As we enter the holiday season, it’s easy to get caught up in last-minute hustle and bustle. Don’t let the stress derail your healthy habits. Think about what you can add to your routine this holiday season instead of what you are taking out. For example, instead of yo-yo dieting or cutting out carbohydrates completely, fill your fridge with nutritious foods to make balanced meals. Take the time to find healthy options for the things you love, or work on portion control. Remember, it’s okay to have some treats, it’s all about balance.
Feeling Unmotivated?
If you catch yourself binge watching Netflix over the holidays and skipping out on your daily exercise, I recommend setting some short term achievable goals to keep you on track. For example, set specific days/times to exercise. Remember, not all physical activity requires a gym membership or time away from family. This can be done in the form of walking, skating with friends, snowshoeing with family or participating in a new fitness class. The options are endless! Making a plan and sticking to it will help you achieve your goals as we go into the new year.
Start small, stay consistent, and make this holiday season your healthiest yet!
Exploring sport, movement, and lifelong wellness — one post at a time.
The Stellar Performance health and wellness blog is written by our kinesiologist, personal trainer and founder, Cassandra. Our blog is intended to highlight the benefits of playing sports in order to promote lifelong participation in physical activity. We aim to bring people together that have a common goal of improving their quality of life and longevity. Follow our monthly blog posts for information about specific sport benefits, challenges and barriers, injuries and rehabilitation, general wellness tips and more.
Topics will emphasize that sport can improve community, confidence, social relationships, physical ability, health and more. Learn about sports and games that are part of different cultures and how they play a role in their community. Future blog posts will also focus on inclusive sports for all levels of ability and shed light on changes in the physical education system that would help kids have a positive experience with sport and exercise. We aim to highlight the physical, psychological, social, and community-based benefits of sport in order to encourage lifelong participation in physical activity.
Why Promote Sport as a Form of Physical Activity?
The physical benefits are usually what stand out most to people when they think of playing sports. For example, they challenge the cardiovascular and muscular system. Sports help build fundamental movement skills, such as running and jumping, throwing and catching, kicking etc.
Sports require skills such as agility (eg. soccer, tennis), speed (eg. track, swimming), focus (eg. archery, golf) , hand-eye coordination (eg. baseball, racquetball), balance (eg. gymnastics, figure skating) and so much more.
The benefits of sport go beyond just the physical. When taught and coached correctly, it can help kids (and adults) improve confidence and competence, which fall under physical literacy. It also provides an opportunity to connect face to face with people in one’s community and build social relationships. Sport can be fun and entertaining as well as challenging and motivating.
How Can I Make Sure I Don’t Miss a Blog Post?
Sign up for our email list to receive monthly blog posts, featuring a different sport every month! Watch the corresponding Youtube videos on the Stellar Performance channel where Cassandra tries each sport, providing useful tips and promoting local businesses along the way.
