2Inspire Health & Fitness Magazine #41 - December 2022

Avoiding Weight Gain Around the Holidays: Let Fashion Inspire and Motivate You! - pg. 3

Smart Weight Loss Tips for Foodies Who Don’t Want to Sacrifice Their Favorite Meals - pg. 6

How to Stay Fit in the Winter- pg. 10

How to Be Safe When You Run in the Snow - pg. 13

Getting Motivated to Exercise Outdoors in the Winter - pg. 17

Why Interval Training Can Make Your Workouts More Effective - pg. 20

Starving Yourself Doesn’t Work for Weight Loss - pg. 23

How to Fit in Exercise During the Busy Holiday Season - pg. 26

Avoiding Weight Gain Around the Holidays: Let Fashion Inspire and Motivate You!

When the weather gets colder, it’s easy to let food cravings take control. Before we know it, we’re packing on the pounds. But just because you’re hiding that extra tummy pooch behind a thick sweater doesn’t mean you won’t be paying for it.

Weighing more than is healthy can result in

lowered stamina, poor energy levels and a slippery-slope situation where you keep on eating to feel better, but you end up feeling even worse!

Winter weight management might be something that you figure you can safely ignore for a while. But it doesn’t take long for that stash

of Halloween candy and Thanksgiving leftovers to reverse all of the beneficial effects of your healthy eating and weight loss effort for the past few months.

Unless you want to add jeans in the next size up to your holiday shopping list, you might want to rein in those cravings if possible.

It will take some effort, but you can do it! After all, you’ve come this far with your weight loss effort. It’s time to really put your disciplined ways to the test.

Politely pass on that second helping of mashed potatoes, and reserve rich, calorie-laden afterdinner desserts for special occasions only. While comfort food may seem like the right thing for this chilly season, moderation will certainly be the better decision when it comes to your waistline, not to mention your overall health.

Need some motivation for not gaining weight this Thanksgiving and holiday season? If fashion is your thing, then make it work in your favor. Give some serious thought to how fit and fabulous you’ll look in those snug-fitting jeans and winter skirts, with a cute pair of boots and some adorable outerwear to complete the look.

Winter boots will certainly accentuate your best features if they happen to be your curvaceous quads and glorious glutes. If you work out and feel proud about it, rock your stuff in some winter wear!

Get a funky, classic or outdoorsy pair of boots that hit at about the knee. You’ll quickly notice that the results of your workout are paying off thanks to those sassy boots that point right to your best assets!

Or how about a super soft, curve hugging knit dress to show off the results of those side bends and crunches you’ve been doing? Cinch it at the waist with a fun belt, and you’ve got another reason to go easy on the mac and cheese and keep up with your at-home workout this holiday season. Worrying that tummy pooch may detract from your holiday look? Try lowering your carb intake a few weeks before Christmas and the December celebrations. Salads keep you slim by helping your digestive system do its thing.

Don’t forget that just 15 minutes of waistwhittling exercises such

as crunches and yoga stretches can help you minimize that midsection. Keep up your at-home exercise effort. You’ll sleep better, look better… and you can safely enjoy a holiday dessert or two in moderation while rocking those booty pants and a fitted turtleneck to match!

You won’t have to worry about acquiring an extra chin due to too many rich dinners this Thanksgiving and holiday season if you remember to fill up on healthy veggies first. Also try some face yoga to tone the neck and chin area so you will be looking fit and fabulous this Christmas season.

Smart Weight Loss Tips for Foodies Who Don’t Want to Sacrifice Their Favorite Meals

One thing that deters people from making dietary changes that will result in weight loss is that they don’t want to give up their favorite foods.

Most of us have a list of comfort foods that our moms made for us when we were young and which seem like the perfect cold weather fare to enjoy.

But then when we think of making healthy diet and lifestyle changes, we just can’t see ourselves making any progress if we’re still eating these fat and calorie laden meals. So what do we do? We cut them entirely out of our daily menu and deprive ourselves of the flavors and textures of foods that we enjoy most.

