Tips on "Staying Fit for the Holidays"

Factio Magazine talks to People Magazine contributor Kim Peiffer on how to stay fit during party season.

What are your tips on staying fit during the holidays?
Cardio! The more cardio, the better during this time of year. There's a lot of extra indulging going on during the holidays, so it's always good to amp up the cardio a little to make sure you stay on track. If I know I'm going to attend a lot of events that week, I'll throw in an extra cardio session on the weekend or run at a faster pace than normal. Also, I usually love to work out in the evenings during the rest of the year, but during the holidays there's so much going on, I often don't have time after work. I find its a lot easier to get up and do my workout in the morning, even though I am NOT a morning person. That way, it's out of the way and I don't have to worry all day about fitting it in my schedule.

Do you have a special meal plan?
I don't. I just try to hydrate as much as possible, especially when I'm running a lot. And I am always trying to eat more fruits, veggies, complex carbs and lean protein, so I try and revolve my meals around those items as much as I can. Of course, that doesn't always work out- but I try! I love to cook, which helps. During winter I'm cooking up a lot of soups like butternut squash or minestrone.  I also like to make pan-roasted veggies a lot; Ill dice up some squash, mushrooms, eggplant and sweet potatoes, drizzle them with a little olive oil and a few spices and roast them in a pan in the oven.

What is your typical workout at Equinox?
I love to switch it up so my body doesn't get used to my workout and so I don't get bored. I love the classes at Equinox, they are fantastic and they really keep me motivated. I take yoga at minimum twice a week; I don't know what I would do without yoga teacher Allison English. Her classes are AMAZING and I feel so great afterwards. My "creme de la creme" of workouts is to do a run on the treadmill, then finish it off with a yoga class. I feel incredible afterwards and so accomplished. Allison completely rejuvenates your body during her class, there's really nothing like it. I've taken yoga at a million different places, but no other class has ever even come close to hers; it's magical.

In addition, once or twice a week I take a weight training class like Evolution to tone. And I have a love/hate relationship with the Skinny Jeans workout. Truth is, I'm obsessed with it, even though it leaves me hardly able to move for several days after. It's really challenging which is one of the reasons I love it, and even though I take it on a regular basis, I am always sore afterwards, which is a great feeling because it means I'm always working new muscles and continuing to tone! And when I'm really feeling like a challenge, I take Michael Wollpert's Equi-tread class. I have to mentally prepare myself for this one, because its tough. But it's GREAT.