Tabitha Bury - Fit Pro
As December rolls in, the excitement of the holidays can often derail fitness routines. With festivities, gatherings and seasonal treats, it’s easy to let health goals slip. However, maintaining your fitness commitment during this month is entirely possible with the right strategies. Here are some tips to help you stay on track!
1. Set Realistic Goals: With the busy holiday season, it’s crucial to adjust your fitness goals. Instead of aiming for drastic changes focus on maintaining your current level of fitness. Set achievable targets, such as sticking to a specific number of workouts per week or incorporating more vegetables into your meals.
2. Plan Your Workouts: December can get hectic, so planning your workouts in advance is key. Schedule your sessions just like any other appointment. Prioritize shorter, more intense workouts if time is limited. Consider high-intensity interval training (HIIT) or circuit training to maximize your time.
3. Stay Active with Holiday Activities: Take advantage of the season’s activities to stay active. Go ice skating, take a walk to see holiday lights, or participate in community events. These activities can help you maintain your fitness while enjoying the holiday spirit.
4. Be Mindful of Food Choices: Holiday gatherings often feature tempting treats. Practice mindfulness when eating: savor your food and listen to your body’s hunger cues. Enjoy your favorites, but balance them with healthier options. Incorporating more fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins can help mitigate the impact of indulgent meals.
5. Stay Hydrated: With all the festive drinks and rich foods, it’s easy to forget hydration. Drinking plenty of water helps with digestion and can prevent overeating. Consider keeping a water bottle handy during events!
6. Involve Friends and Family: Share your fitness goals with friends and family. Encourage them to join you in workouts or healthier meal prep. Having a support system not only keeps you accountable but also makes staying active more enjoyable.
7. Don’t Skip Sleep: With the hustle and bustle of the holidays, sleep often takes a backseat. Prioritize getting adequate rest to support your recovery and overall well-being. Aim for 7-9 hours per night to keep your energy levels high and your motivation intact.
8. Be Flexible: While it’s important to stick to your goals, also allow for flexibility. lf you miss a workout or indulge at a party, don’t be too hard on yourself. Acknowledge it, refocus, and get back on track. Fitness is a journey, and the holidays are just a part of it.
9. Reflect and Adjust: As the month progresses, take time to reflect on your goals and progress. Adjust your plans as needed, considering what’s working and what isn’t. This reflection can help you stay aligned with your fitness journey, even amidst the holiday chaos.
10. Celebrate Small Wins: Finally, celebrate your achievements, no matter how small. Whether it’s sticking to your workout schedule or making healthier food choices, acknowledging these wins can boost your motivation and keep you focused on your goals.
December doesn’t have to be a month of setbacks. By adding these strategies, you can enjoy the holidays while staying committed to your fitness journey. Remember, consistency is key, and every small effort counts.
Here’s to a healthy and happy December!
Travis Lafountain - Fit Pro Cardiovascular Workout of the Month
Warm-Up (5 minutes)
1. Marching in place with alternating arm raises (60 seconds)
2. Leg swings (front and back) (30 seconds per leg)
3. High knees at a walking pace (60 seconds)
4. Dynamic stretching: lateral lunge side to side, arm circles (both arms) and torso twists (30 seconds each)
Strength Exercises (15 minutes)
1. Dumbbell Squats: Hold dumbbells and perform squats, walking forward and backward between reps (3 sets of 12 reps).
2. Walking Lunges: 3 sets of 24 steps, alternating legs. You can rest in between steps since you’re already walking!
3. Dumbbell Chest Press: 3 sets of 12 reps, walk in between sets.
4. Bent rows: 3 sets of 12 reps, walk in between sets.
5. Shoulder Press: Hold dumbbells and perform shoulder presses while walking in place (3 sets of 12 reps).
Cardio Intervals (10 minutes)
1. Burpees: Perform 12 burpees, then walk for 30 seconds to recover.
2. Mountain Climbers: Perform 30 seconds of mountain climbers, then walk for 30 seconds to recover.
3. Jumping Jacks: Perform 30 seconds of jumping jacks, then walk for 30 seconds to recover.
4. Repeat: Alternate between exercise intervals and brisk walking for 10 minutes.
Cool-Down (5 minutes)
Static Stretching: Focus on major muscle groups (hamstrings, quadriceps, chest, back, and shoulders).
Tips and Variations:
• Use lighter weights if you’re new to strength training or have mobility issues.
• Increase weight or reps as you build strength.
• Substitute exercises with similar movements (e.g., replace dumbbell squats with bodyweight squats).
• Add more cardio intervals or increase duration for a more challenging workout.
• Incorporate hills or stairs for added intensity during walking intervals.
Benefits:
• Works all major muscle groups (legs, chest, back, shoulders, and core)
• Incorporates cardio exercise for improved cardiovascular health.
• Combines strength training with walking for a low-impact, high-intensity workout.
• Can be modified to suit different fitness levels and goals.
Remember to listen to your body and adjust the workout as needed. It’s essential to focus on proper form and technique throughout the exercises to avoid injury.
Source: www.dmoose.com
Attention PEAK Members & Guests:
Please remember to be courteous to others by limiting your workout times on our fitness and cardio machines. (Please keep your cardio sessions to 60 minutes maximum.)