A better and more balanced alternative to skipping favorite meals that we grew up on is to find low fat and healthy ways to prepare these foods. There is no need to give up our guilty pleasures or even feel guilty at all, when we have so many options for redoing our favorite recipes and watching serving size.

Below find some useful tricks and substitutions.

Modified mac & cheese. Whose mouth doesn’t water uncontrollably as a pan of mac and cheese comes out of the oven, bubbling hot and ready to enjoy in all of its savory goodness?

You may feel that it’s a cruel joke to talk about mac and cheese while searching for healthy meals that will promote weight loss. But you can still this and other rich foods while aiming for weight loss. The idea is to try to adjust yours a bit, and be sure to control portions.

Here’s how to healthy up your mac and cheese. You can do all of these, or pick and choose your favorite tricks.

Substitute whole-grain pasta for white pasta. You’ll find whole wheat, brown rice and other healthy whole-grain pasta alternatives right in the pasta aisle of your local grocery store. If you want a healthy hack for your mac, then choose one of these to pair with the cheese.

Reduce the amount of cheese. You don’t have to opt for low-fat cheese if it doesn’t taste right to you. But if you lessen the

amount of cheese in the recipe, and instead add a cup or two of chicken or bone broth, you can lower the fat content while raising the nutrition value.

Add yogurt. Yogurt is extremely healthy for you, and eating it especially with regular dairy like cheese, can help your body process and digest your milk products more easily. Stir some plain yogurt into your mac and cheese before serving. You likely won’t notice more than a slight tang of a difference in taste, which you may like.

What else can you do to cut the fat in your winter meals?

Go for leaner cuts of meat. Whether it’s choosing chicken breast for your recipe instead of thighs or legs, or making sure to have the butcher pack up some ground beef that’s at least 90% lean, you definitely have options in the meat department if you are trying to reduce fat intake and lose weight.

Replace ground beef in your recipes with lean ground turkey. Turkey has a higher nutritional content than ground beef. Plus, if you select a

brand that does not have a high fat content you will be making the healthy choice for your weight loss journey. Turkey chili made with white beans and chicken broth is a fall favorite that will help you stay on track with your healthy eating and weight loss plan.

Try the meatless version of some of your favorite meals. Don’t want to give up taco Tuesday? There are so many different recipes for tacos. In fact, you can put just about anything into a hard or soft taco shell, pile on some healthy fixins like salsa, lettuce, tomato, and avocado, and enjoy. Think fish or seafood, black beans, egg, avocado, healthy slot, or

any combination of those foods. Also replace the fullfat sour cream with Greek yogurt, which is packed with creamy goodness but contains less fat. And finally… pour on the hot sauce! Hot peppers speed up metabolism which is great if you’re watching your weight.

French fries don’t have to be fried… or potatoes. However, if you’re a spud lover, DO eat them because they have definite health benefits. Just take care to enjoy in moderation. Potatoes contain essential nutrients such as calcium, magnesium and other minerals.

Little-known fact, potatoes also contain vitamin C.

Instead of having fast food French fries, slice up some Yukon gold potatoes and place in a Pyrex dish to bake along with a drizzle of olive oil and your favorite seasoning such as rosemary or another type of herb, garlic and or onions, salt and pepper.

If you’re more serious about keeping things low carb and would like a substitute for white potatoes, you can do faux fries on a sheet pan. Your healthy alternative can be delicious root vegetables such as parsnips, turnips, and sweet potatoes. These deliver wonderful nutrition for your body and taste great drizzled with a little olive oil and roasted in the oven.

D E V E L O P Y O U R I N N E R

S T R E N G T H & P O W E R

You already possess everything you need to be the person you want to be— you just have to learn how to access these powerful traits and use them to live to your fullest potential.

