Your Health

Focusing On Fitness In The Festive Season

Posted 11/12/2010

Make sure your nutrition matches your exertion, or you may find yourself feeling tired, weaker and lethargic during the busy holiday season.

(NAPSI) - The holiday season with all its indulgences can make it difficult to stay focused on fitness, but a few expert tips should help you stay on target and in the right spirit.

Here are some suggestions from Lisa Dorfman, RD, the “Running Nutritionist™”:

• Find the time. Although it may be tempting to skip your exercise routine when you have so many holiday events to attend, try to stay true to your normal schedule. Exercising on a regular basis can help give you the stamina you need to survive the holiday season in good health. Get your calendar out and pencil in regular exercise sessions.

• Find opportunities to exercise within holiday activities. Going to the mall? Park a few rows farther away so you have to walk. Planning a family get-together? Schedule one with skating or sledding so you can burn off some calories.

• Make sure you’re getting the proper nutrients. If you’re ramping up your activity to keep from gaining weight during the holidays, remember, regular, intense physical activity can deplete your body of essential vitamins and minerals, such as magnesium.i

Research by the USDA shows that seven out of 10 people have a magnesium-deficient diet.ii

Magnesium is an essential mineral for your health, and if you’re not eating enough magnesium-rich foods, such as beans, nuts and vegetables, you may want to consider a dietary supplement like Slow-Mag® Tablets, which combine magnesium and calcium, giving you two important nutrients your body needs.

Magnesium is one of the minerals that serve as a catalyst for the enzyme involved in energy production.i

• Don’t over-exercise. Some people are tempted to over-exercise to compensate for the season’s fattening foods, but this can backfire. “Shifting into high gear can cause some unwanted side effects, such as muscle weakness and fatigue,” says Dorfman. “Make sure your exercise regimen matches your nutrition, especially if you ramp up your exertion during the holiday season, when you’re not eating the proper foods.”

Don’t discount the temperature. Exercising in cold weather can be more draining, burn more calories and deplete the body of electrolytes faster than exercising in warm weather.

To be sure you’re getting enough magnesium, check out the Magnesium Calculator tool at www.slowmag.com.

[i] Lukaski, Henry C., Magnesium, zinc, and chromium nutriture and physical activity. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2000; 72 (2): 585s-593s. Website http://ajcn.org/cgi/content/full/72/2/585S#SEC6).

[ii] USDA Agricultural Research Service reports 32% of all US individuals are meeting the Dietary Reference Intake for magnesium. Available at: http://www.ars.usda.gov/services/docs.htm?docid=11046