The holidays are a time of family, joy and often reflection. We take the time to look back at the past year and evaluate our success and where we need to improve. There is the usual conversation about New Year’s resolutions and goal setting, with the focus on healthy lifestyle and weight loss. This year, when you take time to reflect, make sure you put a plan in place to assist with achieving your overall health goals.
Things to consider
- Nutrition is often overlooked when dietary resolutions are made. Often we decide to exercise more and eat better, but actual nutritional needs are not looked into enough. Calorie constricting is popular, but can result in nutritional deficiencies, lack of energy and bone density loss. Consulting your physician or a nutritionist is always recommended (and as a bonus it doesn’t cost you much, if anything at all!)
- Weight lifting can also be a constructive form of exercise to incorporate into your regular routine. This helps maintain and build bone density (which is very important to women as we age) and can help prevent injury and improve overall strength.
- Regular cardio exercise is important to elevate the heart rate, effectively burn calories and improve the circulation and respiratory systems. Without the two suggestions above (Nutrition and weight lifting) this method can prove to be ineffective and cause more damage to your body then good. While it isn’t essential to partake in weight lifting, combining the two methods does increase the overall benefits of your workout and can assist in preventing injury.
As there is a wealth of information out there, it can be daunting when starting out or revamping your regular routine. It is always recommended to discuss your options with specialists in the field and your health care team.
If you are someone who is already very active, keeping up with your routine over the holidays can be a challenge but with the many trails, outdoor skating areas and other activities in and around Ottawa – there is always something exciting to do. If you’re new to living an active lifestyle, the New Year can be a wonderful time to set goals and start with healthy lifestyle options. Just make sure you take small steps to incorporate regular activity.
We, at the Ottawa Sport Council would like to take this opportunity to wish you Happy Holidays and a very healthy new year!