In Unleash Your Mojo, you’ll learn how to recognize all the greatness inside of you. Better than that, you’ll discover how to put it to use to get the life you’ve always dreamed of.

How to Stay Fit in the Winter

Winter is a time when we all tend to put on a few pounds. There are a few reasons for this. One, we feel cold, and that makes us want to eat more and choose richer foods. And two, we tend to not want to go outside because of the weather.

First, recognize that if you normally go jogging outside, winter temps should not deter you unless of course it’s something like ten degrees or below. But when the thermometer dips to the 40s and 30s range is actually the perfect time to go out for a run in the brisk, winter air.

The hardest part, of course, is to get motivated. It’s so nice under that blanket, curled up on your sofa, isn’t it. Just know, though, that you’re bound to feel even more tired if you succumb to this leisure activity more often than you head outdoors to get your muscles pumping and your blood moving.

So how to make sure that you slip in your 20 to 40 minutes of outdoor cardio in the cold weather months? One, make sure that you don your exercise gear. You can lounge around the house in your comfy pants, then hit the road for a run. Come back, hop in the shower, and check off exercise on your list. Now you get a reward of being able to change into something cute, like jeans and a sweater and your favorite boots.

But what if it’s just too cold, or rainy, or icy to get outside for some exercise? Some days, you just can’t get that run in. Maybe you have kids, and it’s too cold for them to be able to deal. Maybe the weather’s extreme. In that case, you certainly have some indoor exercise options. Work out in a home gym. Not everyone can afford exercise equipment, nor

do they have the room for it. But if you’re looking for a great gift that the whole family can enjoy, benefit from and would be into, then consider the home gym option. As the wind howls outside, you’ll be getting your reps in on the machines, pumping some iron, working those muscles, and burning fat. You can even splurge on a single cardio machine, such as an elliptical, stair master, or stationary bike. Just be sure to read your own moods, and know when it’s time to take your workout machines for a quick spin, rather than curling up under a blanket in a grumpy, drowsy slumber.

Try exercises that don’t involve a lot of pricy equipment. For sure, the home gym isn’t right for everybody, but you can still find a way to work out in the comfort of home. Think zumba workouts, yoga on YouTube, or how about investing in a hula hoop meant for adult fitness?

How to Be Safe When You Run in the Snow

Wondering how to jog safely in the snow? Making year-round running part of your commitment to health and fitness means getting out there and giving it your all, even if snowy weather. In fact… running in the snow can be amazing, especially if you’re a nature buff.

Jogging outdoors in all seasons is great if you live in a temperate region of the world. But what do runners do when they’re faced with extreme cold, wind, snow, and icy patches of winter?

Running in the snow takes a special kind of dedication to your health and to an exercise routine. Some people just aren’t up for the challenge and resign to using the treadmill at home or paying a gym membership when it’s wintry weather outside.

But for others who dare venture out on those frigid winter days, the extra preparation and extra effort that goes into running in the snow is well worth it.

Some good things about running in the snow:

The cold, crisp air feels

exhilarating. It will wake you up and may even deliver a bit of a shock to your system that’s similar to entering one of those ice–cold chambers that people go in as a kind of youth preservation health treatment.

It’s peaceful. Newly fallen snow muffles the outside sounds you may be used to hearing. It’s also soft, and crushes beneath your running feet. The best time to run in the snow is when the snow is new. The natural world becomes a place of magic and wonder with everything covered in a fresh blanket of whiteness. If you appreciate nature, you’ll love running in the snow.

The frozen air brings respiratory relief. For some people who run and have allergies, there’s no better relief than getting outside in the frigid winter to breathe the fresh, clean, cold air. To your surprise, you may find yourself with more energy and running longer with less exertion, because of this.

Tips for running in the snow:

Try to go out during daylight if possible. When we leave the house in extreme conditions,

there’s always a chance that we could get stuck somewhere - think lost keys, car troubles. Luckily, it’s not likely to happen…. But not entirely unlikely, either. If you plan to run in the snow, do it at a time when people are out and about. This way, if you need help, you’ll be able to flag someone down.

