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It is finally Fall, and oh girl do you have a lot to look forward to! Thanksgiving is around the corner and Winter Wonderland is just a “hop, skip, and jump away!” But with the holidays approaching and the pandemic on your brain, one can’t help but think: “How am I going to get this COVID body in check and keep the weight off for the holidays?” Do not worry, we’ve got some advice for toning and maintaining, even through the most tempting months of the year.
Toning and Maintaining Your Trouble Zones Before the Holidays
Getting fit is not a magic trick and we cannot expect to drop a pant size overnight. No one wants to feel limited to scraping for new ways to dress up yoga pants with tunics and oversized flannels. There is nothing wrong with this look—it’s a favorite in fact! The holidays will be here before you know it! That likely involves seeing family members, old friends, and old acquaintances. For some it is not all about vanity, but who doesn’t want to look and feel great this year!
Toning and tightening target areas will have you moving and feeling more confident about yourself in a matter of months. Identify your target area without fear. Yes, we would like to tone our entire body up at once, but that is not realistic. Think of which one you are more troubled with. Is it your midsection or thighs? You are not the only one.
Toning your lower half, booty included, will have you feeling fierce in your skinny jeans and sweater or leggings and tunic. Women’s Health Magazine has a great recent article on leg exercises that stresses squats to keep your lower half toned. This is always a plus!
Traditional weighted squats, if you go to the gym, goblet squats, and lateral lunges are a few of my favorite effective leg exercises. #LegDayx2. Try incorporating leg day two days a week, one day targeted with another trouble zone, and the other in a total body workout.
Apply this same mentality to core exercises. If you are feeling up to a challenge find a favorite Youtuber that focuses on fitness and do a 2-week challenge. Chloe Ting is a favorite fitness enthusiast of mine. Her 2-week ab challenge will have your core burning. Strength training is a surefire way to increase lean muscle mass. It is also your way to tell that stubborn fat “ain’t nobody got time for that.”
Continue to Practice Mindful Eating
Paying attention to your body and feelings is at the core of mindful eating. I repeat, PAY ATTENTION TO YOURSELF! Do you feel bad after you eat the food? Is your body not digesting it right? Are you eating with the purpose to satisfy? These are all very important questions to consider when putting food into your mouth leading to the holidays and going into them. Knowing when to back away from the table because your stomach says “no more” is crucial to maintaining your weight.
Detox and Exercise
Adopt a detox into your toning and maintaining routine before and after the holidays. Personally, I do a good detox and eat clean once a month for a week. Your body will tell you when it needs it! To keep up, try detox teas or pills from your local organic market or fitness supply store. You also can add probiotics that assist with your digestive system. Sometimes we need what is left inside broken down. Detoxing benefits include improving digestion, removing toxins, and boosting energy.
Remember to listen to your body and identify your target zones so that you have a roadmap to make toning before the holidays a reality! It is doable and even during them, you can take a walk after dinner or the next morning if you are feeling “overstuffed.” Toning and maintaining will be the foundation to “kick your exercise up a notch!”
Chloe Scott
Chloe Scott is a Public Relations professional interested in fitness and wellness, sports, and entertainment. She enjoys reading, writing in her spare time, and working out. Her mantra is “when you know better, you do better,” so she chooses to learn and experience what she can in life. Chloe was born and raised in Frederick, MD and looks forward to traveling the world someday and learning about other cultures. She has contributed a short story to an anthology for empowering women and girls and hopes to author her own book one day. Her current education includes a Master of Science in Sport Management and a Bachelor of Art in Communications, specializing in Public Relations. She was a previous commissioner for the Frederick County Commission for Women, has volunteered and interned with various non-profit organizations in Frederick, and was featured in a body-positive section for Sass Magazine in 2016.
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