'Tis the season... exercise intensity typically decreases. The holiday season is upon us all, and this is the time of year where exercise becomes harder to fit into our schedules for countless reasons. It could be due to drastic temperature changes, sickness, increase everyday busyness, but we must remember that our health is the most important thing. My exercise regamine hasn't been at the level I would like for it to be the past few weeks. However, according to Runner's World after an endurance race it is ideal to rest/recover a day for each mile ran. This doesn't mean to not do anything for 26 days, but little exercise is okay. Since running the Savannah Marathon in early November, it's been taking longer for me to recover. Since I trained harder than I ever have before, I think my body is enjoying the minimal running. My personality doesn't match with the idea of resting. I've been running and increase my weight workouts, but I feel like I haven't been exercising at the level I should be. I am odd, I know. Remember everyone is different, and the rest each person needs varies. Since it is easier to find excuses not to exercise during this time of year, remember to prevail through it. Don't talk yourself out of it today, then tomorrow, then by the time you realize it has been a month of no exercise. Find a way to schedule in your normal exercise. The intensity may be lower than normal, but remember to workout and run! This is the time of year, the average number of calories per person increases. Don't let that holiday weight creep into your life! Take a daily walk, go to the park, lace up your shoes, take a bike ride, just move!! |
| Tatum doing stadiums :-) |
Training Exercise Stability Ball Bicycles. We all know how important core stability is to every day functioning. A strong core helps increase the athleticism in every sport. We all know the basic bicycle on a mat. After roughly 30 seconds you can start to feel the burn in your abs. Now imagine adding in another element. Multiply that burn by 10!
Stability Ball Bicycles
- Grab a stability ball.
- Lay down on your back on a flat surface.
- While lying on your back, raise your legs straight in the air.
- While holding the stability ball and your legs are in the air, lift your shoulders off the ground and twist in the bicycle motion (just like a traditional bicycles).
- Continue for 30-45 seconds. Repeat for 3-4 sets.
Training Tip: The cold is starting to set in! Cold and wind equal dry skin! Not only is it important to carry chap stick, and keep your skin from being exposed, but it's also important to moisture your skin after run. Once you shower and clean off, your skin will soak up the moisture and become dry again. Therefore, apply lotion or some type of body moisturizer. to your skin after a shower, especially to your feet. My brother (who is also a runner) recently told me about putting lotion on his feet and then putting socks on to keep the moisture on your feet. Since runners have rough feet, this is a great idea. It helps slow/ prevent new calluses and peeling of skin. Happy skin makes a happy runner! :-)
Training Songs: From my last entry you all know how I love the holiday season, and even exercising to holiday music! I've discovered some new tunes this week, and I should be embarrassed by some of them... but, i'm not. Give them a try and you will love them! Promise! ;-)
1. Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree- Hanson
2. Christmas- Hanson
3. Santa Baby- Michael Buble
4. All I Want For Christmas Is You- Michael Buble
5. Thinkin' About Something- Hanson
6. Kiss Me When You Come Home- Hanson
Training Recipe: As promised from my last entry I am going to start adding in some healthy recipes! Especially this time of year, we love those good comfort foods and typically increase the fat content into our diets. Hummus is a great snack, spread, or appetizer. It's low in calories, a good balance between carbs and protein, and very filling. Most people don't make their own hummus because it may seem like a hard/expensive process. Wrong! It's cheap and easy! But since it's the holidays i've added a twist: Sweet Potato! Enjoy!!
Sweet Potato Hummus (Make 1 medium serving dish)
Ingredients:
- 1 can of chickpeas
- 1 medium sized sweet potato
- 1 lemon
- 2 tsp EVOO
- Cinnamon to your taste
- Cummin to your taste
- Black pepper to your taste
- Roasted red pepper (optional)
Prepare Hummus:
- Rinse, scrub, and bake sweet potato in oven or toaster oven until it is fully cooked.
- While, the sweet potato is cooking place chickpeas in a food processor/ blender and puree until a little chunky
- Add in a tsp of EVOO and half the juice of them lemon
- Puree the rest of the chickpeas while adding in the spices to your taste.
- Once the mixture is completely blended, place in the refrigerator to cool.
- Once the sweet potato is baked, let it cool before pealing.
- Smash the cooled potato before adding to the chickpea mixture.
- Combine both mixtures into the food processor/blender and marry the flavors together. Feel free to add more spices to your taste. I usually add more cinnamon to give it a more holiday taste!
- While the flavors are marrying, add another tsp of EVOO to moisten the mixture allowing it to combine easily!
- Once you feel satisfied, place the hummus in the refrigerator to cool before serving!
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| Sweet Potato Hummus |
Training Lagniappe: I came across the best running quote/statements the other day. The first one was about runners and their coffee. Runners are addicted to coffee and can't function without it! So true. Some runners have to have their coffee first thing in the morning before a run, not for the caffinee, but for the comfort and warmth! So true!
The Quote:
"Runners want love, the less they get, the further they run."
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| She really wanted to go on the carriage ride! |
Happy Running,
Jayme Bergeron, BS
ACSM Health Fitness Specialist
