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CategoriesBlog Nourish.

The Holiday  Survival  Guide 

The holidays are a busy yet wonderful time.  It’s the season for friends and family , holiday travels and delicious food and drinks. With so much going on, how do you stay consistent with your workouts and nutrition and avoid gaining weight during the holidays?   

We’ve created this Holiday Survival Guide to help you enjoy the season without wasting all the hard work you’ve already put in. With a little bit of structure and some planning, you’ll stay feeling your best this holiday season. 

Holiday Survival Tip #1: Eat slowly, and to “satisfied” — not stuffed  

  It takes your digestive system 15 to 20 minutes to physiologically tell your brain: “Stop eating, you’re full!” Eat slowly and enjoy your food so your brain can catch up with your gut. This is your most effective yet simple tool  and will allow you to still enjoy all the food during the holidays.   

Imagine your hunger is on a scale from one to 10, with one being starving and 10 being “stuffed.” Aim to finish at a seven out of 10 on that hunger scale. This will allow you to enjoy your food and feel satiated — while saving you a ton of calories.    

 

Holiday Survival Tip #2: Use portion control, not calorie counting 

Counting calories during the holiday is usually a recipe for failure. It’s annoying, impractical and the last thing on your mind when you’re trying to celebrate. Instead of calorie counting, focus on portion control.   

This video illustrates how easy it is to create your own meal with the right portions using just your hand.   Your hand is proportional to your body, making it the perfect tool for measuring food and nutrients with no calorie counting required. 

 

 

For more details, check out this  article.

 

Holiday Survival Tip #3:  Resist hitting the “pause” button  

One of the biggest issues we see is people embracing the “pause button” mentality during the holidays: putting their diet and exercise on hold with the expectation that they’ll make up for it in the new year. Sticking to your workouts will not only help you stay on track toward your goals, but can also be the perfect holiday stress reliever.   

There is never a “right time” to resume healthy habits. The truth is, you never want to stop any momentum you have; it can create potential roadblocks to restarting in the future.  Keep to your regular routine as much as possible to help balance out your food intake and boost your mood during this busy season. 

 

Holiday Survival Tip #4: Limit alcohol consumption  

Drinking too much alcohol can affect your sleep, workout performance, mood, immune system and more. Not to mention, drinks are serious calorie bombs to your waistline.  

However, you don’t need to completely cut yourself off. Consider giving yourself a “drink limit”: e.g., two glasses of wine per meal. Another tip: If you know you’ll have a few drinks, space them out with a full glass of water in between; this will keep you hydrated and slow down your consumption. Lastly, avoid drinks that have sugary mixers, which can often double the calories already present in alcohol.   

   

Holiday Survival Tip #5: Prioritizing “me” time   

Offset the stress of the season by making sure you set aside a few moments each day for self-care. This will help reduce anxiety and keep your mindset positive throughout the holiday hustle and bustle. Take a yoga class, do some meditation or buy yourself a massage!    

  

Holiday Survival Tip #6: Get enough sleep  

Most of us don’t get sufficient sleep. Too little sleep can leave you feeling anxious and fatigued, and can even lead to the overconsumption of calories.  

The added stress of the holiday season can compound the effects of poor sleep even further. Do your best to stick to your regular sleep routine,  and  make it your goal to get seven to nine hours of sleep each night.   

 

Holiday Survival Tip #7: Focus on what’s around you  

While people tend to think of the holidays revolving around food and drinks, remember the real importance of the season: family and friends. This is a rare time of year where you get to spend extra time with the ones you love, so take full advantage of that. Make time for special moments together, or start a new family tradition that involves healthy activities.  

Here are some ideas:  

  • Do physical activities such as a “Turkey Bowl” football game, round of cornhole or tossing the Frisbee.  
  • Break out the board games or cards.  
  • Go on a family hike, or go ice skating or skiing.  
  • Look at the neighborhood Christmas lights.  

There is no need for an “all or nothing” mindset during the holidays. With a little bit of moderation and by sticking to a fitness routine, you can enjoy the holiday season without taking three steps back. 

CategoriesEvent

Meditative Mountain Hike ~ Saturday, October 12th

Can you believe it? Fall already!

Summer may be fading, but there is still plenty of time to get out on the trail before the rain hits. Breathe in the crisp air. Hear the crunch of the fallen leaves under your feet. Immerse yourself in the crazy beauty of the greens, yellows, and oranges.

Join us for a 3 mile, low elevation gain Meditative Mountain Hike. We’ll start the morning with a time of guided meditation to open our senses for what is to come. Once we’re hyper-aware and hyper-attuned to the world around us, we’ll set out for a silent walk. In our quiet mind we’ll be able to hear what is trying to be heard. This is a great opportunity to reflect on where you’ve been, and orient yourself toward where you’re going.

Saturday, October 12th from 9am – 12pm

Limited space available.  Please reserve your spot here.
We’ll meet at Flow SLU, and carpool from there.

Led by fellow member,
Michelle Allen, Ecotherapist
Michelle works in a high integrity, low razz environment to explore, contemplate, wrestle with, and celebrate the breathtaking (…and often maddening) nuances of being human. You can find her leading meditative retreats in the PNW mountains or meeting 1:1 with clients for reiki, energy analysis, and counseling in Seattle.

