How to Avoid Packing On The Holiday Weight On average, 75% of Americans gain the majority of their weight during the holiday season. An NIH study found that people usually gain one to two pounds during the holidays and they almost never drop the weight. While that doesn’t seem like much, gaining two pounds over the course of 10 years amounts to 20 pounds of weight gain that will be difficult to come off. Holiday weight gain can be tricky, because you’re likely not noticing that it’s happening. You’re being invited to a ton of parties full of fun and food. You’re having the time of your life. You’re overindulging, because, of course, you’re happy. The next thing you know, your pants are getting just a bit tighter. Your face seems fuller. One day you decide to step on the scale, and your worst nightmare has occurred…you’ve gained 10 pounds! Now you’re in a mad dash to get rid of those pounds. You think “I’ll just add this to my New Year’s resolution.” You purchase the gym membership, dedicate a full two weeks, you’re pumped. But, somewhere along the line, you lose motivation. It’s not because you didn’t have good intentions. It’s because you’re expecting an instant fix to something that didn’t happen overnight. See, that’s the thing about weight gain. It doesn’t just happen overnight. It’s gradual. Many think the holiday weight gain happened at Christmas. But it didn’t. It probably started around Halloween, when you treated yourself to just one too many chocolate candies. So how do we fix the problem? Monitor Your Eating •
Keep a Fitness Journal: This is one of the things you should be doing if you’re trying to lose weight anyway. Oftentimes, we underestimate the amount of calories that are in the food we eat. Write down how many calories are in what you’re eating, and that includes your holiday drinks. This will achieve the following - it’ll keep you accountable. If you notice that you’ve eaten an excess of calories one day, you’ll probably be more cognizant to not eat as many the next day. It’s impossible to deny the evidence.
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Make Holiday Functions Your Cheat Day: It’s okay to enjoy sweet treats every now and then, so long as they are in moderation. Cheat days are when you allow yourself a day to indulge in all of the things you wouldn’t normally eat during the week. When you give yourself cheat days, you no longer feel as though you are depriving yourself of anything. The only way for cheat days to be successful, however, is if you are honoring your healthy eating habits during the week.
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Plan Your Workouts Around Holiday Functions: If you know that you have holiday functions coming up, try to schedule your workouts around those parties. For instance, if you normally work out three times a week, but you
know that you have two holiday parties in one week, considering adding two extra workouts to your schedule. Adding these extra workouts would counter balance the dietary damage that you might do at those holiday functions. Incorporating Fitness Being committed to your diet is only one part of the equation. If you’re not that active physically, you might want to consider adding a fitness regimen this holiday season, or amping it up if you already do workout. One of the things that you really need to be mindful of is slacking off. A sign that you could possibly risk weight gain is skipping gym days. So just don’t do it. Here are some other tips to help keep you physically accountable during the holiday season. •
Workout For At Least 150 Minutes a Week: Ideally, you want to start your day out strong with some resistance training and cardio. However, you can still achieve your fitness goals by walking everyday. Fast paced walking can burn up to 450 calories in 30 minutes. Whatever method of workout you choose, just be consistent.
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Do a Holiday Fitness Event: If your job is putting together a holiday fitness event, sign up for it. You can also check the local events in your area for walking, running and cycling races. If you sign up, the odds are in your favor that you’ll follow through. You may even want to look for events involving children, so it’s a family affair.
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Celebrate Holiday Events With Activity: The great thing about the holidays is it allows you to create new family traditions. For example, many people enjoy driving around neighborhoods that have Christmas lights. Instead of driving to view the lights, how about walking with the family to view the lights? Also check in with recreation centers, bowling alleys or activity centers in your area. You may find they have special holiday programs that your family can take part in.
The Extra Mile If you really want to go the extra mile, then think about incorporating some of these wellness ideas. •
Bring A Healthy Meal To The Holiday Party: The best way to monitor what goes in your mouth is by being in control what you’re eating. For potluck affairs, consider bringing in a healthier option. For example, instead of mashed potatoes, you could make a cauliflower mash.
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Stay Hydrated: Not only does water help keep you hydrated, but it also keeps you full. Make the commitment to drink eight to ten, eight ounces of water a
day. You may find that you’re not as hungry as you think when you go to those holiday parties. •
Maintain Your Sleep Schedule: It can be really tempting to stay out all night when you’re having holiday fun. But shaving off hours of sleep time from your normal schedule could lead to significant weight gain. Make the commitment to get at least seven hours of sleep or more.
Just remember, the holidays are all about having fun. Although you want to be mindful of your wellness, it’s okay to indulge and have fun. Don’t be too obsessed about being healthy. If you keep the above tips in mind, you’ll make it through this holiday season happy and healthy. Tis the season!