What better way to get your Holiday’s off to a good start than to add just one more thing to the “To-Do” list, and commit to the Centerworks Holiday Health Challenge!  I know you’re laughing right now, but I’m serious…

This is the time of the year that everything else seems to take priority – parties, shopping, time with friends and family, big meals, baking cookies, eating, eating, and more eating… with a promise to yourself that your New Year’s resolution will be to take more time for you, ramp up your workouts, and get back on track with healthy habits starting “next year.”

Sure body weight can fluctuate and it might only be 1 extra pound, or up to 5 or 10 pounds…  You know your typical November and December Holiday eating and activity patterns.

One study has shown that the extra weight you put on between Haloween and Christmas can take more than 5 months to lose.  Do you really want to spend almost half the year trying to shed the extra “present” you gave yourself.  Or would you prefer to present yourself with a healthy jump-start on that promise to take better care of your body inside and out?

It’s not so much about what you eat, we all know that you’ll never out-exrcise your diet.  But what’s more important is how much you’re MOVING your body, managing your stress, making smart healthier choices with holiday treats, and managing portion sizes.

Let’s make this your best Holiday Season ever!  Give YOURSELF the Gift of Good Health.

Here’s the Centerworks Holiday Health Challenge
Ready… 4,3,2,1, GO… 

• 4 Days a week (minimum)
• 30 minutes of Cardio
• 20 Minutes of Strength & Conditioning
• 10 Minutes of Stretching

Workout a minimum of 4 Days a week from NOW until the NEW Year!  You pick the days you’re going to do the work, and the activities you enjoy.  And if you get carried away and do a 45 min walk/jog instead of 30 min – SWEET! You’ve just given yourself a bonus fifteen minute health boost!  (But, here’s the catch, your extra minutes do not carry over for you to “skip out” on another day’s workout.)

Cardio Workouts
Options include but are not limited to: (Any activity that gets your heart-rate up and blood pumping!)

• Walk
• Run
• Bike
• Swim
• Row
• Jump Rope
• Climb Stairs
• Elliptical
• Aerobics
• Dance
• Hike
• Ski
• Skate
• Any other Aerobic activities you enjoy!

Strength & Conditioning
(Any activity/exercise that is working your muscles to develop better muscle tone, and strength.)

• Pilates
• Weight Lifting
• Calesthetics
• Foam Roller / Fit Ball
• Pulse-Power Daily Dozen
• CrossFit
• TRX
• Any other Strength and Conditioning exercises you enjoy!

Stretching & Flexibility 
(Any activity/exercise that is focused on improving range of movement and flexibility from your head to your toes.)

• Pilates Magic Circle Stretch Series
• Stretch Out Strap Exercises
• Pilates Spine Corrector Exercises
• Yoga
• Foot Fitness Exercises
• Other Stretching Exercises you enjoy

Your Workouts for this challenge do NOT have to be completed in one continuous hour. It is perfectly ok, to break it up throughout your day.  Only have 15 minutes?  Go for a WALK and you’ve got half of your cardio completed for the day!  Squeeze in another 15 minutes of Cardio plus your 20 minutes Strength and 10 minutes of Stretching exercises before the sun goes down. JUST strive to get everything done that you’ve committed to with this challenge, to take care of YOU before your head hits the pillow.  OH and if you’re bursting with extra energy and nothing else to do…feel free to do MORE than 4 days of workouts a week, but at a bare minimum this challenge is to get you to commit 4 of the 168 hours you’ve got each week to take care of your mind and body through the Holidays.

Are you Ready to commit to the Centerworks Holiday Health Challenge?
I hope you’ll join me.

Start at any time.  There is no cost, and no catch, to participate in this Centerworks Challenge… Use the at-home training tools you have now.  Get outside, Hit the gym, count your Pilates and Yoga workouts, (or while you’re shopping for everybody else,  treat yourself to a new training resource from Centerworks that you know you’ll benefit from now and in the year to come!)  Just be sure you’re being consistent to meet the requirements of this challenge, because after all, the person that is going to benefit the most from this Holiday Health Challenges is YOU!

Download your Centerworks Holiday Health Challenge Workout tracker now.