It's almost November!

     November is a month of change.  The seasons have shifted, the temperature is dropping and most importantly, Thanksgiving is coming!  November is typically a month where activity levels decrease.  Sunlight is scarce after 6pm, the cold outdoors deter a brisk walk or working outside. This means that people spend more time indoors and often this time is spent being sedentary.  Less activity means fewer calories burned and with holidays such as Thanksgiving creeping around the corner, it is even more important to remain as active as possible.  In this post I want to go over a few ideas that can increase activity throughout the day so that the shifting seasons don't affect your overall activity level.

     1. Find indoor activities: whether this means joining an indoor basketball league, following an at-home fitness DVD or joining a gym, finding new and useful ways to burn calories while inside will help prevent holiday  pounds from sneaking up on you!

     2. Increase activity at work: This can mean something as simple as taking the stairs versus the elevator, or setting up an office workout regimen for 20 minutes during lunchtime.  My best advice is to set a timer for an hour.  Each time the timer goes off, perform 2 sets of body weight exercises.  Beginners can perform 20 body weight squats, whereas advanced exercisers can perform 20 push-ups.  Take a walk around your work building, using the stairs if possible.  Regardless of how small the activity is, the additional calories burned  will add up to big changes in the long run.

    3. Find a buddy: This could be a family member, roommate, friend or work associate.  Use this buddy to help you stay on course with your exercise and dieting regardless of what is happening outside with the weather.  If there is someone that is going to keep you accountable, you are much more likely to keep on track!  To make things more interesting, place a wager.  Make things fun and challenging.

    4. All things in moderation: With the holidays around the corner, you want to have an extra close watch on what kinds of foods you consume.  There is no need to completely avoid holiday foods, but it is extremely important that any additional calories that you consume must be balanced out somewhere else.  In other words, every crime has its punishment.  My advice is to limit sweets and fatty rich foods to at most once per day.  Also look for replacements for calorie-dense ingredients.  A great example is using apple sauce instead of oil in baked goods. The apple sauce has much fewer calories, greater micronutrients and fiber.  Best of all, you won't even know the oil was never added!

   Most importantly, keep in mind that any permanent change in body composition, fitness and overall health is achieved through dieting, exercise and change of lifestyle.  Be the change this November and follow my personal changes as the holidays approach!