Five Reasons to Keep Working Out Over the Holidays

Life is hectic. The holiday's come upon us and that is  just one more thing to add to the plate. Sometimes, it seems easier to take our health off the priority list when these busy times come around. So, to keep us remembering why we workout and why it is important to continue over the holidays, I have made the list of top five reasons to stay fit during this yuletide season. 

Energy

When we work out on a regular basis, our metabolism gets kicked up and our bodies will actually produce more energy. Best to work out in the morning before your day starts... You will have enough energy (and time) to workout, and your workout will give back in the form of more energy!

Happiness

Scientists have proven that when we work out (having a heart rate between 65-85 bpm for at least 30 minutes) our brains increase production of endorphins, dopamine and serotonin. Serotonin and dopamine increase pleasure receptors and endorphins decrease pain receptors. When we work out, we are, actually, helping fight depression and anxiety... Both of which increase during the holidays.

Food

During this time of year I eat, a lot. And what I eat is not all celery and ginger root. Cookies, pie, and more cookies are on my menu. Working out regularly keeps our minds more in check of what we are eating. Meaning, we will not have to starve ourselves from that fifth cookie, we will just not want it. Just remember that this door swings both ways- Over exercising has a direct correlation with over-eating. Don't do it! Keep exercises to between 30 minutes and 1 hour and you should be set!

Goals

January is coming and so are all those new year's goals. Get the upper hand on them by continuing to work out. Instead of leaving the holiday season at our biggest weight yet, we can start the new year just as happy and healthy as we were the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.

Health

No one wants to go to a holiday party with the sniffles or have to stay in bed during gift opening. Continual moderate exercise increases the production of macrophages (white blood cells produced inside live tissue) and has a direct link to people getting fewer colds. Skip the Day Quill this season and hit the gym instead... A little extra vitamin C never hurts either.

Simple Systems: The Most Important Workout Component

Let's face it, if you want to get the most out of a workout, you need a heart rate monitor. Knowing your heart rate is vital to knowing if your workout is going good or if you need to alter your out put. Here are a few of my favorite heart rate monitors ranging in price and perks for beginners to marathoners.

The Polar FT4F is a great first heart rate monitor watch. It is simple, has a back log of ten workouts, and well priced at about $60. 

The Polar RS300X SD Heart Rate Monitor watch is definitely a step up from the introductory heart rate monitor. This is great for monitoring speed and distance while jogging and is compatible with both Mac and PC. Yep, you can view your workout trends and totals via your computer! This is a step up in price at about $100

Garmin has done well with the Forerunner 305 GPS Receiver with Heart Rate Monitor. GPS locates you and know exactly where you have been along with the speed and distance you covered. This watch is great for marathoners and half marathoners and it makes complete sense why! MotionBased also gives a precise workout overview even when you are indoors. This watch is not for the novice with a price of about $300.

Night Yoga

A few months ago I was able to find a completely  new form of yoga that I love while staying up in a nice, small town in Michigan at a Ranch away from the big city. It was so relaxing up there, the weather seems to always be the way you want it, the bug population is much lower than Florida, and I get to see more stars here than I do in most places. One night, I decided to take advantage of the perfect weather by doing two of my most favorite things- reading outside and yoga.

After reading a few chapters in my latest book, I decided to move my workout outside and enjoy the night a little more. The home we were are staying at has a massive outdoor patio, so I took my yoga mat out and got to work. This was, possibly, one of my favorite yoga-flows ever. I turned my iphone screen down low, put in some headphones, and listened to vocal instruction for the Yogamazing posture flow. The flow was so relaxing and the stars were the perfect focus point. My headphones were low enough that I could still here the crickets and birds, and there were no outdoor lights on so the stars came out in force. Wonderful.

The weather in Florida has been so wonderful for the past few days that I cannot help but to wish we had a large outdoor patio to do some more night yoga on. If you have the ability to take your usual yoga routine outside, try it! It just might become a new favorite switch up!

Disney Fitness Events

While perusing the internets today for some good workout encouragement, I came across a few great races and scavenger hunts over at the happiest place on earth. Most people know that Disney does a half marathon and marathon weekend along with the Disney Princess half marathon, but this Disney lover had no idea about everything else they do for runners. One of the things that seems absolutely awesome is the Expedition Everest Challenge. I am not a real runner, so this 5k with scavenger hunt sounds like just the right amount of work mixed with fun. The race starts at night, perk in Florida, and even has a post race party in the Animal Kingdom. Expedition Everest sans the line, yes please!

Next up on the things I must accomplish at Disney list is the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 10-miler Weekend. This weekend has everything from family 5k’s, perfect for our little three year old niece, to a 10 miler going through Lights, Camera, Action Extreme Stunt Show! and ending at Tower of Terror. A free-fall on The Tower of Terror sounds like the perfect adrenaline kick after 10 miles! This run also has a late night party at the park, Villain style.

Let’s end with something I will have on the books for 2013. Yep, a nice round year to work up to a half marathon... That should be enough time ;) Before I go into why this seems perfect, I should say that Stephen and my favorite festival at Disney is the Food and Wine Festival. We have this one down to an enjoyment science. That said, the Disney Wine and Dine Half Marathon is right up our ally. The half marathon goes through Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom, and ends in Epcot. More perks, the race is at night and can be divided between two runners if needed. We will be there anyway, why not work off some of that delicious food we will be eating way too much of.