February 2015 Volume Issue Fitness The Winter Blues and Weight Gain By CLUB NOTES  Ko-z’s is open and it’s open to the public!  Next swim lessons start in April-slots are filling up fast! Sign up soon!  The Club Shootout Racquetball Tournament is Feb 2022. Rebecca Pierskalla, CPT The holidays have come and gone—that craziness is behind us. January is almost over (and maybe by the time you are reading this, the calendar is saying February). This winter has not given us much snow so we having nothing to play in. Though the temperatures have been a bit more mild than last winter (remember all of the polar vortexes that came through), the days still get dark earlier and we may find ourselves a bit more sedentary. Here are a few simple shifts in our behavior that help to keep us active and thus preventing the typical winter weight gain. We get less vitamin D in winter. Solution: Our body needs sunlight to synthesize vitamin D, so try eating foods such as fatty fish, nuts, and eggs. Studies show that low levels of vitamin D reduces fat breakdown and triggers fat storage, so the calories we consume are stored in fat cells rather than used for energy. It’s cold and miserable outside. Solution: Change your mindset—what is the reality? The reality is that it’s not miserable outside, just cold! We need to stop complaining about the weather! If you go into anything thinking that it will suck, it will. But if you choose to see the refreshing, clean air, and the beauty of a crisp morning, winter is a great season. People often complain about the weather because they are not prepared for it. When not properly dressed and outside for a length of time, yes, we will get cold and feel miserable. Winter makes us feel “blah”. CLUB HOURS: M-F 5am-9pm Sat 7:30am-8pm Sun 9am-8pm Solution: Because winter brings shorter days and the cold, we can feel a higher level of dissatisfaction. We then tend to reach for comfort foods as a pick-me-up. And these foods are often more energy dense, calorific foods, which tend to have higher fat and sugar content. Instead let’s plan more social gatherings with friends and schedule activities we enjoy. Maybe now is the time to learn a new hobby or work on other projects that we don’t get to in the summer months. These activities will bring us more enjoyment and sense of well-being than any junk food we could eat. 1. 2. The media and our culture tell us it is normal to gain weight in winter. 10081 County Road 138 St. Cloud, MN 56301 Phone: 320-251-3965 Fax: 320-251-4042 www.theclubfit.com Solution: In ancient times, the winter months were associated with famine, so one theory that has arisen says we are genetically programmed to increase fat stores to help us survive the winter months. The problem is that we no longer need to store fat because we have an abundance of food available all year round. The famine never comes. Fight the tendency to stay indoors or on the cozy couch. This can be done by creating schedules and routines. If we have a strong workout routine in place for other times of the year, it is this power of consistency that will see us through the challenging times (such as in winter when it is dark and cold). Living in Minnesota is not about surviving the winter, it is about appreciating and enjoying each distinct season. Winter weight gain does not have to be your reality—stop blaming yourself and instead start working against the factors that promote it. Be ready for spring both physically and mentally. Give yourself a head start!! The Super Bowl Fitness Challenge (Give it a try) 1. Celebration Touchdown Dance Each time one of the Super Bowl teams scores a touchdown, the same team in your living room does a Celebration Touchdown Dance, and (here’s the best part) the opposing team must copy the dance! Go all out! Chant your team's name, make arm movements symbolizing letters of your team's name or dance it up. Then kick the competition off the couch and have them copy it. (No shortcuts allowed!) 2. Field Goal Squats Each time your team scores a field goal, get up from the sofa for 10 body weight squats. The opposing team then performs 15! Guests who have (or say they have) joint pain with squats can do seated leg marches instead. 3. Fumble Ball Push-Ups For each fumbled ball, the retrieving team gets down on the floor for 5 push-ups; the opposition team does 10 push-ups! (Push-up-challenged guests can do wall, table or from-the-knees push-ups.) 4. Interception Arm Circles Thèrapie Massage By Ronda Hageberg, Certified Massage Therapist Day & Evening Appointments Available $40—60 min. $60—90 min. $80—120 min. To Schedule an Appointment call 320-291-0263 For each interception, the retrieving team stands up and spreads out for 15 forward arm circles; the opposition gets up for 15 forward and 15 back arm circles! (For the arm-circle-challenged, any pain-free range of movement using the arms will do.) 5. Foul Marches For each foul that results in a penalty of yards, the non-penalized team stands and marches in place for one minute. The penalized team hoofs it for two minutes! Seated leg marching is fine for those with ambulatory challenges. (Alcohol-induced challenges don’t count!) 6. Quarterback Sack Crunches For each quarterback sack, the team delivering the sack falls to the floor for 10 abdominal crunches; the opposition then drops for 20 abdominal crunches. (Crunch-challenged teammates can do seated straight leg lifts.) 7. Half Time Whossiers At half time, the team that's winning dances to a Who song ("Awesome band for us baby boomers," laughs Coach Scott). The losing team dances to two Who songs. If the game is tied, everyone dances two songs! During half time, everyone takes a few minutes to stretch and enjoy healthy snacks to fuel up for the second half. 8. Grand Finale Celebration Dance At the end of the game, the winning team performs a rousing Grand Finale Celebration Dance that the losing team -- yep, you guessed it -- must match!