Diet and Health Articels

The holidays are here and with literally just 3 weeks left to get all your shopping, wrapping, cooking, travel and more plans taken care of, one of the last things you're going to want to think about is your workout. Well here's my first holiday fitness tip, don't pack up the workout gear and put it away for the next three weeks. Exercising, even just for 20 to 30 minutes every other day, can drastically reduce the stress levels and get the needed energy boost we often experience this close to the holidays.

Yes, I know you're pressed for time, but here are a few more don'ts to embrace this holiday season:

• Don't skip your breakfast. Remember, mom told you this was the most important meal of the day and she's right. Eating breakfast helps you control your appetite for the rest of the day, it provides you with fuel for getting off the ground in the morning and it will do more for boosting your mood than all the coffee you can drink
• Don't make fast food a habit. Yes, you're going to be eating out more because between the running back and forth and trying to get to the mall while the kids are at school or making some extra stops on the way home, fast food is going to look pretty appealing, but it's so overloaded with fats, carbs and calories that you're doing yourself more of a disservice than service. If you have to go the fast food route, check out all the yummy salad and grilled chicken combos they are offering these days.
• Don't OD on caffeine and carbonated drinks. I'm a coffee drinker and a soda drinker, but most carbonated drinks are overloaded with sugar and caffeine. You want to be a moderate to light caffeine drinker. It's the best way to pace yourself and avoid that crash when that initial energy boost wears off.
• Don't sleep in every chance you get. Yes, I know that sounds nuts, but your body needs about six to eight hours of sleep a night. Do your best to make sure it gets that, but don't constantly sleep past your natural waking time, because this can leave you groggy, surly and more.
• Don't eat junk food. We might have covered this under fast food, but with so much on the go time, try to carry some easy to eat fresh fruit or veggies in the car. We like to keep carrots in there - especially when it's really cold and they stay fresher. It's a fast, easy snack that's healthy. It also provides you with fiber that will help improve your body's abilities to absorb vitamins and minerals

Keep coming back, we're going to talk about your fitness, my fitness and everyone's fitness over the next few weeks and we're going to put together a shopping list of great fitness gifts that everyone can love!

I've had a lot of opportunities to practice post-operation exercises this year and no matter how hard they knock me down, I am not giving up until my workout programs return to where they were previous to my surgeries in February and August. With that in mind, here are some tips for exercising after surgery.

Ankle

You just slowly push your foot up and down. You can do this lying flat on your back or sitting in a chair. You aren't extending your leg or any other part of your body, just your foot and your ankle. You do this every five minutes or so. You can combine this with rotating your ankle. You turn it slowly angling toward your other foot and then away. You want to do it in both directions; 5 or 6 times a set, 3 to 4 times a day.

Buttocks

Buttock contractions sound weird, but again this is an exercise you can perform while laying down or sitting up. Be sure that nothing you do causes yourself pain or check with your treating physician beforehand. For buttock contractions, tighten your buttocks and hold for 5 seconds, then release. Try to do this 10 times, 3 times a day.

Abduction

You can work your inner thighs by sliding your leg out as far to the side as you can and then back. Do each leg one at a time. Try for 5 each, 2 times a day. This will help keep your inner thigh muscles and exterior hip muscles worked without overdoing it and straining yourself.

Quadriceps

As with your buttock tightening, you can perform a similar tightening exercise with your quadriceps and thighs. You can also try by straightening your knee and extending your leg to tighten up the muscle. You want to hold it for a five count and then release.

While these exercises will not get you back into shape, they can help you to maintain muscle mass and integrity while you are recovering.