Last night I was having a holiday dinner with friends and, as I contemplated the chocolate cake in front of me, I couldn’t help asking: Isn’t chocolate good for my heart and, if so, isn’t it my duty to eat it for cardiovascular health?

It’s those types of questions that crop up during the holidays and our answers can sometimes lead to overindulgence. Yesterday, I offered some specific workouts to keep you active this week and, today, I’ve put together a few more tips for avoiding MPDF Syndrome (a.k.a. My Pants Don’t Fit).

How do you maintain your weight during the holidays? Do you exercise more or do you give yourself a room to gain a little, knowing you’ll get rid of it in January? Leave a comment and then check out these resources:

• Quick Tips for Exercising During the Holidays
• Eat Drink and Be Merry - Without Guilt
• Holiday Weight Management Survival Guide
• Timesaver Workouts

Stay Fit During the Holidays originally appeared on About.com Exercise on Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009 at 07:00:45.

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I enjoy reading inspirational blogs and sometimes a story really touches me, either because I gain a new perspective or because it reminds me to refocus on beliefs I already hold.
This morning I received an update from a great blog called Evolving Times. The sentiment is great for everyday use, but it is especially useful during this holiday season.
My Solstice Lesson
One thing I’ve learned is that you never know where the lesson will come from. My daughter and I went to a gathering last night for a Solstice ritual and …

This week may be one of the hardest when it comes to exercise. If you’re like me, you’ll be braving crowded airports, long security lines and delayed flights, followed by the let-your-hair-down holiday festivities when you finally get to your destination. If you need a little help fitting in quick, effective workouts this week, I’ve put together a few ideas to keep you motivated.

• Basic Ball Workout
• 10-Minute Workout
• 10-Minute Strength
• Quick Total Body
• Holiday Travel Workout
• No Equipment Travel Workout
• Boot Camp Workout
• 10-Minute Cardio and Strength Circuit

What’s your favorite fast, effective workout? Leave a comment and give us some ideas for staying active.

Holiday Workouts of the Week originally appeared on About.com Exercise on Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009 at 07:00:16.

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The Royal Society of Medicine, in association with the Vitiligo Society, held a one-day conference at its headquarters in London to bring doctors and patients together.
Vitiligo Society Meeting
Before the conference the Vitiligo Society had its members meeting and it was mentioned that the society has improved its website and online presence through the following social networking sites:
Vitiligo Society Facebook Page
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=19962002811
MySpace Page
http://www.myspace.com/vitiligosociety
(this was not mentioned but, if you’re interested, you can also become an overseas member at www.vitiligosociety.org.uk)
Success Stories from Patients
Narrowband UVB
The clear winner in helping patients seems to be narrowband …

We only have a couple of weeks left in 2009 and those weeks will be jam-packed for many of us. With all the travel, parties, visitors, shopping and wrapping presents, will there be any time to exercise?

I’m sure you know my thoughts on that - there’s always time to exercise. The trouble is keeping it a priority so you actually make time for it. A few tips that may help:

• Go early: You may not like 5 a.m. workouts but, getting in a morning routine will give you energy for the rest of the day.
• Go short: Got 10 minutes? Choose 10 high intensity exercises and do each for 1 minute for a timesaver workout. Some ideas: Jumping jacks, pushups, burpees, squats, lunges, dips, mountain climbers, jump rope, ski hops, squat jumps.
• Go family: If you’re visiting family (or they’re visiting you), taking walks or runs together is a great way to reconnect - and get out of the house for awhile.
• Go simple: If you can’t do structured workouts, take advantage of opportunities to move - walking around the mall, playing Wii with the relatives, tossing a football in the backyard or, of course, the Holiday Arm Curl (i.e., bend the elbow to curl the drink towards the lips and extend the elbow to lower it back down).

This week, I’ll be offering more ideas for how to keep some movement going, but I want to hear from you. What are your exercise plans over the holidays? Will you workout more or will you wing it and see what you can squeeze in? Do you have any tips for exercising over the holidays? Leave a comment and tell us about it.

