Youre Invited to Join Me and Welcome 2018 with a Hike

Winter is the prime time for hiking in SoCal. Trails are bug-free. In addition, you can bank precious winter sunlight, which trigger's your body's ability to produce mood-boosting vitamin D. Cooler winter temperatures allow you to appreciate the energy of the hike and the views without the intensity of the heat in our other seasons.

Remember these two winter hiking precautions. Keep in mind days are much shorter now. If you're choosing to do a longer hike, it's a good idea to start early in the morning to give yourself plenty of time to finish before nightfall. Remember water. Just because you sweat less during your winter workout doesn't mean you can skip toting water. Always carry two liters of water to stay hydrated.

Start the new year right with a hike in the nearby hills. Welcome a brand-new year with a morning trek, notice nature around you and explore new places above all the noise and clamor of the city. It's fun to greet each group you meet on the trail with "Happy New Year!"

YOU'RE INVITED

I'm inviting all of you who read my blog, Y members and my Smilers walking group to join me for a New Year's Day hike. We will meet at 8:30am at Stough Canyon Nature Center. Be prepared for a wide dirt trail. The walk/hike should last about 1 1/2 hours. We will have a champagne toast at the top of the hill. Let me know if you can but you don't need to RSVP - just be there at 8:30.

Check out more cool weather hiking tips and benefits in this Winter Workout blog from December 2016. Winter can be your new favorite trekking season.

Stay Active, Keep Moving and

Enjoy Your Food 

Merry Christmas

 Merry Christmas! 

Thanks to all of you in my private training, group fitness and blog communities who have helped make 2017 a fabulous year for Priority Fitness Burbank. 

I've had a wonderful time getting to know some of you better and helping you prioritize fitness in your lives. It's great to see progress and have fun working out together. 

Anticipating many more times of fun and fitness in 2018. 

Plan ahead for Saturday Group Interval Training sessions three consecutive weeks this coming Spring.

Keep Moving During the Holidays

Keep moving the next few weeks with a little planning and active mindset. There are quite a few obstacles to fitness and movement during the holidays. Crazy schedules bump our exercise routine, home-bound kids throw a kink in your plans, dark evenings encourage hibernating and visiting relatives always involve lots of eating and sitting. Here are a few Burbank ideas to help you and your family avoid the couch from now until the new year.

Default to walking or biking
Consider using your body to get you where you need to go. 

* Bike or walk to downtown Burbank to ice-skate at The Rink (Dec 14 - Jan 7).

* During the school year, Saturdays are crazy busy. Use these slower Saturday mornings to walk down to the Farmer's Market with the kids. Try a fruit or vegetable you haven't seen before.

* Don't drive - walk to downtown to see a morning movie at the AMC.

*Stroll to Olive & Glenoaks to see the Burbank float the week after the Rose Parade.

Choose active over sedentary

* Take the relatives bowling at Pickwick Bowl.

* Drive to the beach in the winter. The cousins can play tag in the sand, get a volleyball game together or put their toes in the water.

* Take bikes or boards to the Burbank Skate Park.

* Splurge on a horseback ride for the group at the Equestrian Center.

This holiday season a little planning and an active mind-set can help you:

Stay Active, Keep Moving and

Enjoy Your Food 

Make Every Kitchen Moment Count

During the holidays, busy lives and from-scratch cooking can seem hopelessly at odds. They don't have to be. Try these strategies for keeping your healthy eating on track during the busy holiday (or any-day) season.

MICRO-PREP
Instead of prepping all weekend, make the most of whatever kitchen time you get. While the family is eating breakfast, saute onions or chop fajita vegetables for dinner. While the dinner pasta water is coming to a boil, prep overnight oatmeal for the next morning. During dinner clean-up, hard-boil eggs to stow in the frig for lunches.


COOK ONCE, USE TWICE
Grill chicken, do some Asian bowls that night and use it the next night in a big chop salad. Roast butternut squash, serve half as a side one night, use the other half for a pasta dish the next. Grill flank steak for dinner one night, make up burritos for lunches the next day.


MARKET & PREP
Marketing with a menu plan and prepared list is a winning way to save money and focus on whole foods. Extend your success by carving out time to prep veggies as soon as you unload the bags. I immediately wash all my produce in a water and vinegar solution. After rinsing, I slice carrots,  peppers and celery. I bag grape tomatoes and green grapes in small bags ready to take for lunches. Strawberries and blueberries are clean and ready in small bowls in the frig to top morning cereal. If the lovely fruit and vegetables you buy are not ready to eat, the family will probably leave them to spoil until next week's market run.

Plan and prep each week to make sure you and your family 

eat as healthy as possible and avoid the temptation of frozen pizza!

Stay Active, Keep Moving and

Enjoy Your Food

Seven Minute Travel Workout

Tis the season for travel and visiting. You can maintain your fitness while traveling this holiday season with a little ingenuity and a dose of discipline. The 7 Minute Workout below includes cardio, isometric strength, dynamic strength and agility all in one quick package.

Use the props available to you in your hotel room, gym or relative's house/yard. Pick out your wall spot and have the chair/bench and mat set up ahead of time so you can move quickly from one set to the next. Shoes can be optional, if you are crunched for space in your luggage.

Set a timer on your phone to buzz every 30 seconds. Try this Tabata App. Warm up with dynamic moves, then immediately move to the next exercise without any rest. Ideally, you will go through the set twice with a 60 - 90 second recovery in between. I think the moves are all pretty self-explanatory. Here is a clarification for the one that might be unfamiliar to some. 

Push up to Rotation: Start in plank position, do a push up, then reach hand toward ceiling, rotating body to face sideways, like a side plank. Immediately return to pushup, rotate and reach opposite hand to ceiling.

7 minute workout
30 seconds each move
Warmup
Jumping Jacks
Wall Sit
Pushups
Crunches
Step up onto chair, alternating leg
Squats
Tricep dip on chair 
Plank
High Knees in place 
Alternating Forward Lunge
Pushup and Rotation 
Side Plank on forearm
Side Plank, other Side
Repeat, if possible 
Stretch

Maintain your fitness level and feel good while you are traveling this holiday season.

Stay Active, Keep Moving and

Enjoy Your Food