Choose your terrain wisely. Freshly fallen snow feels soft and has give. Your feet won’t slip, especially if it’s new fallen snow on a running track or path in the park, where the terrain is even and there aren’t likely to be low spots that draw water and become icy.

If it’s been a few days since the snow fell and ploughs have come through a few times, you can run on a cleared street. Just pick a neighborhood that doesn’t have a lot of hills or uneven pavementagain, watching for icy patches is important.

Wear snow-friendly running shoes. Choose athletic shoes that have a thicker bottom with allterrain traction. Or, slip on your trail shoes to make running in snow easier thanks to the added grip and insulation.

Or maybe run in your snow boots. If no one’s around, and they aren’t likely to be – very few people venture out into snowy, frigid conditions for exercise – why not? A heavier shoe or boot will add weight and make your snowy run even more challenging, as will the snow itself which is a little like running in sand.

Shorten your route. Make your circle smaller so that you aren’t getting too far away from the

place where you parked your car, or your house if you’re running in your neighborhood. You can still run for a set amount of time - say, 30 minutes - by making small loops that bring you back to your starting point which you can repeat.

Just remember: if you’re running in snow or other extreme weather or climate conditions, you’ll be safer if you stay close to home or your originating point.

Dress in layers. The great thing about running in very cold weather is that we have the ability to bring warmth to our own bodies by revving up our own motor. Running in the cold is amazing for that reason. After you’ve run for a while, you’ll likely find that you need to strip away one or two of your layers. That’s another good reason to run shorter laps. You can circle back to your house or vehicle and shed a layer as needed, then run another lap.

D O W N L O A D T O D A Y o n A m a

Looking to take your exercise routine yearround, and enjoy exercise in a natural, outdoor setting? Sometimes it’s not easy getting motivated to take that jog in chilly, windy, or rainy weather. However, the worst part about it is just getting started in the first place. Once you step out for some fresh air and movement, you’ll find that it was well worth the pep-talk you have to give yourself to make it happen.

Some tips for success:

Get an accountability group. There are lots of fitness-motivated people banding together to form support groups online. Join an online group of running or exercise enthusiasts, or a few of them. There’s just something about having likeminded people in your corner that can get you over the hurdle of exercising outside in tricky weather.

Normalize being outdoors…

rain or shine. So many people seem to fear a

few raindrops, don’t they? They’re the ones glued to the weather report… any excuse to hide indoorsheat, cold, precipitation, wind, you name it. These are the ones watching in disbelief as you don your rain gear getting ready for a run and shaking their heads in general disapproval.

If you want year-round outdoor exercise to be your thing, then limit your time with people like this. The motivation is the hardest part, and you know that once you get out there facing the elements, with your feet pounding the pavement and the clean air entering your lungs, you’ll be so glad you did. Never mind that couch potato, he doesn’t know what he’s

missing!

Think of your mental health. Running and using your muscles raises endorphin levels. Sunlight boosts your immunity, improves mood, and regulates your hormones. That’s why, as hard as it may be to get going on some days, once you spend some time exercising outside, you’ll notice how much better you feel - what sweet relief it is!

Visualize the benefits. Your irritated mood will go away. You’ll feel lighter and calmer when you return. If it’s raining, you’ll feel cleansed. The fresh air will heal you. You’ll sleep well tonight. Your body will be stronger and faster than it was yesterday.

Why Interval Training Can Make Your Workouts More Effective

Interval training is the process of doing a move and then taking a short break before moving on to the next. Perhaps the most popular example is HIIT, or high intensity interval training, where a move is repeated for a certain increment of time (usually in 45 second intervals) with a short rest in between (usually 15 second intervals). Following each rest, a new move is started in the same interval format.

