Holidays are busy! Balancing work and family obligations with a side of party planning plus gift shopping is challenging but it’s not the time to skip the gym and meal prep! Healthy living is not a diet plan it’s a lifestyle. There’s no need to kick goals to the curb just because you have another more party to attend, and Gramma wants you to have one more cookie!
Balance family time with self-love and mush needed stress-busting workouts. If the class schedule isn’t jiving with holiday obligations, fit in classes when you can but make a HUGE effort to attend. Exercise helps release happy hormones and during the holidays, even managing to fit one workout in can power-up the mood! The awesome coaches at SYDFIT are motivators, cheerleaders and focus on correct form so missing the “me-time” is tough on students and fighters.
Find a quiet corner in the house or garage and SKIP! Need support? Slip a skipping rope into a loved one’s stocking and ta-da, team work. Set a timer and brush up on shadow boxing and go for the win, max out plank and pushups. Take a walk for some family fitness and add a few walking lunges. See a bench? Dips and step-ups are super to maintain strength.
Holidays can be tempting. It’s hard to not overindulge with a bounty of bowls overloaded with snacking sensations, dreamy dips, deep fried appetizers, the endless in-home buffet and grandma’s beloved desserts. Don’t go starving to any gathering, it’s a recipe for overeating. It takes 20 minutes from the first bite until your brain sends a message to brain telling you fullness fulfilled. On the way over have a glass or two of water to promote fullness and offset the sodium. If you are focused on weight-loss or weight-management, focus on the raw vegetables and ditch the dips! Most dips are milk based and the calories are sky-high. Skip the cute fried appetizers and opt for shrimp cocktail. Say yes to the fruit and no to the deli meat and tiny cubes of cheese. A one-by-one inch cube is a serving of cheese so it’s a snap to overdo. Focus on lean protein, vegetables and go easy on the mashed potatoes, gravy and stuffing. Being social can often encourage alcohol, so avoid pop and syrupy add-ins. They equal sugar and calories plus dehydration and inflammation throughout the body.
Not everyone is trying to lose weight. It’s just as tough to gain but it’s not a license to chow down everything you see. Remember your health and the ultimate goal of gaining muscle not fat! Eat green and clean whatever the desired weight!
It is true that it takes 3500 calories to gain a pound of fat. If you train insane and suddenly sit or you increase your caloric intake or a find yourself doing a combination of the two, you may enter 2023 with snug pants and feeling sluggish.
Thank goodness, SYDFIT and the team of experts are here to help you with all your NEW YEAR’S GOALS!
Contact our Team today to start your New Year with a plan for success.
Blog contribution by Mercedes Gold – Holistic Nutritionist, CNP, CPT
