Keeping Fit During the Holidays?

Ho Ho Ho….. Oh, the holiday season. It’s good spending time with family and friends but all of the festivities and wonderful food can make healthy eating a challenge. We tend to put on half of our annual weight gain between Thanksgiving and New Year’s.  In fact, the average American typically gains between one and five pounds during these months. Though it’s only a few pounds, if it happens year after year, it can add up. The holidays are a time for spending much needed fellowship with our friends and family and It often happens that when hosting a holiday get together that you spend more time getting the feast on the table and cleaning up than actually spending  with your loved ones. Isn’t this the whole reason you hosted Christmas anyway, right?

The holidays are synonymous with an abundance of rich foods and overindulgence. During this time, most health-conscious people strive to maintain their weight because dieting is practically impossible. No one really wants to think about dieting during the holiday season, but there are ways to avoid gaining weight during this time. Here are some tips to help you avoid gaining weight during the holidays.

Try working out early in the morning, before you're interrupted for the day. If you have houseguests, invite them to join you on your daily run or trip to the gym. Have a backup plan, so that in case you miss your usual exercise class, you take a bike ride or do an exercise video instead. Turn a leisurely cruise around the mall into a power-walk and you reap the same fitness benefits you would out on a hiking trail. Hit stores at off hours to avoid crowds. And don't forget to take the stairs and park in the far end of the lot (unless of course it is freezing outside!) Those extra steps add up too. How about walking a lap around the parking lot before you go home? Extra points if you're carrying heavy bags!

For most families, life turns even crazier than usual during November and December, as we squeeze in extra entertaining, baking, shopping, errands, concerts, and parties into our already busy schedules. Combine that with all the tempting treats that accompany so many seasonal traditions and it soon begins to show! It's essential to find ways to fit in some family holiday fitness, and I promise there are ways to do it that won't make you want to say Bah! Humbug!

Don't miss these excellent advice articles from About.com Guides:

·         From Exercise: Quick Tips – How to Stay Active and Exercise During the Holidays

·         From Walking: 10 Tips for Finding Time to Walk

·         From Weight Training: How Not to Get as Fat as Santa Over Christmas

·         From Weight Loss: 5 Ways to Avoid Holiday Weight Gain

·         From Low-Fat Cooking: Top 7 Lowfat Christmas Cookies

·         From Walking: Thanksgiving Calorie Calculator and Christmas Calorie Calculator

Leslie Escalante, PA-C is a National Board Certified Physician Assistant and owner of Balanced Health & Beauty LLC

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