Always Time For Fitness During Holidays

Seeing relatives you love, great meals, a Tiger victory over the Jayhawks. All great results from a fantastic Thanksgiving holiday.

So, when is there time for fitness between activities?

You know the feeling - you know you're packing away a lot of calories with the holiday feeding. You're feeling guilty because you'd like some time off, but you don't want to gain the "unnecessary holiday pounds." We can always use a little rest, but there's also an easy way to keep up with fitness if you're creative.

It only takes 30 to 60 minutes for a productive workout. You can do a circuit of push-ups, lunges, squats, planks and so forth in no time. All you need is a floor to develop a quick 25-minute routine featuring these exercises. How about a sidewalk? That's all you need for a 25 to 40-minute walk or run outdoors.

I was lucky that my brother and sister-in-law have a pool in the backyard of their fantastic home in the Houston area. So, I was able to do a 30-minute water run routine one morning.

Well, you get the point. There's always room for fitness - even if it's just for 30 to 60 minutes. All you need is a little creativity!

Men, Check Out What You're Missing

Okay, so I lied.

I said I wouldn't post any more over this holiday week, but I couldn't help myself following attendance at yoga and water aerobic classes over the past couple of days.

Attention, men! You need to check out what you're missing in group fitness. At my yoga class Monday evening, there was only one other male in attendance beyond myself. In my "aqua-mix" water aerobics class yesterday morning, I was the only male in attendance.

Group fitness classes offer that diversity in your routine that can help keep you injury-free. While I really enjoy the relaxation of yoga an the variety of water aerobics, there are many different classes available through your local health clubs. Take a minute to check it out.

Guys, don't be afraid. Jump on in - the water is great.

Hope everyone enjoys some time off this week!

Another Alternative Workout

As Thanksgiving inches closer, perhaps a story about a chef is appropriate.

The twist is this particular chef is serious about her workouts. Beth Wells, a California chef, uses kettle balls, heavy rope and other tools to do heavy workouts on her feet. Beth also prepares some mighty fine organic-based dishes. Probably not what you're planning to consume on Thanksgiving, but great stuff!

Check out the Wall Street Journal piece on Beth’s workouts -- http://tinyurl.com/ycoxww. Maybe some of these exercise make sense for you! Anything new is great to consider as the approaching cold limits our options for fitness activities.

I'm taking a break from the blog for the rest of the week to enjoy Thanksgiving and a celebration of my in-laws 50th wedding anniversary in Texas. I'm looking forward to the trip. Enjoy your Thanksgiving!

Story Of A 14-Year-Old Seven Footer

This is a moving story about a 14-year-old boy who is 7’4”. Yes, that’s 7’4” and this is the story of Brenden Adams.

Check it out -- http://tinyurl.com/yh6qqnh. There’s an accompanying video on this post that really tells the story. This is one of those rare cases of “difficult-to-explain” health issues that have forced this young man through many hoops, yet he seems to tackle adversity fairly well.

It’s inspiring to note how he so badly wanted to play football, but faced many serious health limitations. He required surgery to be able to get a medical clearance to play, but still faces other problems as he plays. If you watch the video, you’ll see that he must play in jeans because there aren’t football pants big enough for the poor kid.

What is perhaps most gratifying about this story is hearing how the coach has worked Brenden into some plays.

We get so caught up in “winning” in our society, but it’s nice to note stories where just “doing the right thing” is applauded.

Keeping Up In The Tri Off-Season

What a great story about staying motivated in the off-season!

Triathlon Coach Kevin Koskella Offers a great perspective about how to use the off-season to rest and SLOW DOWN! He says there are some great activities that allow our bodies recovery, while offering opportunities for strength.

Swim drills, yoga and weight training are three examples to Koskella’s end. Personally, I couldn’t agree with him more. I’m signing up for a series of yoga classes. I’ve been a little “iffy” on yoga in the past, but I’m quickly finding that this is a fantastic low impact, high strength activity.

So, take a look at this post http://tinyurl.com/ykb753t on http://www.active.com/ and find out what works for you!

Wanna Hula Hoop?

I’ve only heard rumors about this until I actually saw it in our local newspaper.

People have actually developed “hula hoop” workouts. Well, it was in the newspaper, so it has to be true, right? Check out this article from the Des Moines Register -- http://tinyurl.com/yzjg8wm.

Getting serious about this for a moment – yes, a hula hoop workout sounds a little silly, but think about all of the great muscles you exercise using the hoop. Abdominal, obliques, glutes, quads and then some are all getting good work with this exercise.

Alternative workouts have been a theme for me lately, so I’ll keep passing them along. Some things work well for some people. As we are more limited here in the Midwest as colder weather approaches, it’s sometimes good to explore some new indoor alternatives.

Attention “Coachaholics”

Are you one to consistently raise your hand when the call out is made for coaches of your children’s various athletic teams?

If you answered “yes”, then I think you will find this column from Phil Taylor in last week’s Sports Illustrated as entertaining as I did -- http://tinyurl.com/yccepwk.

Those of us who regularly volunteer to coach youth sports in our communities all know one another. We know all of our compulsive tendencies toward helping our children advance in athletics. We all know our passion for the game.

However, this column reaches into how we find the balance in our lives between work and finding time to effectively accomplish all of this. While we all enjoy coaching, it is work and sometimes our real work gets confused in the midst of our more fun work. Enjoy the read!