It is easy to gain extra weight during the holidays. If you can come out on the other side of the 2-month holiday season with the same weight, you have done well!. However, it is possible to come out on the other side weighing less. Since you will be busy, try shorter, more intense workouts. Your body will respond in a positive way to the new workout stimulus.
Let’s jump right into the Top 5 reasons we gain weight during the holidays:
1. We get distracted during the holidays. There are many things going on in our lives and many emotions bouncing around in our heads and bodies -- both positive and negative, happy and sad. So, we can tend to get haphazzard with our workouts and eating habits. If all else goes haywire during the day, don’t neglect your workouts. Workouts can cover eating mistakes and help us relieve stress, tension and feel better.
2. You decide to let it all hang out during the holidays! Interpretation: “I will wait until January to start exercising again.” This mindset is a big mistake. You can gain 30-40 pounds of fat over a 2-month period that includes eating many high-calorie and high-fat foods. Your health will also suffer. And, another real danger is that you might not get started exercising again in January. Keep your workout schedule and meal plan as much as you can during the holidays.
3. You will gain holiday weight if you “graze too much” (eat too much at too many places). There are many parties, birthdays, get-togethers, food tasting events, etc. going on this time of year. You have to be careful or you will find yourself loading up on the calories. It does no good to burn 500 calories during a workout if you later eat 1,000 calories at different food events. If you have a caloric surplus (eat more calories than you burn), you will gain weight.
4. Some never really started exercising this year. Now would be a great time to start or you will gain even more weight. If I were in an "exercise rut" for months or even years, I would start exercising again by playing a sport like flag football. This would be easy for me to do and I would stay with it because I love playing sports.
What about you? What physical activity do you love? Are you in an "exercise rut?" Forget all the exercise theories and articles. Just get started with an exercise activity you love and do this activity for at least 30 minutes on most days. Before you know it, you will have started exercising regularly again (and loving it)!
5. Don’t lose track of your exercise buddy during the holidays. You and your exercise buddy will hold each other accountable during this period too. Everybody’s running around like crazy trying to buy things and get things done. Don't try to do your exercise program alone. Exercise and eating commitments are hard to keep all by yourself.
Research has proven that you are more likely to succeed with your weight loss and fat loss goals if you have a weight loss buddy (social support or accountability partner). Who are your weight loss buddies? It helps to have more than one because life's events are unpredictable.
May regular exercise help your holidays to be happy, healthy and relatively stress free!
Mark Dilworth, Certified Personal Trainer
Her Fitness Hut http://herfitnesshut.com