Ask an inSHAPE Personal Trainer. "Now that it's the middle of winter, I am dead tired all of the time. What can I do to boost my energy level and feel more productive?"

Winter months of colder temperatures, darker days, and longer work hours precipitate feelings of decreased energy and lack-luster performance in every aspect of daily life. It's also the cold and flu season, which means that your body is frequently on the defense from one bug or another. You can fight back however! We have a Four Point Plan for boosting your energy that we want you to try for just four days. That's it. If you dont feel differently after four days, call us. We will give you two free Skype training sessions with Head Trainer Kim Watkins.

Follow this detailed plan for the next four days, and we are certain that you will feel more energized and be more productive:

Note: for a PDF version, click here.

1. Food
Do NOT consume a single processed carbohydrate, including breakfast cereal, bread, pasta, or cookie/baked good. This is probably the one of the single greatest breaks that you can give your body. It's also one of the hardest to stick to, but bear in mind that it is only four days. The process of breaking sugars down and the related pumping of hormones as a result of these processes alters your wake/sleep cycle. Here are excellent substitutes:
          - at breakfast try steel cut or rolled oats, pinole, barley or even quinoa. Heated up with low fat milk, almond, soy, or coconut milk, and berries, these whole grains are yummy and easy to make. You need a full cup of fruit, a large dollop of greek yogurt, and add a small handful of walnuts (great for the brain).
          - at lunch and dinner, opt for root vegetables in place of your pasta or rice. Potatoes (eat the skin), turnips, yams, and carrots are all tasty options. You can also try spaghetti squash or use shredded cabbage as a substitute for pasta.
          - start both lunch and dinner with a spinach or other dark green leaf. Add other veggies for color, no croutons and dress it minimally with lemon juice and olive oil.
          - eat meat or fish only once per day. If you love it at dinner, skip it for lunch and vice versa.
          - for snacks, stick to whole uncooked fruits and veggies and nuts. No bars, no chips, no baked goods. No coffee drinks. Remember it's just for four days.
          - once a day treat yourself to a small piece of dark chocolate (no more than one ounce and make it as dark as possible).

2. Hydration and vitamins
 - Roll out of bed and drink a big glass of cold water. Drink as desired through the morning and afternoon.
 - However, drink a glass of water before lunch and before dinner. Sip small amounts of water during your meal (one glass of wine is also fine with a meal). Wait at least a half hour before gulping water after a meal.
- Take a multi-vitamin in the morning everyday. It should be taken with breakfast which should be consumed within 90 minutes of waking up. 

3. Exercise and Fresh Air
Again, remember that this is for four days. Exercise three times per day for 10-15 minutes per time. The first session should be right when you get out of bed, after you have your glass of water. If you work with a trainer and workout in the morning, your session counts as long as it takes place within 90 minutes of your waking up. 
- Late morning or just before lunch is when you should work in the second segment of exercise time. If you wear dressy shoes during the day, go barefoot. Find a spot in your office and make it happen. 
- The final 10-15 minute segment should take place between late afternoon and before your dinner. Think of it as working up your appetite...again, don't worry about gym shoes or eqiupment. Take an old t-shirt to wear to protect your office clothes, and try to remember that it's highly unlikely that you can sweat enough in 15 minutes to get stinky.

Here are some good equipment-free optons:
          - inSHAPE Weekly Workouts (quick reference to the left, go to Spreaker.com for any of our episodes, or send a note if you need us to send you a workout.
          - Jog in place, jumping jacks, squats, push ups, and sit ups for one minute each - twice!
          - Take the stairs. It should take you between 30-60 seconds to briskly walk 5 flights of stairs. Try this without stopping, and if you can, try to get to 10 flights. Take a short break, walk back down, and repeat 3-4 times for a total of 10-12 minutes. 

Also, spend at least one hour outdoors every day. Bundle up, go for a walk (or jog), go to a park or window shopping, and breathe deeply to ingest as much fresh air as possible. It doesn't have to be done in all one shot, though it isn't a bad idea to do so, feel free to break up the one hour into segements of 15-30 minutes as desired. 

4. Sleep
According to experts (including the seemingly omniscient Dr. Oz who reported on this subject last week), poor quality and insufficient sleep is one of the biggest health concerns of our time. Most of us tend to think of sleep as a necessary bridge from working day to working day and think very little of the true quality of zzz's we get each night. The fact is that most human beings require 7-8 hours of solid sleep in order to function well, feel good, and make sound choices in terms of daily life. 

A lack of sleep is particularly damaging to one's ability to manage carbohydrate intake, as hormones in the brain are triggered that influence the decision making process. Excess carbs also contributes to your diminished energy level, so this is reason enough to take a different look at the sleeping environment and make some changes there.
          - Do NOT sleep with a smart phone or electronic tablet anywhere near your body. If it must be in your bedroom, place it across the room, at least 6 feet away from your head.
          - Limit your reading to 5-10 minutes, and don't consume liquids an hour before bedtime.
          - Chill down your room to at least 68-degrees F (and go as low as 64-degrees), but don't let your feet get cold.
          - Launder your pillow cases and sheets once a week in hot water in order to stay germ-free.
          - Use a humidifier if at all possible, as the dry air in winter tends to increase one's chance of congestion.

REGISTER to WIN! Please let us know if you decide to take our Four Point Energy Boost!  Click here to register (at the completion of the four days of changes).

ALL entries will get a free GO Band with two workouts and detailed instructions. AND, one lucky winner will receive two FREE Skype personal training sessions with Head Trainer Kim Watkins.

Fitness Tip of the Week: Think of your head as a ballast!
Did you know that human beings have a tiny extension of the spine that, if longer, would actually be a tail? Whether you believe in evolution, divine creation, or some combination of both, there's no denying that the human skeletal system includes the coccyx, a short but definitely present bony protrusion that looks like a nubby tail. Most bipeds have tails in fact, and they are used primarily as a rudder in forward momentum. We humans have no such rudder.

Want to to practice good balance and develop healthy posture? Think of your head as a ballast, a vertically centered weight that provides your body with stability and balance. The ballast only works successfully however, if it is properly centered which is why you need to ensure that your ears stay in line with your shoulders when you are standing, moving, or sitting.

Lots of people extend their heads a bit too far forward such that the back of the head is in line with the shoulders. It's a functional condition developed mostly because of our sitting, screen watching existence so don't feel badly if you take a good look in the mirror and see that your head does this. Make the adjustment this week and you will start to feel so much better. You can alleviate chronic aches and pains all up and down your body with better posture so get to it right now!

inSHAPE is committed to your successfully active lifestyle, and if you need any assistance getting started with a fitness program or nutritional regimen, please let us know. Give us a call (212.362.1001) or send an email (info@inshapellc.com) so that we can help you and your heart stay fit and healthy. Click here for last week's edition, and check out our weekly workout, now on each page of our website!

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