Avoid Gaining Weight This Holiday Season
But Still ENJOY the Festive Season!
I know what you are thinking – the holidays are a time for indulgence. You don’t want to think about fitness. Don’t worry! You don’t have to eliminate holiday parties, or even avoid them.You can have fun, and maintain your weight, and fitness regime.
The secret to achieving a holiday season that is both full of fun and also includes fitness is moderation. There are two approaches most of us have this time of year: 1) throw all healthy habits out the window and indulge in every guilty pleasure 2) starve and binge approach (for example, you eat nothing all day long to allow yourself to overindulge in party food). Of course, neither approach is successful at maintaining a healthy, fit lifestyle throughout the holiday season.
Here are some tips to help you:
Before the holidays are upon you, create a plan for making fitness and nutrition part of your daily routine. Evaluate your holiday schedule to determine how much time you will have available to work out and eat healthy meals. Then schedule your workouts accordingly.
On days that you really lack motivation to make it to the gym or simply do not have time for your complete exercise routine, commit to 10 minutes of exercise. You’ll probably end up doing more than that once you get started. If you only end up completing 10 minutes, that is a lot better than zero minutes.
Don’t put your fitness goals on hold until the New Year. If you can’t exercise as often during this time period as you normally do, adjust appropriately. Don’t use the excuse that since you don’t have time for your full workout you just won’t workout at all. Instead reduce the frequency and/or duration of your exercise. It’s much better todo some exercise than none at all.
On the day of a party, be sure to eat normally all day. Eat breakfast, lunch and a snack before hand. Once you are at the party, go ahead and indulge in some of the fun, delicious foods. Since you have eaten meals earlier in the day, you probably will find that you aren’t tempted to go overboard and overeat.When at the party, start by eating some of the healthy offerings. Then move on to some of the less healthy food. You will be less likely to overindulge on these foods. Yet, you will not feel deprived.
Exercise at home. You’ll be more inclined to follow-through on your exercise commitment if you don’t have to drive to your fitness club to do your workout.
When you are shopping during the holidays, bring a healthy snack with you. That way you will avoid grabbing something at the food court after a long day.
Don’t wasting calories on alcoholic beverages. The average alcoholic drink contains 150-250 calories per glass. Indulge in just 2-3 drinks and you’ve drunk the equivalent calories of an entire meal. If you partake in these beverages, choose wisely. For example, instead of having a full glass of wine, try mixing half a glass of wine with sparkling water. This will help cut your calories down.
Hopefully these tips will help you find a balance between nutrition, fitness, and the fun of the holiday season. Remember, moderation is the key.