CategoriesBlog Move.

How to Increase Muscular Endurance

By Christian Garcia, CSCS

Behind on your fitness goals? Try incorporating these training styles into your workout to increase muscular endurance. 

Here is what you can do: HITT Training

  • AMRAP
        1. As Many Rounds as Possible (AMRAP) lives on the basis of time, its you against the clock, working to complete as many rounds or reps of exercises as possible. This means you’ll be performing several exercises back to back with as little rest as possible between exercises. You will have to pre-determine the number of reps for each exercise you decide to incorporate 
          1. For instance, if you include a squat, pushups, single leg deadlift and plank ups, you might perform 20 squats, 15 pushups, 10 single leg deads per leg, and 5 plank ups. Then rinse and repeat as many times as possible within the total time allotted. 
        2. Form is more important than speed, the idea is to feel the muscles you are targeting in order get the full effect, You won’t be able to continue towards the summer shred at full strength while being injured. Your body is going to get tired. If you compromise your form when you are tired, that is when injuries are most likely to occur.
        3. Rest as needed, you’re in complete control of determining when your body needs to rest. Keep any rest as short as possible so you can continue the workout and reap the rewards. 
        4. Keep exercises simple, if you decide to use more complex exercises or plyometric movements, pay attention to form and slow your pace when needed. 
        5. Record results, you are competing against yourself. There is no way to figure out if you got better the following week if no record was written down!
  • EMOM
        1. Every Minute on the Minute, where you perform a specific task at the start of every minute for a set amount of time.
        2. Pacing; the clock decides when you’ll be working and when you’ll be resting. For instance, for clients who are beginners I usually like ending training sessions every other week with 8-10 minutes of 10-15 bodyweight pushups and or squats. If it takes you 20 seconds the first minute and 50 seconds the second minute, you can clearly see you have fallen off pace. 
        3. Progression; EMOMs are a great tool for measuring progressions from week to week. 
        4. Versatility; EMOMs can be incorporated to train anything (power, aerobic & anaerobic systems, mechanics and or skills. 
        5. Record results, you are competing against yourself. No way to figure out with you got better the following week if no record was written down!
  • Team Conditioning at Flow Fitness
      1. Increase your conditioning and muscular endurance using multi-joint and multi-plane functional movements in Team Conditioning at Flow Fitness.
      2. The classes are instructed by trainers, who will lead and push you through timed blocks that incorporate TRX, Medicine Balls,Kettlebells, Dumbbells, Ropes, Sandbags, and our high intensity training equipment. 
      3. The timed blocks are set as intervals such as 30’’/30’’ for 6 rounds or 45’’/45’’ for 4 rounds, in which challenge you to keep up with the clock while performing quality repetitions of a Squat, Push, Pull, and Hinging exercise.
      4. Come try a Team Conditioning class at either location (SLU&FRE). Early morning, lunchtime and evening classes available!

Reservation Policies

Reservation Policy:

Reservations are  required to guarantee your spot in class.

Studio Class/Strength Camp Reservation Policy:    We highly recommend you to make a reservation in advance for studio classes  which can be done by going to your on-line account. Reservations can be made up to seven days in advance . Members who have not reserved a class will be put on stand-by if the class if full and will only be allowed entrance after reserved and waitlisted members have been checked-in. Reserved members who do not make it to class on-time may lose their spot, to walk-ins or waitlisted members and will be subject to our late cancel/no-show policy. Instructor reserves the right to deny access into class for those arriving late, so it is advised to arrive 10 minutes prior to start time.  Payment in full must be collected before appointments can be reserved.
 
Studio Class Cancellation Policy:   All cancellations for reserved classes must be made twelve hours in advance to avoid a $5 “No-Show/Late Cancel Charge”. Failure to show for your reservation will result in a similar charge.  Cancellations can be made by going to your on-line account or by calling our membership experience team at the appropriate location.
 
Studio Class Wait-lists Policy:  If you choose to be placed on a wait list for a full class, please pay attention to your text/email. In the event a spot in class opens, you will automatically receive a text/email in order to confirm or deny your attendance. If you do not respond, you will automatically be placed on the active roster. Please respond as soon as possible so we can reserve your spot or offer it to someone else.
 
Personal Training Cancellation Policy (includes 1:1, Jump Starts, Assessments, Fit 3D scans):All Cancellations for reserved personal training appointments must be made 12 hours in advanced to avoid a loss of session. Failure to show for your reservation will result in a similar loss of session penalty. Cancellations can be made by contacting your trainer directly.
 

IMPORTANT NOTE:

Please make sure to ALWAYS check your account prior to booking (under “account details” on desktop OR under “your passes” on the Mind-Body app) to ensure you have classes/sessions remaining. You will incur a drop in fee between $15.00-$30.00 (depending on class type) if you go over your allotted sessions for your billing cycle .

**Please disregard if your membership has unlimited classes and/or sessions **

As a rule of thumb, the best practice is to ALWAYS RESERVE and ARRIVE at least 5 MINUTES PRIOR TO CLASS