Holidays are often associated with fun times! It’s the time to reconnect with family and friends, including those you haven’t seen in a long time. Often, it means eating and drinking. Hence, a lot of people are concerned about staying fit and healthy!
From Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day, there are endless get-togethers. Holiday weight gain is a common fear among many people, especially those who are health-conscious. If you are worried about gaining weight over the holidays, read on and we’ll share some of the best things that you can do.
- Make a Plan
For some people, the holiday season means not having to work or going on an extended vacation. Regardless, you must plan carefully. Your plan should outline what you should eat over the holidays and what you should do to offset any weight you might gain throughout the season. Make sure to dedicate days to exercise. Even if it is just a couple of minutes, physical activity is an important part of your day.
- Choose Foods Wisely
It is tempting to eat whatever is on the table during the holidays. It’s alright to enjoy an indulgent meal once in a while. Devour that turkey on Thanksgiving. However, between one holiday to the next, be wiser with your food choices. Don’t try to find lame excuses to justify choosing junk over healthy alternatives. If you don’t have time to cook, don’t settle with anything mediocre. Weight loss meal plans can save the day. Many companies are offering healthy meal kits, so you can enjoy delicious holiday food without the guilt! They even offer holiday packages so you can treat yourself to good food without compromising your health.
- Do Not Skip Meals
Some might think that this is counter-intuitive. It is common for people who are trying to lose weight to skip meals, especially breakfast. If you think that this will spare you a few pounds, you are wrong. Depriving yourself of a meal will just exacerbate the problem. Stick to your regular meals, especially breakfast. Otherwise, you will feel hungry throughout the day and will have the urge to eat more than what you should be consuming. As noted above, the key is to pick the right foods and not to miss your meal.
- Drink in Moderation
The holidays are incomplete without booze. A bottle of beer or a glass of wine are must-haves in many gatherings. It is easy to overdo drinking when you are having fun. However, if you want to stay fit and healthy, then you should enjoy booze in moderation. Regulate not just alcohol consumption, but also other drinks, such as soda! They are loaded with sugars that will make you gain weight, combine these drinks with unhealthy holiday treats, then you have a complete recipe for disaster! This is a sure-fire way to ruin your diet!
- Sneak a Holiday Workout
With too many things you have to do during the holidays, it is easy to miss working out. Find ways to squeeze in workouts regardless of how busy your day is. The best thing that you can do is to wake up early and exercise in the morning before all the distractions. Look for workouts that you can do indoors. Even if there is no gym, be creative to find ways to exercise even in a cramped space and without any equipment. A good strategy is to have condensed but intense workouts.
- Track Your Activity
If there is one investment that you need for staying fit this holiday season, it would be a fitness tracker. This is a handy tool to provide insights on your physical activity, such as the number of steps and calories burned. You can set goals depending on your requirements. Through tracking, it is easier to determine how much more effort you need to exert to achieve your goals for the day. These trackers can be connected to a mobile app to give you more insights into your physical activity.
- Drink Water
This is one of the simplest ways to make your holidays healthier. With everything that you have been eating and workouts you have been missing, hydration is the key to staying fit. It increases your energy, which is important considering how busy we often are during the holidays. It also flushes out the toxins in our body. Plus, it can help in your weight loss journey as it will make you feel fuller longer. Whenever there is a party, hydrate before you eat. If you are on a vacation, always have water with you when you are roaming around.
- Get Rid of Stress
With a lot going on, the holidays can be stressful. Preparing for holiday dinners, arranging a vacation, or even just talking to everyone you haven’t met in a while can increase your stress levels. Meditation helps to stay relaxed amidst all the holiday chaos. A relaxing warm bath at the end of a busy day is one of the best stress relievers. Time management is also helpful in alleviating stress.
- Boost Your Immune System
Work on strengthening your immune system to stay healthy during the holidays. It is one of the busiest times of the year, so make sure that your body can keep up with everything that is happening. Take your vitamins and eat healthy foods. Load up on immune-boosting minerals, such as Vitamin C, zinc, and selenium. Don’t forget to eat fruits and vegetables regularly!
- Have Fun
The most important is to enjoy the holidays but do so responsibly! This happens only once a year! With the pandemic that has affected almost everyone, you deserve a break. This is the time to enjoy but while observing proper health protocols. Depending on where you live, make sure to follow what the law says!
It’s time to be merry! But this should not be the time to gain weight! Consider the things mentioned above to stay fit and healthy while enjoying the holidays!