What you NEED to know to Indulge AND Stay Fit over the Holidays
The holiday season is here! For many of us, that means time spent with families, opening presents and eating tons of food. But not regular food, once a year decadent delicious dishes. If you’re like me, you look forward to this season all year. But, at the same time, you don’t want to gain weight.
I turned to the expert to get some tips on how to indulge over the holidays and stay fit. Jenia Thompson of Align by Jenia is a certified personal trainer and teaches her clients a balanced path to a healthier you. Here, she gives us some great advice on staying healthy over the holidays.
1) Make sure you’re clear on what weight gain is
When it comes to the eating aspect of the holidays, it is helpful to have a clear understanding of how you actually gain weight. I always say knowledge is power and a clear understanding will make you panic less. Remember healthy food or not, if it’s over the calories your body needs for the day, you body will store it as fat. So, don’t feel too bad about having those treats here and there. Just make sure to plan a little workout session the next day to burn off some of those additional calories consumed.
2) Don’t skip those workouts entirely, but switch to HIIT instead of long ones
During these times it’s probably easiest to mix in shorter, more intense workouts and pick exercises that move as many body parts as possible. Also try to do them in the mornings. You don’t want to have long gym sessions during the holidays because then you think it’s a chore, so get it out of the way early and push yourself for those 20 minutes!
3) Pick what you drink carefully and do it in moderation
As I always say I prefer to eat my calories than to drink them. If you know there will be lots of food to choose from, pick that drink wisely. There are approximately 125 calories in a glass of wine, so that’s a great choice. Or try a glass of prosecco or a vodka soda. Try to keep the alcohol and sugary drink consumption down to a minimum while you are celebrating the holidays.
4) Don’t restrict yourself to a crazy diet plan
A strict diet plan simply won’t work unless you decide to stay in your house and not go to a single function over the holidays. But, you should make a realistic goal to not overindulge and gorge on unhealthy foods. When you feel full STOP EATING. Don’t get up for seconds. You have to be realistic otherwise it turns into an all of nothing situation. Trying to restrict yourself from all the deliciousness or a diet of just salads over the holidays just won’t happen!
5) Get in your healthy meals and drink tons of water
Even if you are overdoing it slightly on those calories, at least make sure some of those calories are healthy ones. Be the person that brings a healthy dish to the party so that there are still servings of vegetables, proteins and good carbs available. Your body needs certain nutrients to function daily so don’t restrict yourself.
So those are our health tips for the holidays. Which one will you be sticking to?!
To learn about Align by Jenia, check out her Instagram here.