Blog, Sweat and Tears

The holidays are a time to celebrate, and boy, do we make the most of it. We eat, we drink and we indulge. It’s almost an unspoken rule that, with the holidays, comes unlimited eating and missed workouts.

To kick off your holiday season, take part in the  Jingle Bell Run/Walk, which starts at 9 a.m. Saturday at the Quincy Mall. Many people dress up for the 5K, which is a fund-raiser for the Arthritis Foundation. Sometimes it’s good to take part in fitness activities, along with all the other holiday parties and dinners.

Below you will find some tips in making this coming holiday season productive in sticking with your fitness and fat-loss goals.

1. Have fun and enjoy yourself.

Have fun and eat a little of everything and anything you want. Life is meant to be enjoyed. Counting each and every calorie during this time is not too enjoyable.

2. Nibble on food throughout the day.

If you graze and snack on a little here and there all day, you will not build up that chance to be overly hungry. Eating small snacks/meals throughout the day is more beneficial for your metabolism.

3. Skip the gravy, dressings, and high-calorie condiments.

Many times the dressings and condiments are worse culprits than the foods you put them on.

4. Eat more vegetables with your meal.

Instead of loading up the potatoes and stuffing, choose to have more vegetables instead. You are better of eating a larger serving of veggies than you are a starchy carb like potatoes, rice, stuffing or bread.

5. Drink a lot of water throughout the day.

This will help with hunger throughout the day. Water is a great appetite suppressant and if you are constantly sipping all day, you will not find yourself starving.

6. Go outside and be active

Take a pre-dinner walk with the family or the dog. Go to the park and run/walk through a new trail. Walk through a neighborhood after dark to see the Christmas lights.

7. Have a smaller dessert

Don’t skip dessert, just moderate it. Have a smaller sliver of pie with a larger serving of Fat-Free Cool Whip or other non- dairy topping.

The holidays are not a time to feel deprived. They are meant to be happy times, spending time with friends and family.

It was bound to happen. Injuries happen to everyone and I was just lucky it hadn’t happened to me. I have heard of others who had to suffer through the weeks of recovery — the pain of the injury combined with the restrictions on movement and inability to exercise.

Although most middle-aged female marathoners probably get knee or hip problems from overuse, not broken ribs from being tackled during a Thanksgiving football game.

So now I am unable to run, something I have been doing almost daily for years. Usually if I am unable to run it’s due to an illness, not injury. But I have new challenges in my life that have kind of taken my mind off the pain a little, but now I am ready to get back into the swing of it. Not running; but walking, swimming perhaps, some light weight-lifting.

It’s so easy to get out of the habit of daily exercise but I know I will get back into it.

I focus on how good the workouts make me feel. A walk in the park gives me energy, makes me appreciate my surroundings, helps me boost my attitude (and metabolism) for the rest of the day.

I’m going to readjust my goals for now, not sign up for any marathons, just make it a daily goal to keep fitness a priority — and make sure my skinny jeans still fit.

It seems like a conspiracy is against us to overeat during the holidays. All these parties and events centered around food and portion sizes appropriate for a giant.

Many of us tend to underestimate the amount of food we eat and tend to overestimate the recommended portion sizes for many foods.

It has happened over the years: Cookies as big as frisbees. Muffins the size of flower pots. Bowls of pasta so deep, your fork can barely find the bottom. Waistlines have expanded over the past few decades in part because food portions have too.

People today eat way more than they used to — and way more than they need to. This means that they’re constantly taking in more calories than their bodies can burn. Unfortunately, lots of us don’t realize that we’re eating too much because we’ve become so used to seeing large portions.

By knowing what portions should be, and being able to picture them like regular household items, you will be able to limit weight gain this holiday season — and still be able to participate in all the festivities.

Use portion-control tricks to keep your diet in check.

Is Thanksgiving a day for family togetherness or just an excuse to overeat? Many people feel the need to overdo it at the holiday dinner table because that is the tradition.

But having the day off on Thanksgiving can give you some extra time to workout and work off that turkey and pumpkin pie.

Make it a new tradition to participate in a family walk around the block or an organized walk/run like in Quincy.

The Quincy Family YMCA’s 32nd Annual Turkey Run starts at 8:30 a.m. at the Quincy Y.

There is a 5K run or walk, 10K run or 1 mile walk.  There are always hundreds of participants of all ages and fitness levels. The cost of registration goes up Nov. 18 so sign up today!

