Holiday Survival Tips

We are approaching the holiday season once again, for many this time of year is full of enjoyment, family get togethers, parties, and holiday shopping.

All of which can make sticking with a fitness plan challenging, to say the least.

That’s why we have put these “Holiday Survival Tips” together for you. If you’ve been getting to the gym regularly and made some progress, the goal is to maintain this progress over these next five to six week. If you’ve been thinking about starting this whole fitness thing, now is still a great time instead of waiting until January 1^st.

So here are the tips…

Set a workout goal.How many times do you plan to hit the between Thanksgiving and New Years? We recommend two times per week. This will ensure you maintain your progress, or get you a great start to really focus in January. So that means you need to plan on twelve workouts over the next six weeks. Some weeks maybe three, others may be one, but the goal is twelve. Anymore is a bonus!

Go Easy On The Booze.With 2 or 3 Christmas parties a week it is very easy to pack on a few additional pounds from alcohol alone in a month. Not to mention all the junk food you will crave next day due to your hangover. This doesn’t mean you have to be a “Tea Totaller” because after all that’s not fun. But, there are a few things you can do to cut down your consumption

• Set a weekly drink goal. We’ve found that 4-6 drinks a week work well for most.
• Eat before you have your first drink. (Salad does not count as eating before you drink BTW.) Protein and something a little higher in fat content are the best choices.
• Drink one glass of water between each drink. This will slow you down.
• Order your drinks straight up on the rocks. This will prevent you from consuming the extra sugar calories from the mixers.
• Drink what you enjoy. The difference between beer, hard liquor, and wine is minimal and if you’re going to drink, drink what you enjoy.
• Offer to be the DD.

Get 7-8 Hours Of Sleep Each Night. If you aren’t getting this amount your body is not functioning optimally.

 Eat Before You Hit The Party. If your stomach is full when you get to the party you will be less tempted to eat all of the junk food that is there.  

 Eat What You Want. No, not everyday. But on Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, and a party of two eat what you want. If there is a certain dish, appetizers, or dessert you love, go for it. If you are reasonable with your food choices the other times you’ll be fine. It’s never the occasional indulgences, it when the indulgences are a daily lifestyle that it becomes a problem.

Workout Effectively.Time is an issue more than ever during the holidays so you need to get the most bang for your buck when working out. Research has shown that over a 12-week period weight training resulted in 6 pounds more fat loss that aerobic training. So hit the weights for 30-45 minutes two times a week and you’ll be leaner by New Year’s.

Relax. Enjoy this time of year and stop stressing about everything you have to do. No one cares if the presents aren’t wrapped perfectly, or if your house is decorated just so. No people really just care about being around the ones they enjoy and love. So slow down, stop stressing, and enjoy this time of year. Daily meditation for 1-10 minutes can help, but so can watching 30-minutes of Christmas movies of Freeform each night, reading a book, sitting by the fireplace, or how about just enjoying how pretty your house looks decorated and being grateful for how much you have.

 Put these tips into place and you’ll be ready to get back to your regular routine come January 1^stwithout having to make up for lost ground.