We all know the upcoming holiday season can be a time to fall into “relax mode” with respect to our exercise and diet routines. Change things up a bit for this new year. Start to get into your pre-holiday routine now by watching your caloric intake and begin adding in more movement throughout the day. Don’t use the excuse of busy schedules, attending parties and traveling, be the culprit this time around. This is your year to avoid the dreaded holiday weight gain (now that Thanksgiving is over!).
Our first step is to become mindful in respect to individual triggers during holiday events or family gatherings. It has been reported that the average person will consume an extra 619 calories a day during the Holiday season which figures out to about a five-pound weight gain over the holiday season! If you got off on the wrong foot with Thanksgiving, there is no better time to get back on track and re-focus.
The average person has the potential to consume 4500 calories or more coupled with 200 grams of fat (that equates to 1800 calories alone from fat) over the course of a typical Thanksgiving day. How did you do? Be aware that those numbers can potentially increase on Christmas day!
Avoid Weight Gain with these Tips
Reports have shown that it doesn’t get easier a month later when the “average person eats more than 7,000 calories over the course of a typical Christmas day. Research carried out by Associated British Foods came to that conclusion. That’s more than three times the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s recommended daily caloric intake.”
Try the tips below if you feel like your a bit off course and have been eating too much and not moving enough; get a jump on it now by trying a few of the following:
- Increase the volume or intensity of your daily exercise (both strength training and cardio).
- Wear a pedometer and work on increasing your daily steps over the course of the next 30 days. Add an additional 500-1000 steps to your weekly step count.
- Get out of the house for a quick 15-minute walk each day and especially at night following dinner throughout the Holiday season.
- Watch the extra (empty) calories from soda, juices, alcohol, etc. Try adding a glass of water in between drinks – if possible, avoid alcohol. The average person consumes an additional 450 calories a day through drinking soda, sports drinks and alcohol.
- Avoid any late night snacking.
- Reduce your added sugar for the Holiday season.
- Start each morning off with 16-ounces of water (before your morning coffee). It will help speed up your metabolism.
- Try daily meditation (10-minutes/day with the Headspace app).
During this holiday season, think of exercise as a way to prevent weight gain. If you’re looking to lose weight, the key is to increase your activity level above and beyond what you’re currently doing. In addition, be more mindful of your caloric intake, especially a few hours after dinner. Happy Holidays!
Stay Strong Together
Try the best strength training planning & tracking app on the market today. It continues to win many awards for best app, this year, as it has in previous years. Jefit is a workout log app that helps you meet your fitness goals. By providing an extensive exercise library, you can pick and choose your workouts according to your goals. You can also join our members-only Facebook group where you can connect and interact with your fellow Jefit members. Share your successes, stories, advice, and tips so you learn and grow together. Stay Strong!
