We all know that the holiday’s are upon us. Most people talk about the 10 pounds they will gain between Thanksgiving, and New Years……..GROSS!
Here are the best ways to prevent that from happening. It is not something that HAS to happen. It is something that you can control. Yes, I am a control freak, and yes, I love holiday food! One of the best laid plans for any time of year, is to pack your meals ahead of time. This way you will have healthy foods to rely on, and save your cheating times for something you really love, not every little sweet, and treat someone sets in front of you. I mean really, are all of those things your “favorite”? A little bit of self control, feels good, and goes a long way. The list of tips below, are things I do every day, not just before the holidays, so hope they help you out. After all, spring time, and emerging from your “bundled up wardrobe” is not really that far away.
Work out in the morning. If you start your day with an intense, but short, interval training session, you will prime your body to burn calories all day long. Once again, tons of data shows that high intensity training, can burn many more calories than a long boring cardio session.
Drink green tea, or take a green tea supplement up to 3 X daily. Again, there is a lot of research that shows that it has “belly fat” burning properties, not to mention cancer fighting properties.
Drink 2 full glasses of water BEFORE every meal. You will have a full feeling, before you hit the table.
Stop reinforcing negative behavior. Stop saying “I just can’t pass up chocolate” , or “I just can’t say no”. Replace those sayings with “I only need one bite to be satisfied”, or “I feel better about myself, If I save my cheats for the weekend”. It really does feel great to be in control of what your body looks, and feels like.
If you love cardio, do it in an interval fashion. Again, the old days of 45 minute cardio sessions are gone. Replace with intervals outside, or on your favorite machine. Go easy for 1 minute, then hard for 1 minute, do this for 20 minutes. Make the tough part really tough. This doesn’t take a lot of time, but has a lot of bang for the buck!
If you bake sweets, replace the fat (butter, or oil) with applesauce. Many recipes now tell you how to substitute this way, or go on line for great recipe exchanges. They really taste great, and no-one will know the difference. Cakes, and sweet breads are amazing.
Buy cookbooks that are meant for great tasting, healthy holiday cooking. Healthy eating is fun, feels great, and involves zero guilt!
Above all, have a happy, healthy, loving holiday. Share your love with friends and family. The holidays revolve around food because that is the way people relate to each other. Every year I give each person in my family a gift of health in one form or another. Stay tuned for holiday gift ideas that bring long life, energy, and happiness to your friends and family.