For most Americans, the holidays are a time for families and friends to gather together, exchange gifts, enjoy each other’s company, and eat…a lot. This means that the holidays are also a prime time for gaining unwanted weight and forgetting about eating healthy! With all of the honey-baked ham, starchy casseroles, eggnog, cookies, pies, and other delicious foods flying around, it can be difficult to say no—resulting in overindulgence. You may also find yourself running errands at the last possible minute and cramming all of your Christmas shopping into a couple days, leaving little to no time for regular exercise. For the sake of your hard-earned physique, I have comprised a brief list of ways to keep fit over the holidays, while still enjoying all of the festivities.
Know your limits
As hard as it may be to deny seconds and thirds of grandma’s pot-roast, do not overindulge. You don’t have to avoid your favorite foods entirely, just have some self-control. You’ve disciplined yourself enough all year, so it’s okay to make a few exceptions. Just remember to consider portion sizes when filling up your plate. Load up on the veggies and minimize the amount of simple carbs you eat. Instead of grabbing two cookies, only have one.
Use your calories wisely
Sugars and simple, highly-refined carbs are wasted calories that usually just end up in fat storage. Keep your consumption of sweets and white breads (including refined crackers and chips) to a minimum. Also, try to minimize the consumption of saturated fats as they directly raise total and LDL (bad) cholesterol levels. Eggnog may be your favorite holiday treat, but a single serving starts at about 250 Calories, 9 Grams Fat and 6 Grams Saturated Fat…and that’s without the alcohol! You don’t have to deny yourself your favorite treats, just remember that knowledge is power. Know the nutritional content of your favorite foods so that you can consciously adjust your consumption to account for the added fat and calories. Keep in mind that alcohol consumption also tends to increase during the holidays, which increases calorie intake, so try not to drink more than you normally would.
Make smart substitutes
There are plenty of alternate ways to enjoy traditional holiday treats. Try replacing cheesecake with pumpkin pie or substituting the traditional high-calorie eggnog beverage with a much healthier coconut milk nog. Colorful vegetable platters and reduced-fat cheeses serve as great appetizers for all guests. When cooking, try substituting butter with heart-healthy canola or olive oil. For every dish you make, ask yourself if there are ways to make it healthier with simple cooking substitutions.
Stay active
Though the holiday season can be extremely busy, exercise is a definite must—especially if you’re indulging in all of those holiday goodies. The quickest and most effective way to burn extra calories when you’re limited by time is to engage in cardiovascular activity. Even a short run around the neighborhood will do the job, anything to keep your body active during this season. I highly recommend interval training, as it challenges your body and transforms you into a lean, mean, fat-burning machine! Interval training consists of multiple cycles of high and low intensity exercise, involving bursts of hard work and short breaks to recover in between. The most common form of interval training is sprinting for one minute and then jogging/walking for the next minute, continuing to cycle between high-intensity and low-intensity bursts for 20 or more minutes. Not only will you enjoy feeling like you get to take frequent breaks during your exercise routine, the high-intensity work will challenge your heart and lungs, ultimately increasing your cardiovascular fitness. Still need more convincing? You’ll also end up burning more calories during and post-exercise because your body will have to work harder to recover and repair itself after performing frequent bouts of all-out exercise.
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