Autumn brings more than the simple change of seasons. As winter approaches, holiday parties become more frequent. That means more food, more merriment and more poundage around the waist and rear.

Gym memberships typically soar by year’s end as pound-heavy merrymakers seek cardiovascular solace for their dietary transgressions. But besides refraining from getting seconds, thirds and fourths of that White Christmas Peppermint Layer Cake at that last gathering, it might be just as easy to utilize some of the trappings of the holidays to get the heart pumping and the blood flowing.

While Halloween is more than two weeks behind us (in more ways than one), using pumpkins or bags of candy to do overhead presses, later swing lifts, dead lifts, walking lunges, squats of arm curls is an excellent way to squeeze in some huffing and puffing.

You get the idea. As Thanksgiving approaches, the workload – in hauling around all those food products – increases. Resistance exercise can manifest itself anywhere, just as with the pumpkin illustration. Hoisting those 25-pound turkeys overhead might raise the ranker and wrath of the cook, but it’s definitely good for the deltoids.

Holiday parties also don’t have to be sedentary occasions where everyone’s only exercise is returning for seconds and thirds, which leads inevitably to the snooze sessions. You can make your parties into more active engagements and keep everyone moving.

Discipline Is Needed To Stay in Shape

But getting fit and keeping the extra pounds at bay involves some every day discipline. Here are some tips from National Women’s Health Resource Center:

• Get On The Scale: Studies show that regularly weighing yourself helps keep you motivated and helps you monitor weight fluctuations. Weigh yourself in the morning before breakfast.
• Get Moving Early: Exercising in the morning clears your day for holiday activities. Studies show early exercisers have better attitudes throughout the day and are less prone to give in to food cravings.
• Go Long: Say you’re sure you won’t be able to resist the temptation to indulge on all – and we mean all – of your holiday favorites. Well, a simple solution might be to exercise longer. Do routines at more intense levels or for longer periods through and after the holidays.
• Mix It Up: If the idea of your traditional routine – especially during the festive holidays – doesn’t especially raise your aerobic dander, try something different. Take fun classes, workout with friends, take a different walking route. Change it up.
• Sneaky You: Finding the time to go to the gym might be difficult. So, get sneaky. Fit exercise routines into your everyday schedule. Take a walk with family or friends, engage in some heavy-lifting housecleaning, do some dancing or even play touch football in the backyard. It’s still exercise, although it may not feel that way.

We at Golden Ocala Golf & Equestrian Club believe the best way to keep the pounds down and the muscles up is to visit us at the Fitness Center. Our trainers can help you develop a fitness program to suit your holiday needs. As a member of Golden Ocala, you have access to a private gym.

You’ll be using the finest in Italian exercise equipment with Technogym®, a revolutionary system backed by years of research and development, at our Fitness Center.

Stop by the Fitness Center today and get started on the new you!