3 Tips to Make it through the Holiday Season Guilt Free
As long as you avoid acting like scrooge, and keep the spirit of generosity in your heart, there should be nothing to be guilty about over the holidays, right? Still, every year when the holiday season arrives, people worry about gaining weight and feel guilt about what they put in their mouth, or what they don’t have time to do at the gym.
Contrary to popular belief that most people gain 5 - 10 lbs. over the holidays, the good news is that the real average holiday weight gain is only between 1/2 and 1% of body weight, so for a 140 lb. woman that’s 0.7 to 1.4 lbs. The bad news is the actual weight gain occurs after the holidays when people don’t take that holiday pound back off, but I’ll fill you on on that more later.
For now - lets focus on the holiday weight. The majority of us will not be losing weight this holiday season, but if you can avoid the weight gain, you’ll be in a much better place to start out the new year. So here’s three tips to do just that, without putting in too much effort!
Tip 1 - Start each day the right way! It’s inevitable that there will be holiday gatherings with lots of rich food, drinks and standing or sitting around. And joyous celebration time is what we should be doing this time of year, so don’t feel guilty. Instead, make sure to start every day with lots of liquids, a healthy breakfast, and a lunch with good clean protein, fruits and vegetables. Maybe even have a healthy snack before heading to those holiday events. Then by the time you get there, you’ll already be in a mindset of making healthy choices, well nourished, and your body will naturally crave less of those rich dishes and sugary treats.
Tip 2 - Make some time every day for fitness! With shopping, celebrations, concerts and charity events, it may be tough to stick to your regular work out schedule. Thats okay. Get full workouts in on the days you can, and on the days you can’t find small ways to incorporate fitness into your day. Take 10 minutes for an ab workout when you get up in the morning, or if you’re a night owl - do it before bed. Use the stairs whenever you can. Take an extra few quick laps around the mall to scope out the good sales before you go into the stores and start doing your holiday shopping. Do wall sits, warrior or chair pose while brushing your teeth. You get the idea!
Tip 3 - Pair your treats with something good! Worried about that tray of cookies (or 10) at the office that are too hard to resist. Let yourself have one, but every time you do, go back to your desk and sit down and then immediately stand up again without using your hands and with good upright posture 15 times. You just did 15 squats! Trust me, after a few cookies and 45 squats, your bottom and thighs will tell you to take a break. Want an extra drink at a holiday party? Find another few friends to have one along with you and walk the block and sing Christmas Carols for the neighbors or gather around the piano and sing 5 songs. You’ll get some ab work from the singing as well as the laughs!
If you’re looking for more tips, or some motivation and accountability this coming month, you can join my Holiday Challenge Group at the link below. We’ll be kicking off the challenge the Monday before Thanksgiving on November 20th, but if you’re reading this later you can join at any time.
https://www.thetime2shine.com/holiday-challenge-enrollment
Here’s to a wonderfully enjoyable and guilt free November and December and a Happy New Year!