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!...
Since the holidays are traditionally a time for fun and indulgence,
you probably prefer not to think about fitness between Thanksgiving
and the New Year. You want to enjoy yourself. Don’t worry!
The festivities don’t have to be eliminated or avoided.
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 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:
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
