Holiday Time=Weight gain? Right?

The best measuring tool is your hand.
The best measuring tool is your hand.
December 8, 2022|Fitness Knocking|, ,

he parties, the dinners, the drinking, OH MY. Whether you are looking to start your corporate wellness calendar off on the right foot or if you are like me and wanna stay in the same pants size between now and January 2. In my family when we say “holiday” it means a food centered gathering. Fit into your pants now and in a few weeks from now with these short and simple tips.

Holiday or a Holimonth?

You may be saying? HOLIMONTH? What? Then if you think about it you may realize I am right. It is a day. I can even go further to remind you it is even more often a single meal. Therefore I highly suggest you remember each and every party that it a HoliDAY or a holiMEAL not a HoliMONTH. We tend to lose sight that the holidays are just singular days. Oftentimes those individual days blend into weeks or for some of us months or even several months. The truth is healthy bodies are made all year long, especially in winter.

Here are 10 tips for getting through each holiday and keeping your healthy body all year.

  1. Sleep well the night before (studies show lack of sleep increases appetite and weight gain). Ideally get 7-8 hours of sleep. The more you keep on the same sleep/wake schedule the better you will recover. 
  2. Be more active (even if you would rather sleep in). As my father says “Body in motion stays in motion”. This means you need to stand more during your day, by taking calls standing up, walking meetings, taking the stairs, walking to the car across the parking lot, and shopping in person. 
  3. Stand up straight as you walk. As you walk, keep your head up, your shoulders back, and your stomach engaged (pull your belly button in towards your spine). Maintaining this posture will keep your spine straight and help you breathe, oxygenate your blood and make you feel more energetic.
  4. Exercise regularly but especially on the morning of the actual holiday or dinner party. Even if it is a short workout it will help. Ideally aim to get at least 45-60 minutes of circuit training (combination of cardio and resistance). This will allow you to burn off loads of extra calories prior to getting into indulgence mode.
  5. Eat a healthy and filling breakfast. Avoid going to any party hungry, will actually make you want to eat more. If you have a healthy balanced breakfast it will help with steering clear of the unhealthy choices.
  6. Fill up on veggies first. If you eat a salad before the mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, stuffing and all the other yummy sides it will help to fill you up.
  7. Think about what your favorite foods will be at the family gathering and eat them all (just in a smaller portion, think about a tablespoon or the size of your thumb). If you love your Aunt Jan’s stuffing, eat it! You only get it once a year, but challenge yourself to just a bite or two or three. Know yourself and your ability to stop eating when you are just shy of being full. Trust me you will thank me later.
  8. Eat from a smaller plate. Remember your stomach is only about the size of your fist. https://courses.lumenlearning.com/atd-herkimer-biologyofaging/chapter/the-stomach/ . If you are like me and need to have a full plate, using a smaller one helps a ton. First, there is only so much room, so you will fill space with only the things you love. Second, there is only so much room for all of the indulgences so you are likely to take a smaller portion (see number 7). Lastly, ever heard the phrase “my eyes were bigger than my stomach”, your stomach is only the size of your fist, so it tricks your eyes into believing you are eating more. 
  9. Pour wisely and drink from a small glass. We don’t need to drink from a fishbowl or a massive wine glass. Drinking alcohol is empty calories but I will also encourage you to eat more because it lowers your inhibitions. Be successful by drinking water in between alcoholic beverages, add extra ice to your glass, and cut the alcohol with seltzer or water. Unsure of serving sizes check this out https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohols-effects-health/overview-alcohol-consumption/what-standard-drink
  10. Eat slowly! Take a bite, chew, enjoy the flavor, put your fork down in between bites. Talk in between bites also helps slow down. Most importantly when you are full, Stop eating.

If you or someone you know is struggling making some of these happen. Reach out for a no obligation discovery call https://Fitnessknocking.as.me/DiscoveryCall