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Fitness Tips On How To Avoid Gaining Weight During The Holiday Season
by: Lynn Bode
This holiday season don’t be trendy – avoid
the Seasonal Seven (the average weight most Americans gain between Thanksgiving
and New Year’s). That’s one trend you don’t want to participate in!
I know what you are thinking – the holidays are
a time for fun and indulgence. You don’t want to think about fitness during
that time. You want to enjoy yourself. Okay, before you accuse me of being the
Grinch, you should know that I completely agree. The festivities don’t have to
be eliminated or avoided, because you can have a fabulous time while also
maintaining your weight and your fitness regimen.
The secret to achieving a holiday season that is
both full of fun and also includes fitness is found in moderation. There are two
typical approaches to the seasonal festivities: 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.
As I mentioned above, the key is found in
moderation. With a moderate approach both to what you eat (or don’t eat) and
how much exercise you do (or don’t do), you can avoid packing on extra weight
AND also partake in all the fun of the season. So this season, get a head start
on the New Year instead of starting January with extra pounds to lose.
Here are some tips to help you:
- Create a plan ahead of time. Before the
holidays sneak up on you, create a plan for incorporating fitness and good
nutrition into your daily routine. Evaluate your holiday and then determine
how much time you will realistically have available to devote to working out
and/or eating healthy meals.
- 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 accept your limited availability and simply reduce the frequency
and/or duration of your exercise. It’s much better to cut your fitness
time in half than to completely eliminate it.
- On the day of a party, be sure to eat
regularly all day long. If the party is in the evening, eat breakfast, lunch
and a snack before hand (just as you would on any other day). 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 eat everything in sight. However,
if you starve all day long attempting to save up all your calories for the
party, you will be so famished by the time it begins that it will be
difficult not to overeat.
- Schedule your workouts. Mark them on the
calendar and set-aside time to complete them. Consider them as important as
any other appointment or event you have marked on your calendar.
- When at a party, start by eating some of the
healthy offerings. For example, vegetable sticks (without dip), fruit
pieces, plain chicken pieces, etc. Then move on to some of the less healthy
(but yummy) offerings. You will be less likely to overindulge on these foods
if you have already filled-up on some of the healthier items. Yet, you will
not feel deprived or unsatisfied.
- On days that you really lack motivation or
simply do not have time for your complete exercise routine, commit to do
just 10 minutes of exercise. You’ll probably end up doing more than that
once you get started. Even if you only end up completing 10 minutes, that is
still a lot better than zero minutes.
- When presented with a large variety of food
options, it’s tempting to want to eat everything. Rather than eating one
large slice of chocolate cake or a huge plate of meatballs, select a
sampling of bite size pieces of several of the desert or appetizer
offerings. This way you get the enjoyment of trying many different foods
without overeating.
- Exercise at home. You’ll be more inclined to
follow-through on your exercise commitment if you don’t have to drive
somewhere to do your workout. Plus, you won’t waste any time on driving,
parking, the locker room or waiting to use equipment. Working out at home
requires very little equipment (even can be equipment-free) and is quite
inexpensive.
- Avoid wasting calories on alcoholic beverages.
The average alcoholic drink contains 150-200 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 or with a diet cola. This will help cut your calories in
half.
- When running errands or shopping, be sure to
pack some healthy snacks to have on-hand. Then after you work-up a big
appetite, you won’t be tempted to grab something at the mall food court or
the fast food restaurant on the way home.
I hope these tips will help you find a balance
between staying fit and also enjoying the fun of the season. For additional
fitness tips, visit www.workoutsforyou.com. Remember, moderation is the key.
Have a great holiday season!
About The Author
Lynn Bode is owner of http://www.workoutsforyou.com
an Online Personal Fitness Training company. Workouts For You offers online
exercise programs for weight loss, strength training, nutritional planning and
race training. Personalized programs can be designed for all fitness levels.
The programs are customized to meet your individual needs and lifestyle (based
on the extensive profile you provide when enrolling) and include a motivational
accountability system and a huge library of exercise technique demos. You
receive all the trainer benefits without the expensive price, and you can
workout wherever and whenever you want.
To receive a FREE, no-obligation fitness evaluation, visit us at www.workoutsforyou.com.
Need a quick gift -we provide gift certificate delivery within 24 hours of
purchase.
info@workoutsforyou.com
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