Tis the season to be jolly, Fa la la la la la la la la – STOP!
Before you start donning your gay apparel or trolling the ancient Yule tide carol, back your Christmas train up! The holidays are coming fast, but are you ready to weather the storm?
With office Christmas parties and family functions to attend surely there will be plenty of drinks to be drank and food to be eaten. The holidays are a wonderful time of year. A time to be spent celebrating and enjoying the festivities with close friends and relatives who perhaps you don’t get to see as much as you would like throughout the rest of the year, while others who you might prefer not to see at all during any time of the year. Regardless of how you spend your time off this holiday season make sure you use your timely wisely. And by wisely I simply mean: DO NOT TAKE TIME OFF FROM EXERCISING.
Now I hate to be the grinch that ruins everyone’s fun but the fact remains that the holidays can actually be a dangerous time of year for both your health and fitness. It seems almost as if as soon December hits, the gyms start to clear out. Where did everyone go? Sure, I understand the demand and pressure to attend a few extra scheduled social events but how do these events lead to weeks upon weeks of missed workouts? Well, the reality is that they shouldn’t. There are 24 hours in a day. Surely you can squeeze in a quick spin class or weight workout with your trainer. However if you truly and honestly cannot find time to workout as much as you like (or are just to hungover from last night’s Christmas party to make it to the gym) don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.
Check out my Holiday Health Tips below that will allow you to enjoy being chummy without increasing the size of your tummy (Seriously, I don’t know where I come up with this stuff!)
1. Holiday Health Tip #1 – Bank Your Calories
Wait, What? What the heck does “Bank Your Calories” mean? Essentially, if you know that you’re going to be attending a big Christmas dinner for example and you know there’s going to be lots of dirty carbs, sugary treats, and copious amounts of alcohol to be served then you also know that there are also going to be plenty of calories to be consumed as well. Save up your calories for these dinners. Most trainers advise eating before big social events so that you are less likely to be tempted by the “bad foods” that are usually available. Well, I’ve personally tried that approach and quite frankly it doesn’t work! I don’t care how many chicken breasts I eat during the day, when I arrive at a party and there is a big chocolate cake and/or cookies within my proximity all bets are off.
Rather then eat your normal meals throughout the day, I recommend that you try fasting for the better half of your day before you attend a work party or family function. This will allow you to consume more calories without having to go into a calorie surplus which will make your body hold and store extra body fat. I also recommend that you try fasting for the better part of the day after your party as well. This will ensure that your body uses the calories that you consumed the night earlier for energy and will allow you to maintain your desired body weight on the scale.
2. Holiday Health Tip #2 – Workout More!
Okay, I get it. You don’t have time to work out in the gym this holiday season. But who says you have to workout in the gym? Why not get the bulk of your exercise in throughout your daily activities. Rather then take the elevator, try taking the stairs this month. Walk rather then drive when you can. Get in the habit of waking up 10 minutes earlier each morning and do a few sets of push-ups, squats and sit-ups. The trick is to stay active during this time of the year. As long as you are continuing to burn more calories then you are consuming, you won’t gain weight.
3. Holiday Health Tip #3 – Resist Temptation
I always tell clients that working out is 80% mental and only 20% physical. If someone wants to reach their target weight loss goal bad enough they will. But they have to be willing to give up on some short term gratifications to achieve their long term satisfactions. I’m not saying that you can’t have anything delicious and “bad for you” this holiday season. After all, it is the holidays and you do need to live a little. However make sure that you do have some self control. Chances are you most likely will not be exercising every day during the holidays. So to balance out this inactivity you better plan out a strategy of portion control to halt any chance of a nasty weight gain right in it’s tracks. Have a little bit of everything that you are craving. Only allow yourself a small period of time to consume these calories. Once this time has expired put your fork down. I guarantee that within 15-20 minutes you will feel full and satisfied and best of all, your cravings will have subsided.
Holiday Health Tip #4 – Enjoy Yourself
Finally my last Holiday Health Tip is to just go out and enjoy yourself this holiday season. This is a time to let your brain unplug and get yourself ready for a fresh New Year. So what if you over-indulge at a party or go back for seconds or thirds of your mom’s homemade stuffing. It’s only a few days. Just remember to try your best to utilize all those extra calories as extra fuel for your next workout. Try to lift a little heavier, add a few extra sets of exercises onto your routine, increase your time spent on the treadmill by an extra 10-15 minutes each day. Most of those extra calories will still be with you the next day after the event so you might as well use them to your advantage.
That’s it. I’m done. I promise I will try my absolute best this year to be a jolly Saint Nick and not the “buzz kill” that so many of our clients have learned to loave during this time of year.
Just make sure to be safe, be happy and STAY ACTIVE!!!!
Yours in Good Health,
Nick Cosgrove