Thank you! - PEAK Management & Staff
SATURDAY DECEMBER 14 | 9:00 AM
Join Sage for a 60-minute mindful yoga and sound healing session. Find balance and inner harmony before the hustle and bustle of the holidays!
FREE with your Membership or Day Pass Book a spot online or in the Peak App!
Jacque Albro - Fit Pro
Here in the gym world, a major focus for most of us is physical fitness. And for a lot of us that includes focusing on intensity, or the measure of how difficult an exercise is. You can increase the intensity of an exercise in a lot of ways but the two most common are increasing the weight or speed of the movement. We all know this, right? Well let me take a minute to pause... “Researchers have shown that the intent of the trainee matters more than the actual velocity of the execution.” – Charles Poliquin, 2012
So, what does that mean? Well let’s use the example of two gym goers who are looking to increase their chest press. If we take those two gym goers and make all the variables the same (same weight, speed, time under tension, concentric, eccentric, etc) but one person thought about adding intensity by increasing the speed at which they lifted the bar – without actually changing the speed, remember all variables are the same. But by simply thinking about intensifying the workout, that person got stronger! Your intent or your mindset changes the outcome.
That’s super cool from a physical fitness perspective, but does it show up anywhere else?
I’ll give you another example: SLEEP! Sleep is really important. We heal our body, mind, and spirit while sleeping. Its where our lymphatic nervous system does most of its work and where our growth hormone comes out to play. However, it’s not the easiest thing to get right?
Let’s take our two-person example again. We have two people who are trying to get 8 hours of sleep, but they are both woken up in the middle of the night. The only difference is one person let that stress them out and the other person stayed in a calm and relaxed state. There has been a lot of research done on this, so this should come as no surprise, but the person who remained calm was still able to achieve those restorative properties of sleep! Again, your mindset matters.
Okay cool, but this couldn’t apply to nutrition, right?
Two people eat the same meal, but one person eats while in a stressed-out state and the other eats in a calm state. What happens to that person who is stressed? Well, if you eat while stressed:
• Your body will not digest the food properly
• The food that is digested is more likely to be digested as fat
• You colon secretes more water and mucus
• Your gut wall begins to leak, and
• The amount of blood flowing through the lining of your stomach and intestine increases.
All this to say, our mindset really does matter when it comes to food.
So, what can we do to help control our mindset?
Practice Gratitude! Can you write down three things you are grateful for? They don’t have to be profound. Maybe it’s a good cup of coffee or that your favorite team won last night. Just write them down.
Scientific studies show that practicing gratitude increases happiness, has a significant impact on long-term success, and even improves numerous health outcomes. Scientists have discovered that practicing gratitude shapes the lens through which we view the world. And this new lens changes our perspective on stress and negative external influences.
If writing down three things you’re grateful for isn’t your thing, maybe take a page out of Charles Poliquin’s book. Poliquin trained over 800 different athletes in over 20 different Olympic sports during his career and he would ask his daughter three questions every night before bed.
• What have you done today to make someone happy?
• What has somebody else done today to make you happy?
• What have you learned today?
They are simple questions that have a very powerful effect because after a few days of writing these, what is your mind going to be on alert for? Maybe how did you make someone happy? Maybe how someone else has made you happy?
Pay attention to your focus. “Where focus goes, energy flows.” – Tony Robbins
November
PEAK FIT KIDS with Travis
Book your child into class online or in the Peak App! bit.ly/Main-ClassSchedule Make reservations in the Peak App! Did you know we offer Unlimited Childcare?
Mondays & Thursdays 4:30-5:20 PM Make your next party a
Primary Child: $20 | Second Child: $15 | Additional Children: $10 Talk to our Membership team today! Learn more about the Treehouse at peakgreatfalls.com!
Party! Party bookings get 2-hour use of the pools and Hazelnut studio for up to 15 kids! Chairs and tables are provided, and more children may attend for an additional cost. Availability Saturdays: 10am-12pm | 1-3pm | 4-6pm Sundays: 1-3pm | 4-6pm Call
American Heart Association ® HeartSaver and Healthcare Professional Renewal Certifications at the Peak
HeartSaver CPR/AED Certification | $65
Friday, December 20 | 1:30 PM
Classes include adult, child, and infant certifications. Participants can take any or all modules. We teach and test skills on how well students use an AED, and how well they perform compressions and give breaths. Participants practice compressions and breaths with and without a mask. If participants cannot kneel on the floor we will set up tables.
HeartSaver FIRST AID Certification | $65
These classes will be available again in spring of 2025!
Take both HeartSaver classes in one month for only $100!
Fees include classes and certification cards. Pre-registration at the Front Desk is required and fees must be paid at that time.
Basic Life Support Health Care Provider Renewal Certification Classes | $25
Healthcare Provider classes and skills testing is available at the Peak Health and Wellness Center. The Healthcare Provider BLS classes are scheduled as needed. The Heartcode BLS skills check-off is also available and usually lasts a half hour. You complete the online component that includes the written test and then call to schedule your skills checkoff.
To schedule, please email carley@peakgreatfalls.com.
Christmas Eve, December 24 | Main & WBL 5 AM - 2 PM Christmas Day, December 25 | Main & WBL Closed New Year’s Eve, December 31 | Main & WBL 5 AM - 2 PM New Year’s Day, January 1 | Main & WBL 5 AM - 2 PM
