holiday

During the holidays, it can be especially hard to feel like you’re getting a great, structured workout if you don’t have access to a gym or simply don’t want to pay for a membership. For some, it’s easy to take the initiative to go out and exercise in a generally unstructured setting, such as going for a run or a long swim with no particular workout set in mind. For others, it’s much easier to have a workout already planned out for you with a start time, a warm up, cool down, and set end time. Working out is hard, so having a set of exercises to get through and knowing that when you finish you’ll have completed a balanced, full body workout can be encouraging! Thanks to the wonderful creation known as YouTube, a great workout also doesn’t require expensive equipment, a personal trainer, or a gym membership! Check out these three great workout videos that I’ve found and enjoyed on YouTube to help you get in an amazing workout from the free, private comfort of home—and all in less than an hour each!

“45 Minute Buttkickin’ Power Yoga Flow”: For the yogi or the lover of slow-paced, controlled workouts and plenty of great stretching. This guy is good at explaining the motions and leads you through a yoga flow that will have you sweating! It’s hard to find good quality full-length yoga videos online sometimes, but he’s easy to hear and follow and you could easily turn on your own music in the background to listen to as you watch and follow along.

“Latin Dance Aerobic Workout”: For the Zumba fans out there who like to burn calories in the form of dance! The instructor in this video is energetic and stops to explain some of the motions of each dance before he begins. (The students in the background are learning as they go and make you feel better about not being able to follow along exactly the first time!) This 50 minute video provides a great and fun cardio workout and dancing makes the time go by quickly! As an added bonus, with no one watching you there is no reason not go to all out and feel free to look crazy if you so desire!

“BeFiT GO HIIT Fit-Total Body Strength and Toning Circuit”: I believe that this is my favorite of the three videos when I’m in the mood to feel like I have really given my all to an impressive strength-building workout! This video does require a set of dumbbells and a small medicine ball is suggested, although the exercises using the medicine ball can easily be modified without it. (For example, push-ups with one hand on a medicine ball can be done regularly without the medicine ball or the ball can be replaced by anything from a yoga block to a thick book—anything to get one arm higher than the other and change the targeted muscles.) Different instructors, male and female, take you through several exercises that target arms, legs, and abs for a total body workout and the video incorporates time and reminders for water breaks and cool down. If you’re looking for a great toning workout and targeted exercises with examples of good form, I’d highly suggest this video!

And after one of these fantastic workouts, what better day to finish off than with a delicious smoothie? When I’m at home and there is always an abundance of dessert present somehow (my family is full of sweet tooths… or is it sweet teeth?), I’m tempted to eat way more sugar than usual! Smoothies help satisfy my sweet craving without have tons of added sugar and offer a few extra servings of fruit and veggies as well! These smoothie ideas are great after working out because they’re cold, hydrating, and delicious!

Strawberry+peach+banana+orange. I use frozen strawberries and peaches for added thickness, fresh bananas, and frozen orange juice concentrate.
Strawberry+banana+orange+pineapple
Strawberry+banana+blueberry
Kiwi+banana+blueberry
Avocado+kiwi+orange
Pineapple+coconut milk+vanilla or coconut yogurt+ice
Fresh, sweet black cherries+yogurt+cocoa powder or chocolate protein powder
Cherry+blackberry+blueberry+strawberry+raspberry (for an amazingly delicious berry explosion)
Pomegranate juice+banana+almonds+protein power (even though it’s a little expensive, POM juice is full of antioxidants; it has even more per glass than green tea, cranberry juice, and acai-berry juice blends)

General smoothie tips: In most of the combinations listed above, I’ve just listed the fruit and veggies that make up the basis of the flavor of the smoothie. The rest is up to you to determine the thickness and added flavors that you prefer using some of these tricks.

Use frozen fruit and crushed ice to add thickness
Use milk or fresh fruit to thin down a smoothie and add just a little bit of dairy. Regular cow’s milk, soymilk, almond milk, and coconut milk all taste great in smoothies from my experience, even though I’m not a huge fan of all of them on their own.
Plain yogurt or vanilla Greek yogurt can add some body, creaminess, and sweetness without affecting the flavor.
Often the fruit itself will be sweet enough, but if you want to sweeten your smoothie without directly adding sugar you can use honey or coconut milk since both are sweet and natural.
Raw oatmeal can add texture and fiber to a smoothie.
Tofu adds protein and creaminess without affecting the flavor (and I don’t even like tofu normally).
Protein powder adds protein (shocking, I know) and sweetness, and even chocolaty flavor if you prefer.
Chia seeds provide omega-3 and are easier to digest than flax seeds for an easy health-boosting mix in.
Add raw spinach to any smoothie for no change in flavor, added vitamins and minerals including iron and beta-carotene, and a fun green color.

Start your day with a delicious fruit smoothie or enjoy your workout at home and cool down with a yummy smoothie creation. Happy blending!

Workout Wednesday blog posts are written by UNC Campus Recreation. Each Wednesday we swap blog posts with the Tar Heel Tone Up blog so that readers can view more diverse post topics that will benefit their health and wellness. Workout Wednesday blog posts can be found both here and on tarheeltoneup.com.

Today is Saint Patrick’s day, a holiday celebrated by folks with Irish ancestry or nationality, in recognition of the contributions of a first century missionary. I had the privilege of being in Cork, Ireland on Saint Patrick’s Day in 2009 where most businesses and government offices were shut down for the day. I enjoyed seeing how the Irish celebrated the date of Saint Patrick’s death with amazing costumes, a parade in the middle of town, windows painted (see picture below), hanging out with friends, and a meal with family.

This event has morphed from a religious holiday honoring Saint Patrick’s establishment of the Catholic church in Ireland (where the color blue was associated with knights in the Order of Saint Patrick) to an Americanized celebration of all things Irish, including the Irish independence movement and the color green. Somewhere along the way, we also started teaching children to pinch people who aren’t wearing green on March 17^th, and to kiss people who are Irish. An entire line of commercialized products have emerged – “Kiss Me, I’m Irish” t-shirts, “pinch proof” green shamrocks on buttons, green beer, and many more.

Regardless of what someone’s t-shirt says or what a tradition may be, it is important to get consent before touching or kissing another person, no matter their age, what shirt they are wearing, or what has happened between you in the past. . When someone is wearing a shirt that says “Kiss Me, I’m Irish”- this does not give anyone permission to kiss that person. When someone is not wearing green on Saint Patrick’s Day, it is still not okay to pinch that person without their consent.

When we allow touching another person without their consent to be the norm – even pinching, which hurts! – we make it easier for predators to blend in with the crowd. Research by David Lisak confirms that a small percent of folks are responsible for the majority of sexual violence. Most sexual predators are serial offenders, and they know what they are doing – they are intentional.

…uh, most people know that, actually.

Let’s celebrate our holidays in ways that honor and respect people’s bodies and personal space. So this Saint Patrick’s Day, save the kisses and pinches for someone in your life who wants them, after getting their consent. Or be a trailblazer and start a new Saint Paddy’s Day trend!