"Ooh Baby, It's Raining, Raining"

It's Thanksgiving week and we all know what that means: food baby galore! The time between Thanksgiving and Christmas is when majority of weight is gained. People pay no attention to their food consumption and have many "cheat days". Remember you can still enjoy your favorite holiday dishes, in moderation. Don't stop exercising because you "don't have time" or "you have family in town". If your health is important to you, you can scarface, what, 30 minutes- 1 hour a day to exercise. Yes, that's it. No excuses. Let me point out that I am not saying you can then eat whatever you want during the holidays and remain the same weight. We all know holiday food is more like comfort food times 100,000,000. Tips for holiday eating:

1. When filling your plate, if you can't see the bottom/color of the plate you have too much food.

2. Don't go back for seconds.

3. Eat before hand. I know that sounds odd, but if you have a snack or small meal you will tend to eat less.

4. Picking at food adds up in calories.

5. You don't have to try everything. Life will go on. (I fall victim of this, I won't lie).

6. Dessert is not a must. If you have dessert, have a small piece.

7. Treat the meals just like any other meal. Basically don't go overboard.

8. Try cooking traditional holiday dishes with healthier alternative, ie: whole wheat flour, whole wheat bread, greek yogurt, skim milk, etc.

9. Remember alcohol adds up in calories, empty calories.

10. EXERCISE! DON'T CUT BACK! Also, don't have the mind set that just because you exercises you can eat whatever you would like.

11. You can always utilize a Thanksgiving Calorie Tracker if all else fails! :-)

Training Exercise: Stability Ball Plank lifting 1 leg. We all know planks work our abs and with different progressions you will fill the "burn" more. Plank on the stability ball is obviously harder than on the floor. You have to support your body weight at an angle on a rolling surface. Hard enough? Nah. Now, lift one leg up slightly off the ground and hold the plank. Now not only do you have to support yourself on your elbows on the ball at an angle, but now you have to balance on one leg. You will feel the burn more in the stomach, for sure. Remember a simple exercise can always be made harder. Progression, progression, progression.

Training Tip: Challenge yourself and add something new to your workouts weekly. It can be a new road, course, exercise, weight, etc. Adding something new will challenge your body to work harder resulting in gains. If you do the same thing day in and day out your body builds an adaptation and a plateau will be eventually reached. Plateau = no gains in power, strength, endurance, weight loss, or whatever your goal may be. Your body wants to be challenged!

Below are pictures of the trail outside my apartment that I finally went out to explore. I won't lie, I always thought the homeless people hung out there, but nope, no homeless people. It's weird to me that there is this beautiful natural trail in the middle of busy Buckhead! :-) Hello new running path!

Believe it or not, this is right below the AT&T and Marta Parking decks.

Tatum enjoying the Trail :-)

Training Songs: Oldies and Newbies! Enjoy!

1. Shake Your Tail Feather- Blues Brothers ft. Ray Charles

2. Umbrella- Rihanna ft Chris Brown

3. Under Control- Parachute

4. S&M- Rihanna

5. See Me Now- Kanye West ft. Beyonce & Charlie Wilson

Training Lagniappe: Running in the pouring rain is actually enjoyable. It's like being a child again playing in the rain. I thought I escaped the rain and could get my 4 miler in between showers, but oh boy was I wrong. Half way up the huge hill outside my apartment it started pouring! I thought about calling it quits and turning back, but then I thought "what's the point, I'm already wet and It's not going to kill me". I needed to get my run in and I refuse to run on a treadmill. So I kept on. You do what you got to do, right?! Well, as I passed car after car, I felt as if they were either (1) judging me, or (2) felt extremely sorry for me. At that point I was soaked and could care less. I was actually having fun. I was in my own little world. I know it sounds weird, but what can you do at that point? There's no point in getting mad, and how often do you get to run in the pouring rain? I felt as if all my worries went away and it was now a game of dodging puddles and Marta bus splashes. It took my mind off of how tired I was from the day, and helped me get through the run. My point is, have fun while exercising. Don't take it too serious. Play in the rain. It won't kill you! :-)

Happy Running,
Jayme Bergeron, BS

ACSM Health Fitness Specialist