5 Tips to Staying Fit After the Holiday Season

The average American gains at least one pound during the six week holiday period – starting from Thanksgiving up to New Year’s Day. And if you are already on the heavy side, there’s a chance that you might gain over 2.5 pounds over the holidays.

Here are some easy but effective strategies that can help you avoid weight gain during and after the holidays:

1. Start a Food Diary… In Reverse

Keeping a food diary is a habit that many fitness enthusiasts love to do, as they believe that tracking what they eat allows them to observe their eating routine, including their cravings. However, if you record your meals after you eat, and if what you consumed is unhealthy, then it’s too late – the damage will already be done.

Instead, try to keep a proactive food diary: a meal plan. Sit down in the morning and write down what you plan to eat throughout the day – and stick with it. Do it on a weekly basis to help plan your grocery shopping. It will also help you make sure that you’re consuming a variety of fresh organic greens and fruits (in moderation), and sufficient amounts of protein every day.

2. Eat Your Fats First

Don’t wolf down your food the moment you sit down at the table. Instead, try this simple technique: eat healthful fats first before starchy and carbohydrate-rich foods and sugar-loaded desserts. Fat helps you to feel full while stimulating your metabolism. However, remember that this only applies to healthy fats from wholesome foods, like olives, raw butter, coconuts and coconut oil, and nuts like macadamia nuts, walnuts, and almonds. As much as possible, avoid trans fats, such as those from vegetable oils.

3. Go for a Walk

Most people tend to overeat because they allow themselves seconds. Before they know it, they’ve already consumed more than they intended to eat. To avoid this, stand up and move away from the table as soon as you’ve had your fill. Then, go out for a brisk walk.

Walking after a meal offers many significant benefits, such as supporting your digestion and metabolism. It also helps lower your blood sugar and insulin levels.

4. Do Simple Exercises at Home

One of the reasons a lot of people lose sight of their fitness goals during the holidays is going to the gym or fitness center can become a chore. Winter snowstorms can make roads difficult, if not impossible, to navigate. Not to mention most gyms are closed during holidays. In this case, the best alternative is to exercise at home.

Bodyweight exercises are a great option, as they require no equipment – your body provides all the resistance you need, and can address every muscle in your body if done properly. They do not take up much space as well, so you can do them in your bedroom, in the garage, or even in your basement. Push ups, side planks, lateral leg lifts, and pull ups are some examples of body weight exercises you can try.

If you’re not a fan of body weight exercises, and are looking for something fun and livelier, try Zumba. There are thousands of Zumba videos on YouTube. Find one that suits your needs.

5. Try Intermittent Fasting

Intermittent fasting is a type of eating schedule where you to time your meals appropriately so that you have regular periods of fasting in between. It takes six to eight hours for your body to metabolize your glycogen stores, and then after that you start burning fat. Intermittent fasting turns you into an efficient “fat-burning” machine and allows you to normalize your insulin and ghrelin levels, which is also known as the “hunger hormone.”

The ideal length of your fast should be around 16 hours. For example, you’d only eat only between 11am and 7pm – skipping breakfast and making lunch your first meal of the day. You can also opt for a 12 or even 8-hour window. If it’s too difficult for you, try fasting every other day or just simply delaying certain meals, such as skipping breakfast and exercising on an empty stomach.

Always be mindful of what you eat over the holidays, and make it your New Year’s resolution to stay on the track to fitness and good health.

About the Author

Elaine Rosales writes for Mercola.com. She has written various topics about natural health, such as how to choose the best superfood supplements and tips for buying organic wholesome foods. She is now researching simple and effective ways to stay fit and healthy, such as doing body weight exercises and intermittent fasting.