Let’s Beat The Holiday Weight Gain!
The Holiday Season is officially in full swing! That means over a month full of parties, food, gifts, and fun to enjoy with all of your loved ones. In the midst of all the craziness that the Holidays bring, it is easy to forget about your health and fitness goals. I have compiled a list of 10 tips and tricks that keep our Burn Boot Camp family LEAN AND RIPPED during the Holiday Season!
- Holiday 1/2 Plate Rule– This is my favorite, which is why it is number one! When you are at Christmas party choose to eat your dinner off of a desert plate or a plate with a small circumference. By choosing a plate that is half the normal size you will automatically cut your calories in half while still getting the satisfaction of having cleaned your plate.
- Eat More = Move More – When you eat more you have to keep moving your body. First of all, let’s not take all the fun out of the Holidays. Enjoy yourself and “intelligently indulge” but just know that when you intake extra calories you need to expend extra calories. I know you are busy but EVERYONE can find 15-30 minutes in the day to do an awesome Burst Training workout.
- Drink Your Water– Stay hydrated! While it is okay to “intelligently indulge” doing so will fill your body full of harmful toxins and chemicals. Drinking your body weight in ounces of water each day will help to flush your system. Studies show that increasing your water intake can boost your metabolism by up to 30%!
- Eat a Pre-Party Small Meal– Going into a party starving will tempt you to make choices that you may later regret. Eating a small meal prior to attending will help you focus more on the social aspect of the holiday parties and not the food. Enjoy friends and family and try not to hang by the food table!
- Pick Your Potluck – When you attend your potlucks or Christmas parties bring a healthy dish to pass around. Healthy doesn’t mean bring a pot of boiled chicken to your boss’s house and gross everyone out. There are plenty of healthy options that still taste amazing. Check out www.360yourlife.com for some great appetizers and party favorites!
- Know Your Trigger Food – Trigger foods are dangerous. You will have to dig deep a little bit and be honest with yourself on this one. What’s are the one or two foods you eat that seem to be followed by more unhealthy choices? For me, chocolate chip pancakes. Although very rare, after eating them it is like I have a perma-craving for sugar for the next 48 hours. Find your trigger foods and avoid them at all costs during the Holidays.
- Eat More Often – This tip has a very fine line. Eat more often means put food into your mouth more frequently. It does NOT mean eat 1,000 calories at breakfast then have 2 snacks and 500 calories for lunch and so on. Eat little meals all day long to keep your metabolism fired up. If you are at party pick the top 4 healthiest things and snack on those instead of Christmas cookies. If you can simply stay away from processed sugars at parties you will be in good shape!
- Avoid “banking” calories – Cutting back all day so you can indulge at an event that night only sets you up for a pig-out. Why? You’re starving! Focus on always getting in your main meals and healthy snacks throughout the day so you aren’t consuming high caloric foods at the party.
- Before and After Photos – Take a before photo today to give yourself some accountability. If you know that you are taking an after picture on January 1st you will be much more likely to holdout over the Holiday. Make sure that both pictures are taken at the exact same angle and show a substantial amount of skin!
- Talk Yourself Into Eating Healthy – Tell 10 people that you are going to lose weight over the Holidays. Post it on Facebook, Tweet, IG, email, text, etc. until you get 10 people that will hold you accountable. You can even post it on our Facebook page to let the world know of your intentions. It is human nature to not want to let ourselves and others down by not sticking to your word. Just by letting your goals be public you are much more likely to succeed!
The Holiday season should be no different than any other season. Healthy eating habits are a lifestyle choice that you make no matter what time of the year it is. Think about it this way, what month doesn’t have something to celebrate? New Year, Valentine’s Day, Easter, Summer Vacation…see where I am going with this?
Strive for a balance at all times. Six days of healthy eating with one “free” day is a perfect balance. If the scale tips any more the other way, your desired results will NEVER be achieved!
Share these tips with someone you know who is looking to keep the weight off this Holiday Season! Happy Holidays!