12 Proven Ways to Avoid Holiday Weight Gain

Even though we are in the midst of “the most wonderful time of the year”, for some it is not so wonderful due to increased stress and the usual weight gain. 

Did you know studies show that the average American gains 1-2 lbs over the holiday season?  This usually becomes permanent baggage and year by year contributes to being overweight or obese later in life.

It’s probably unanimous that no one wants to be on a strict diet during the holidays. Instead we would like to enjoy the bounty of our traditional favorite foods.  So how can we still enjoy the holidays without gaining extra holiday cheer?  It’s actually not so hard with a little planning and good decision making.

Check out the following 12 tip and strategies below to avoid holiday weight gain.

 

Start your day off with protein. 

Eating a protein-rich breakfast will help you fill full longer, help stave off unhealthy snacking, and give you more energy for your daily demands.  Plus you will be more likely to complete that daily exercise goal you may have been putting on the back burner.

Work off the stress.

If you are like most people, the stress of the holidays inevitable gets to you.  If you are feeling the pressure and anxiety of the holidays, take it to the gym.  Studies have shown that it will not only relieve your stress of the moment or day, but also help you control anxiety when faced with stressful situations down the road.

Make fitness as convenient as possible.

The holidays can be some of the busiest time of the year, so make your fitness routine convenient as possible.  This way you can stick to your goals when your schedule is tight.  Have a backup plan when you can’t make it to the gym.  Try a body weight workout you can do at home or some exercise DVDs.   Any workout is better than no workout.

Find exercise in your daily activities.

If you can’t find time to hit the gym, make sure you incorporate as much activity in your day as you can.  Park further away, ride your bike to work, find ways to stay active with your daily chores.  The key is to move as much as possible, avoiding a sedentary life.

 Be an early bird.

You most likely will have little to no distractions during the early hours of the day.  Start your day off right by getting your blood flowing and knocking your workout out early.  The evening trip to the gym is sometimes challenging after a busy, stressful day.  By scheduling a morning workout not only with you have more energy throughout the day, but you will less likely skip your workout.

Make a plan and put it in your calendar.

Determining a weekly or monthly workout plan by writing it down makes it official and more likely that you will stick to it.  Also by writing out your workouts you can plan ahead for stressful and less stressful days.  For example, if Mondays are too busy, make it a rest day.  If you have more time on Saturday mornings, make it a longer workout.

Walk and Talk.

Try multitasking to fit in some exercise on a tight schedule.  Instead of sending an email, pick up the phone and make a call while you walk around.  Walking 1 mile can burn roughly 75-85 calories, depending on your speed, weight, and gender.  Cell phones offer the convenience of moving around, so take advantage of it.

Grab a workout buddy.

Enlisting a friend or spouse will keep you motivated and consistent.  It is harder to cancel on someone who is counting on you.  Try pairing up with someone with similar or even a higher fitness level than you and is also reliable.  This will help push you a little bit.

Join a team.

Joining a sports team usually takes minimal time out of your schedule.  Not only will you be working out with a greater intensity, but will have fun doing it.  Look into a local community basketball, flag football, or soccer team.  Your weekly game can be a fun hobby that takes the “work” out of your workout.

Include your whole family.

Instead of taking time away from your family for your workout, bring them along.  Try going on a hike together or going to a gym to play some active games like tag, relay races or some other creative competition.  You could also go to a local park and do a “playground workout” while your kids play.

Give and Take.

It is nearly impossible to avoid all the holiday temptations, and you shouldn’t completely.  However, you shouldn’t jeopardize good health either.  Make sure you are making up for the extra calories with extra workout time, or less food and treats on the next meal.  Be mindful of your extra calories, so you can make up the difference.  

Invest time and money.

Making an investment in a new workout class or exercise hobby will help you stay on track and make your fitness goals a priority over the holiday.  There are countless options from Zumba to Pilates, kickboxing, or spin class.

 

Run the Red Rock

OK, so these photos are way overdue!!!  I guess the current freezing cold temperatures have me dreaming of warmer days and wishing I could actually enjoy some sunshine. 

In September I was able to run the RED ROCK RELAY.  It was a beautiful 187 miles starting at Brian Head and ending in Zions National Park.  It took me an entire week to catch up on the lack of sleep.  I guess 65 hours with only 2 hours of sleep is just not enough for me.  We had a lot of fun and made some great memories.

 

Before my first leg of 6.5 miles

First leg down Cedar Canyon 6.5 miles

Waiting for the dreaded 3rd leg.  Haven't slept in 2 days :-/



3rd and final leg

Running to Zions in 90 degree heat

Beautiful scenery.  Time to stretch and SLEEP!

Diets vs. Exercise: Which Is More Effective?

The mechanics of weight loss seem pretty simple: Burn more calories than you consume. So why are there so many contradicting theories and opinions on how to achieve weight loss? One specific area of confusion is which is more important for weight loss—diet or exercise.  Certainly using both leads to the greatest success, but does either diet or exercise have a greater impact than the other?

To help answer this question we can look to members of the National Weight Control Registry. This group consists of people who have lost significant weight and kept it off successfully for a minimum of one year. Of these successful individuals, 89% use a combination of diet and exercise, 10% have had success using diet alone, and 1% use exercise alone.  These numbers definitely demonstrate the importance of using both diet and exercise for weight-loss success.

Another statistic that helps shed some light on the question is that only about 5% of dieters are successful maintaining long-term weight loss. Most people experience “weight cycling,” regaining about one-third of the weight being within 1 year and the rest of the weight within 3–5 years.

Photo Credit: Lululemon Athletica

So diet alone may not be a long term solution. But what about exercise? Well, exercise might not be the end-all either. Consider how much easier it is to consume a meal at a restaurant (which averages 1,000–1,500 calories) than to run 10–15 miles (an average-size person burns 100 calories/mile). It is much less demanding, time-consuming, and tiresome to pay attention to what you are eating. However, exercise improves your fitness, increases your metabolism, increases energy, improves mood and helps to fight diabetes. So there are many benefits to exercise that definitely help in the weight-loss battle.

Also, it is important to remember when trying to fight the battle of the bulge that most people overestimate the amount of calories they are burning by about 30% and underestimates the amount of calories they are consuming by about 30%. So keeping track of your activity and your food intake is important and very helpful for weight-loss success.

The method for achieving weight loss is simple. The method is known as “energy balance.” Simply stated, you will lose weight when you burn more calories than you consume. The best way to do this is by combining a diet and exercise. In other words, to improve your health and lose weight, eat less and exercise more.
Do you have a personal experience with diet and exercise? Sound off below!
Sources:

• WebMd: http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/features/exercise-and-weight-loss-five-truths?page=3
• The National Weight Control Registry: www.nwcr.ws
• About.com: www.exercise.about.com/od/weightloss/a/shortcuts.htm
• Women’s Health Magazine: http://www.womenshealthmag.com/health/exercise-and-diet