There’s nothing more satisfying to me than checking something off a to-do list. Maybe it’s the mother in me that needs to have a job completed, because anyone knows that parenting never ends. Or maybe the newspaperwoman in me who enjoys seeing the newspaper in print by the end of the day.

So if I am making up a schedule of the day, or week, I will often add in my time to exercise.  It seems more like a habit, or part of my daily routine, to add it to the schedule.

Fitness can completely fall off our radar too easily. “I’ll just skip today” turns into “I don’t have time this week” turns into “I haven’t exercised for a month.”

Stay consistent, exercise at least four days a week, make a date with yourself for a workout!

Last weekend, my sports-obsessed son and I went on a pilgrimage to see his

Lucas Oil Stadium

favorite NFL team, the Indianapolis Colts. Before you scoff, let me say that we bought the tickets in June, way before Peyton Manning was relegated to the sidelines.

But even though the Colts lost, again, we enjoyed experiencing the retractable roof of Lucas Oil Stadium being open in the beautiful 60-degree weather.

It was a sports-filled weekend, I ran the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon, and he

Hinkle Fieldhouse

watched. Then in a last-minute fluke, we were able to go to a Butler University men’s basketball game. Butler was runner-up in the National Championships for the past two years and they play at Hinkle Fieldhouse, a historical landmark built in 1928 and where “Hoosiers” was filmed. It was a great opportunity.

I never really thought that watching sports could be good for you, until I read this article.

It makes sense though. Watching athletes at the top of their game can inspire you to reach your fitness goals. I know most athletes have natural ability and some God-given attributes that make them excel at their sports, but they also have a work ethic that keeps them practicing day after day.

So go to that football game! But first, pretend you’re a professional athlete and you’re getting paid to work out … and schedule your workout for every day. You may not get the salary of pro athletes but you’ll get the satisfaction of a job well done.

Most runners will tell you there is not much that can keep them from their daily run. But don’t let a wet weather forecast send you inside to the treadmill.

There are few things as invigorating as running in the rain. It makes me feel invincible, refreshed and really hardcore.

It was difficult to go out early this morning when the rain was pouring down, but there was no lightning, so I didn’t feel like I had any excuse. If you prepare yourself, you will feel so much better after a run in the rain.

But here are some tips:

° Wear a hat to keep rain off your face.

° Wear reflective wear even if it’s daytime because it’s more difficult for drivers to see you in the rain.

° Apply Body Glide or Aquaphor in places where you might chafe.

° Dress in layers, but don’t overdress. Don’t wear a sweatshirt as your outer layer, it will be soaking wet and heavy by the time you’re done. Accept the fact that you’re going to get wet.

° Once home, place newspapers in your running shoes, they’ll absorb the water and help them retain the shape. You might need to replace the newspapers a couple of times.

Congratulate yourself on being tougher than the elements!

With the weather getting colder, sometimes it’s difficult to get to the gym to get in a workout.

I found this “No Props, No Prob” workout on Women’s Health magazine’s website.

I find it hard to get motivated to get out of a warm house on chilly evenings, so working out at home … and often in front of the TV … sometimes has to suffice for the night.

Now you have no more excuses!

Fall in the Midwest can be a treat for the senses: the crisp air to smell, the beautiful fall foliage to see and the crunch of leaves underfoot to feel.

It’s a great time to exercise outdoors and enjoy the weather.

There are so many beautiful places to ride or bike, take a run or just hike to see the leaves turn. I took these photos at Riverview Park in Hannibal, Mo., but there are many other places to see foliage, like South Park or Wavering Park in Quincy, or even along city streets.

And if you want to stay home, raking leaves or doing some yard work is a great way to get the heart pumping.

Several Hannibal-Quincy area runners took part in the Solutia Rock ‘n Roll St. Louis marathon and half-marathon, many of them for the first time.

It can be such an emotional experience. All the hard work and countless hours of training have paid off and you accomplished something that is nothing short of amazing. You have found out what your body is capable of. It’s a great feeling.

But now there is the recovery. Give your muscles a break and give them the opportunity to repair themselves.

Make sure you rehydrate and get plenty of sleep. Here are some day-to-day tips for recovery from a half-marathon and a marathon.

It’s normal to get the blues after such an event. You’ve trained so hard, scheduled your life around your running, and now you’ve accomplished your goal. The best way to get over the post-race blues is to set a new goal. Give yourself a few weeks to recover and pick out another race. It doesn’t have to be another half marathon. Maybe you want to stick to shorter distances, like 5Ks or 10Ks, or maybe try a full marathon.

Until then, get a massage and take it easy — you deserve it!