Generally, the interval format will be followed through multiple moves until you have finished a workout ranging from 5 to 60 minutes or more, depending on your endurance levels and the degree of training you’re participating in. HIIT is extremely effective at raising your heart rate and making use of your body’s natural ability to go hard

for short bursts. The short recovery period gives you the chance to catch your breath but isn’t so long that it allows your heart rate to lower substantially. Keeping the rest short also keeps the workout very efficient and high calorie burning.

HIIT isn’t the only form of interval training, though. LIIT, or low intensity interval training, is also a very popular form of interval training that will allow your body to follow a similar interval format-this time with easier moves.

Generally, a LIIT workout will have longer workout intervals since the moves are lower in intensity. This means you might squat for 1-2 minutes and then rest for 10-30 seconds before moving on to another low intensity move, like side steps.

Either form of interval training can prove to be very effective in building strength and/or burning calories, depending on the type of moves you incorporate. But it all begs the question: Is interval training the most effective way to work out? The answer isn’t as straightforward as you may have hoped.

At the end of the day, there is no right or wrong way to structure your workout. Interval training is a favorite for many, especially HIIT, because of its calorie burning potential. But you might prefer steady state cardio where you sustain a single pace over a prolonged period of time, which also has its benefits (like building endurance). Running, swimming, and bicycling are all forms of steady state cardio.

However, if you want to burn as many calories as possible in a short amount of time, HIIT might be a good thing to try. On the other hand, if you want to work on your strength while still working up a sweat, LIIT might be for you. It all comes down to your goals and abilities.

Starving Yourself Doesn’t Work for Weight Loss

The road to significant and prolonged weight loss is simple: create a calorie deficit by consuming less calories than your body burns. The greater the calorie deficit, the more significant the drop in weight will be. It would therefore make sense that if you significantly or completely cut off your calorie consumption, you will be able to enjoy accelerated weight loss, right? Well, not exactly. If weight loss were that simple, then we would all be model-thin. The truth is that starving yourself does not deliver the kind of

results you would expect. The real results of starving the body are as follows.

High Loss in Muscle Mass

Regardless of your diet, your body has grown accustomed to expecting a certain amount of food daily. So, if you refrain from eating, your body perceives that as a period of famine and therefore kicks into survival mode whereby it starts making efforts to conserve fuel while still providing enough energy to keep you alive and functioning

for as long as possible without food.

Weirdly enough, the very first step your body takes is to start burning muscle cells and keeping any stored fat safely tucked away to use as the very last resort. The protein released from the burnt muscle cells is then converted to energy, which the body uses to carry out life sustaining functions such as breathing, pumping of blood, cellular repair, and so on. That same energy will also be used to enable the performance of

whatever physical activity you engage in while starving yourself.

Since 70% of muscle is water, you’ll also get to lose some weight as every destroyed muscle cell results in the release of water, which will be eventually excreted from the body. That is the weight loss that people on a very low-calorie diet experience during the first few days of inadequate eating or starvation.

Decreased Metabolic Rate

Another of the body’s reaction to starvation is to slow down the metabolic rate in a bid to conserve as much energy as possible. How far the metabolic rate drops will depend on several things including a person’s genetics, the duration of the starvation period, and just how severe the starvation is.

The loss of muscle in itself also causes the metabolic rate to drop. This is because muscle is a metabolically active

tissue. Therefore, the less the muscle percentage in your body, the slower your metabolism will be.

For someone looking to lose weight, a slow metabolism is the very last thing you would want. A slow metabolism results in the body burning very few calories. So, even if you manage to lose weight it will be at a painfully slow rate.

Reduced Energy

The energy we use to perform everyday activities such as walking, showering, and even something as simple as scratching your forehead

comes from the energy produced after the body burns the calories ingested during eating. For someone who is fasting or starving, very few calories go into the body and even fewer are burnt. Therefore, energy levels naturally drop making it difficult to perform normal activities.

