“My diets always get ruined by the holidays.”
“My diets always get ruined by the holidays.” “I’ll wait ‘til after New Years to get back on track.” “I’ll look at the scale again next year.” These are things we often hear (or say to ourselves) during the months of November and December as the weather starts getting cooler, we plan where we’ll be spending our holidays, and the realization that we’ll be eating plenty of filling foods starts to set in. For many of us, we see the holiday season as a guaranteed 5+ lbs, but this is the year that changes! Check out some quick tips below to help keep the weight off this holiday season.
It’s Okay to Indulge, But Remain Consistent Overall
- One of the toughest parts of the holidays and eating most of the things we love even in everyday life is feeling guilty afterward. This can be especially difficult when we are trying to eat healthier or follow a specific diet. What is important to know is at the end of the day, a plate at Thanksgiving dinner and a piece of sweet potato pie isn’t going to be the end of your diet. However, the 2nd or 3rd plate, telling yourself that your healthy eating habits are completely ruined, and eating without any restraint for the next month and a half will definitely put you a step behind where you want to be.
Safe Indulging Pro-Tips
- What’s important to remember is that holidays are single days, meaning you don’t necessarily need to take leftovers and deciding not to will definitely help you maintain consistency throughout the rest of the week knowing that mac and cheese isn’t in the fridge calling your name.
- It wouldn’t be a family gathering without a big meal and desserts. As mentioned before, indulging on this one day won’t be the end of the world, so go ahead and have that piece of pie, but consider sharing it with your favorite sibling/cousin or significant other to fulfill the sweet craving without taking in all the calories.
Keep Yourself Moving to Maintain Fitness
- Possibly more during the Holidays than any other time, it is important to remain consistent with exercising since we’ll likely have a greater caloric intake than what is typical with all of the stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potatoes, cakes, pies, and endless other delicious foods. This consistency can definitely become difficult during the holidays as we’re busy with friends and family or enjoying the warmth of indoors while those outdoor summer activities start to become a thing of the past.
Exercise Pro-Tips
Often, we expect that we’ll be putting on weight during the holidays specifically because of the food and decreased physical activity. What is most important for those of us looking to keep the pounds off is understanding that the simplest and most effective method to lose weight is to decrease calorie intake and exercise — put even simpler: Eat Less, Move More. In the case that we can’t find ways to move anymore, it is important to prioritize exercise and fitness in our lives during this time whether it’s walking a few blocks instead of taking the train or making sure we still get to the gym in our usual routine. (If you need help moving via physical therapy – let’s have a conversation!)
As mentioned before, eating a few more calories than usual won’t be the end of the world if we maintain overall consistency. Many times with being a little busier though, it can be difficult to get ourselves to the gym or to that Barre or Pilates class. Check out some exercises below that can be used to get a solid workout in without leaving the comfort of your home!
Post-Thanksgiving Body Weight Exercises
Try out these 3 exercises and choose the appropriate progression for yourself. Set a timer for 10, 12, or 15 minutes and perform sets of 10 of each exercise for as many rounds as possible. After each round, take a 30-second rest before starting again.
Knee Pushup
Mountain Climber or Shoulder Taps/Combined
Reverse Lunge/Fwd + Rev Lunge
As always, our team of specialists is here to help you reach your fitness goals. If you are having difficulty reaching these goals by yourself give our team a call. We are ready to help you take your fitness and health to the next level. What’s even better is that your personal training session will also be with a doctor of physical therapy. This ensures that you won’t get injured while helping change your body composition! Give us a call today!
