods such as blueberries, Brazil nuts, onions, and black pepper actually contain antioxidants and healthy components that’ll help balance out the eggnog and gingerbread men! Head to your local health food store for the lowdown on supplements to both mitigate the damage of your festive ways and get you the critical vitamins and minerals you need to function more efficiently.