As you can see, starvation is not a good idea when you are looking to lose weight. You not only lose the wrong kind of weight and feel miserable the entire time, but you also gain back all lost weight if not more after resuming your normal eating habits. And, if the starvation period goes on for a long time, it could lead to dangerous effects. It’s therefore advisable to avoid the temptation of starving yourself and instead create a healthy calorie deficit by combining smart dieting with a rigorous workout plan. Doing so is not only safer than starving yourself, but it’s also the most effective route to permanent weight loss.

How to Fit in Exercise During the Busy Holiday Season

The Christmas season is a time of year when we tend to slack off with our exercise routine. If you’ve been working hard at losing weight or keeping the pounds off that you already managed to shed, it can be difficult to stick with your long-term commitment to fitness goals once the cookie tray or hors d’ouvres platter gets passed around.

There are few reasons why this happens. One, because at holiday time,

we tend to fill our social calendars to brimming, with not a lot of hours left over in our day for self care. This is a month we are more likely to meet up and catch up with old friends.

During the Christmas season, celebrations and merriment abound, and with those come plenty of high-calorie temptations.

We might find ourselves heading over to the local watering hole for

happy hour after work, or donning our ugliest Christmas sweater with plans for karaoke. Many a dieter has found him or herself struggling not to binge on fried appetizers, or down that third, carbohydrate-laden beer.

If this revelry is going to be the plan for one full month, then we definitely will want to balance the excess with not less, but more, exercise. How to fit in fitness during an already over-booked season?

Sneak in exercise during your regular routine. Did you ever notice how much easily you tend to drop pounds when you’re getting ready to move into a new home? With every days spent packing and lifting heavy boxes and making repeated trips up and down stairs, putting a little muscle into cleaning, we’re accomplishing something that eludes many a frustrated dieter who can’t seem to kick the pounds.

We’re engaging long hours of a low-impact, fatburning exercise routine simply by constantly moving around and using our muscles more than we normally would.

If you find yourself short on gym hours, or coming back from your holiday celebrations a mite bit too late to don those jogging shorts, you can compensate for the lack of aerobic exercise by engaging in a fat-burning all-day working by moving around more in general.

How to make it happen in your everyday life:

Park in the faraway spot. Most people spend at least several extra minutes circling the grocery store

or mall parking lot in search of the closest spot to put their car. But think about it, why do we do this? If we park farther away and hoof it into the store, we’re doing our bodies a great favor by getting in some extra exercise. And we’re even showing generosity to others who may have physical impairments that make the close spot more desirable.

Take the stairs. You’ve probably heard it a million times, but so many people recommend simple solutions like walking up a few extra flights of steps because it’s an easy way to get exercise while accomplishing what we need to do. In fact, why not make this a fun social activity. If you’re walking back from office lunch with your crew of coworkers, it might be fun to all take the stairs together.

Walk instead of drive. Do you work or reside in a city? Instead of ubering, taxiing, driving or taking the bus, consider the added benefit of walking to your destination. Get some comfortable sneakers or other type of fitness footwear, dress appropriately for the

weather, and then get out there and hit the pavement at a brisk, calorie-burning pace. Walk and run with your dog. If the thought of exercising for yourself isn’t enough to keep you motivated during the holiday season, then do it for your dog. When you get home from work, skip the snacks and instead pop on your favorite leisure pants. Grab the leash, and head out for a brisk trot or jog around the blog with your favorite furry friend. Just a half hour of this type of exercise each day should keep you on target with weight loss.

Keep your fitness goals realistic. Do you feel intimidated by those people on Facebook who are marathoning and running 5Ks left and right? Setting health goals that also help others is great, but not everyone has the time for this, especially around the holidays. If the hard-core runners on Facebook have you scrolling and snacking instead of exercising, it’s time to lower the bar. Aim for a mile a day at minimum, with some floor stretches at home for added benefit.