Family gatherings, celebrating with friends, office parties--the holiday season is upon us! This is a fun, loving time of year. And it can be very challenging to those of us who are trying to live healthy. I have a few suggestions to help enjoy celebrations with family and friends without burdening ourselves with guilt.
Don't skip meals on the day of a special occasion!
- Keep to your normal eating schedule, preferably healthy meals with a snack in between; be sure to consume lean proteins, carbohydrates and healthy fats each time you eat.
- Skipping a meal will cause you to store proportionately more body fat the next time you eat and, since you'll be extra hungry, you'll likely over-eat and store even more fat.
- Skipping meals also slows your metabolism, causing you to burn fewer calories and store more fat.
Alcohol is a carbohydrate. Choose vodka over other spirits and avoid mixes full of juices, sodas and creams. Wine is a nice alternative as well, and tends to be sipped more slowly.
Protect your workout schedule. If you have a day when you are just too busy to go to the gym or don't have time to perform your complete workout:
- Go for a walk, even if it's a short one.
- For a simple, full-body workout, perform these exercises in a circuit:
- squats
- push-ups -- if you are unable to do a full-body push-up, go on your knees or place your hands against a wall or table top instead of the floor
- a back row with tubing (inexpensive and easily found at Target and sporting goods stores).
- Complete as many circuits as you can.
Don't try to loose weight during the holidays. The most realistic (and sane) goal is to maintain!