Edited to add: The poll only works if you vote from the home page rather than the blog entry page and heck if I can figure out why. If you can’t vote, leave a comment to tell us what you’re doing over the holidays.

Vote in This Week’s Poll: What are your exercise plans over the holidays? originally appeared on About.com Exercise on Monday, December 21st, 2009 at 07:00:59.

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This fascinating book describes how meditation practices can literally change our minds. Hanson uses neuroanatomy, physiology and psychology to…

Pre-holiday preparation sometimes brings on a syndrome I like to call, Head Explosion Syndrome (as in, “If I have to think about, plan for, or do one more thing, my head will explode.”). HES can strike in all areas of life, particularly our workouts. When you’re already overwhelmed, facing a trip to the gym or a complicated workout involving multiple pieces of equipment may drive you over right over the edge.

That’s one reason that body weight exercises can be a great choice for keeping you fit without needing a gym or special equipment.

The key is to choose exercises that are challenging, like pushups with side planks, around the world lunges and burpees. You can also take traditional exercises and use different techniques to add more challenge. Slowing things down (e.g., 8-count squats - take 8 counts on the way down and 8 to stand up) or adding power (e.g., add a jump to your squats or lunges) are just a couple of ways to add intensity to body weight movements, giving you a great way to exercise with no equipment needed.

What are your favorite body weight exercises and how can we incorporate them into our workouts? Leave a comment and give us some ideas so we can all avoid HES this year.

What Are Your Favorite Body Weight Exercises? originally appeared on About.com Exercise on Friday, December 18th, 2009 at 07:00:05.

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I first heard about Darcel de Vlugt on Twitter. Someone tweeted that they were auditioning for a tv show about her. I want to share her story with you because I think you may find inspiration through this beautiful young woman who has not let her struggle with vitiligo define her, or limit her successes.
Her skin is so pale that she wears Factor 100 sun cream on even a dull summer day. Yet, incredibly, 23-year-old Darcel de Vlugt was born black. In a case of extreme rarity, the skin …

Revered Indian Swami Satyananda Saraswati died at midnight on Decmeber 5th (http://esutra.blogspot.com/2009/12/swami-satyananda-saraswati-1923-2009.html). Swami Satyananda Saraswati was the founder of…

While I think it’s a little too early to start shoveling snow (I know…let the annual winter-whining commence), it’s actually an amazing calorie-burning activity. What once seemed like an innocent driveway suddenly becomes a vast and endless field of snow - all waiting for you and your trusty shovel (or your snow blower, if that’s how you roll).

The only way to make shoveling my driveway tolerable is to think of it as a workout - the only real workout I’ll engage in outside when the temperatures fall below freezing. If you’ve gotten way too much snow already this winter, below are a few snowy activities that may cheer you up (or at least help you burn some hibernation calories). The calorie counts are for 30 minutes of activity by a 150-lb person:

• Shoveling Snow: 205 calories
• Slamming your shovel repeatedly into the slab of ice that was once your driveway: 4 million calories
• Having a hot toddy after slamming your shovel repeatedly into the slab of ice that was once your driveway: -100 calories
• Building a Snowman: 140 calories
• Cross-Country Skiing: 306
• Downhill Skiing: 204 calories
• Snowshoeing: 272 calories
• Taking a stroll around the neighborhood to look for a snow blower to borrow: 112 calories
• Cleaning house for the holiday party: 100 calories

I’m a cold weather wimp, but there are plenty of you out there who can’t wait for snowy winter sports. If you’re one of them, leave a comment and tell us about your favorite winter activities. If you’re like me, leave a comment and tell us how you make it through the winter when it’s too cold to go outside.

More about how to make winter exercise easier.

Burn Extra Calories With These Winter Activities originally appeared on About.com Exercise on Thursday, December 17th, 2009 at 07:00:15.

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