Holiday Health Tips
Danica Collins – Managing Editor, Underground Health Reporter ™
Thanksgiving Day rings in the holiday season, and if it’s not set to the right tune, it can lead to a good six weeks of sloth, gluttony, and weight gain. Recent studies have revealed that exercise doesn’t prevent holiday weight gain as much as promised. Rather than holding onto an outmoded calories in/calories out equation that has you tracking calories eaten and calories burned, try implementing the following Holiday health tips.
Focus on Fitness
Keep on track with your fitness program during the holiday season. No need to go crazy and exercise for two hours a day to offset any extra food consumption.
If you haven’t yet established a consistent movement routine, then don’t procrastinate with the excuse, “I’ll start exercising on January 1st.” After all, according to University of Scranton research only 8% of people stick with their New Year’s goals! So, get moving!
If you’re resistant to conventional forms of exercise, such as cardio classes at the gym that leave you gasping for breath, then engage in gentler forms of movement. Start walking and hiking, try a Pilates or yoga class—finding a form of movement that you enjoy is the key to sticking with it!
Thank Your Body
Christmas is a day of celebration, but for many it comes with a heady dose of stress and anxiety. Perhaps you’re the cook slaving away in the kitchen all day, or you are anxious about eating too much, not trusting in your self-control. So start the day by thanking your body. Instead of focusing on what it does wrong—creaky joints, a belly that won’t budge, arthritis aching in your fingers—thank it for what it does right…there is always something to be grateful for!
Keep thanking it throughout the day by giving it movement. Take a walk in the morning, and be sure to take a post-meal walk to rev up digestion and keep your metabolism in motion. In between the Christmas parade and meal, dart into the gym for some metabolic conditioning, or get the whole family moving with a game of flag football in the backyard. And don’t shy away from chores. Be the first to volunteer as dishwasher. You’d be surprised how many calories cleaning up can burn. If all else fails and movement during the day is on the slow side, then turn on some music and start a dance party!
Go Ahead…Eat!
Christmas is not the time to restrict your diet. Doing so could lead to binge eating; not to mention, there is just no need for such sacrifice! It’s all about policing portions and eating what you want, but in moderation.
Start the day off with breakfast. Fasting for breakfast in the name of binging later isn’t healthy. Don’t splurge on a breakfast of pancakes and French toast, but eat a light, clean, refreshing meal, like eggs, a side of strawberries, and a cup of black or green tea. Stay hydrated during the day to curb hunger pangs and overeating.
Go easy on the alcohol, which is full of “first to burn” calories that promote fat storage and holiday weight gain.
Eat your calories instead of drinking them! Click to Tweet.
By all means, enjoy the appetizers, but planning in advance how many appetizers your stomach truly has room for can help you portion control easier. To help with portion control for the main course, fill up a smaller plate. Chew slowly and savor each bite. Don’t wolf down your meal, but engage others in conversation and make it last. Wait at least 20 minutes before reaching for seconds to make sure that you’re truly hungry. Chances are, you’re satiated. Rather than going for seconds, how about leaving room for dessert?
Allow yourself that slice of apple pie. And if you need to taste test all the desserts, then take a very small amount of each. In those tempting moments that have you reaching for yet another slice of pie, just remind yourself—that’s what leftovers are for. You don’t have to eat everything on Christmas…you can enjoy the meal throughout the week. A wonderful blessing to be thankful for!
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Danica Collins is a natural health specialist and the managing editor of the Underground Health Reporter. She is also the spokesperson for Think-Outside-the-Book Publishing, the publisher of The One-Minute Cure: The Secret to Healing Virtually All Diseases, which reveals the scientifically proven therapy that creates a condition in the body that is uninhabitable by disease. Danica reports daily to over 250,000 readers, bringing them the most popular health news on the market, new cutting-edge, anti-aging technologies, and some of the best-kept health secrets in the world. www.UndergroundHealthReporter.com
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