"Maintain, Don't Gain" Tip No. 3: You Do Have Time to Exercise
In this video fromMotley Fool Answers, Alison Southwick and Robert Brokamp welcome Motley Fool Chief Wellness Officer Sam Whiteside to the show, as she offers her best advice on how to make it through the holiday season without adding to your waistline.
Her third tip is one that works year-round but takes on special significance during this often stressful, hectic season. No matter how busy you may be, take some time to exercise -- even 10 minutes can make a difference.
A full transcript follows the video.
10 stocks we like better thanWal-MartWhen investing geniuses David and TomGardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter theyhave run for over a decade, the Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.*
David and Tomjust revealed what they believe are theten best stocksfor investors to buy right now... and Wal-Mart wasn't one of them! That's right -- theythink these 10 stocks are even better buys.
Click hereto learn about these picks!
*StockAdvisor returns as of December 12, 2016The author(s) may have a position in any stocks mentioned.
This podcast was recorded on Nov. 22, 2016.
Alison Southwick:I am way too busy researchingWestworldfan theories online and there is no time left to exercise.
[Door closes]
Southwick:It's always funny to me how people are like I don't have time. I don't have time.I don't have time. But, like me, I do have time to research fan theories onWestworldonline, and I do have time to do a lot of stuff. So I make these excuses to not exercise and do a lot of things when the truth is I do have time. I just choose not to use that time for things that are good for me.
Sam Whiteside:That's a great point. Especially during the holidays we're going to be surrounded with not only numerous indulgences and tempting offers, but we have family coming in and out of town. We're travelling. These are all things that can definitely weigh heavily on the fact that we only have 24 hours in a day.
If you have 10 minutes, you have time to exercise. There should really be no excuse to make sure that you're taking care of yourself, especially during a stressful time. There are numerous apps out there that can provide you with free, really easy body weight workouts. If you're traveling and you know you're going to be staying in a hotel, make sure that hotel has a gym before you make the reservation. A lot of hotels out there, now, are even renting or giving [away new workout clothes].
Southwick:Oh!
Brokamp:Really!
Whiteside:Yes, you can actually rent ...
Brokamp:Everything cleaned?
Whiteside:I would hope so.
Brokamp:OK.
Whiteside:You can rent workout clothes or a pair of shoes. So that is another way to make sure that you're reducing those barriers.
Southwick:Right, so no excuses if there's clothes, there.
Whiteside:Yes, reduce the excuses and the barriers. Again, if you have 10 minutes, you have time to exercise. Even if you spend that 10 minutes taking a walk, it is much better than going ahead and taking a seat on that couch.
Southwick:You talked about the importance of having a friend or a family member to hold you accountable.
Whiteside:Absolutely. Specifically, you want somebody who can help hold you accountable that hopefully lives within a close-enough distance to where you guys actually interact. Not necessarily on a daily basis, but possibly on a weekly and definitely on a monthly basis. Making sure that you have those interactions. For me, I have a couple of cousins in the area, and we schedule morning walks during the time that we know it's stressful. We're both off of work, there's stuff going on, but we're making sure that we're holding each other accountable.
Southwick:Or a co-worker, perhaps.
Whiteside:Or a co-worker.
Brokamp:Hm?
Southwick:I could do a better job holding you accountable, huh?
Brokamp:You could. What would you say is like a healthy amount of weight loss over a given period of like a month? Or maybe even a week?
Southwick:You're not even looking to maintain. You're looking to lose? Is that what you're saying?
Brokamp:Because I've been working with Sam and I've had trouble sticking with things, so I'm like, "Here we are talking about this. Talking about accountability ..."
Whiteside:Yes.
Brokamp:I'm going to put some money on the line.
Southwick:Oh!
Brokamp:Like what's a healthy amount?
Whiteside:Are we putting money on the line right here?
Southwick:Right now.
Brokamp:I'm just talking about it. I'm thinking about it. So you tell me.
Southwick:He backed out of that pretty quickly, didn't he?
Brokamp:What's a healthy amount of weight for someone to expect to lose in a week that isn't crazy?
Whiteside:I am a big believer of the two-to-three pound rule. Of course, it's going to depend on how much you weigh, male or female, your current level of activity, how many calories you're currently consuming, and how many calories you plan to possibly cut. But two to three pounds of weight loss per week is a safe number depending on those things that I just mentioned.
Brokamp:So someone losing 10 pounds between now and the end of the holidays would be quite an accomplishment?
Whiteside:Are you promising that you're going to lose 10 pounds...
Southwick:Wow!
Whiteside:... in my "Maintain, Don't Gain?"
Brokamp:I think so.
Whiteside:I'll take that challenge.
Brokamp:All right. I'm putting $200 on the line.
Southwick:Two hundred?
Whiteside:Two hundred?
Brokamp:Two hundred dollars on the line. So by December 31st. Is that the end of the holidays or are we saying January 2nd?
Southwick:No, after New Year's.
Whiteside:Yeah. I'm giving all Fools until the end of the first week in January to weigh out.
Brokamp:All right.
Southwick:All right.
Brokamp:So $100 ... Well, $200 ...
Southwick:You said $200!
Brokamp:I was going to say $100 for each of you and then I looked at Rick. I'm like, all right. You guys are going to have to figure out how to split up the $200.
Southwick:Rick and I can split up the $200.
Brokamp:All right, so we've got to do a weigh-in after this. OK. All right.
Whiteside:Bring it on.
Southwick:This is fun. I know for me personally, I never lose weight. It's just when I exercise more, I think I must gain muscle, and then my clothes fit better, but I never, ever lose weight.
Whiteside:And that's something else to be cognizant of. Don't just rely on the number on the scale. That is not an indicator of your total health. That definitely does not correlate with how hard you've been working. We see it all the time in the showThe Biggest Loser. Those individuals are working their tails off for that entire seven days. They go to weigh in and sometimes they gained weight. Your body will fluctuate, and your body will sometimes see things as a stressor. So that's also really important why you need to maintain your stress during the holidays, as well.
Southwick:Oh, hey. That's a great segue into our next trip to the holiday party.
Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.