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Your Strategies to Enjoy the Holidays and Still Maintain Your Fitness Goals

Halloween is over and the holidays are just around the corner. You're enjoying the cooler weather, wearing your favorite sweater, and making plans with family and friends. The next two months are a time of joy and a time of stress. The joy is time spent with loved ones. The stress usually comes from those same loved ones and the many holiday events that fill up your calendar. 

The next two months can also spell doom for your health and fitness. Soon you'll be scrolling your preferred form of social media and read about the inevitable holiday weight gain as you sip your third pumpkin spice latte this week. Don't let the holidays derail your health and fitness goals!

Let me be clear, this is not a post that's going to tell you to abstain from any and all of the holiday treats that will be offered to you. I'm not the grinch. This is a post to help you understand the problem and provide basic strategies to enjoy the holidays without sabotaging all the progress you've made or will make next year. Don't wait until after the new year. Use these strategies now!

How much weight will I gain?

A common myth is that people gain an average of 5lbs from mid-November to the new year. In reality, multiple studies have shown that it's more likely to be 1-2lbs. The problem is that most people fail to lose that weight the next year. Over several years that can be 5-10lbs of weight added to your frame.

It's not just Thanksgiving and Christmas

People often obsess about Thanksgiving and Christmas day celebrations. We go into those days very aware that there will be plenty of turkey, gravy, stuffing, butter, and second helpings of dessert. Over eating one day a month is not going to make you fat. The real problem is the days in between. The days when someone brings holiday cookies to work, your kind neighbor drops off fresh baked goods, or the holiday work party is serving egg nog made with full cream.

Your Strategies

Have a Plan - The holidays come the same time every year, so none of this should be a surprise. You probably already know who is having a party, whose house you're going to for dinner, and what movies you'll be watching in your pajamas Christmas day. Plan around the known events.

Eat breakfast and continue to eat well up until the event, get a workout in before you go, and practice healthy eating habits. Use a smaller plate, start with vegetables and lean protein, eat slowly and chew completely, and drink water. Think about your top five favorite sweets and only have a portion of one for dessert. It's okay to say "no" to second servings.

Track What You Eat - I recommend to all my clients, and anyone who cares to ask about nutrition, that they track what they eat (Except on Thanksgiving and Christmas). Once you do this you'll usually be amazed at what you are actually taking in on a daily basis. An app like MyFitnessPal is great for this. Remember that it's about consistency, not perfection. 

A cookie or two a week is fine, but 2-3 cookies a day add up. Here's some math. 1 cookie = 150cal. 150cal x 7 days = 1050cal extra a week. 1050cal x 4 weeks month = 4200cal. A pound of fat is 3500cal. Tracking what you eat helps a day from becoming weeks of over eating. 

Stay Active (or Get Active) - The holidays can be a busy time. You may not be able to get in your full workout routine, and that's fine. Focus on what you can do, not what you can't. Try to get at least 30-minutes of activity in a day. Workout in the morning before everyone else is competing for your time. Workout at home if you can't make it to the gym. 

Find a friend and hold each other accountable by working out together. Join a challenge. Join the gym. Hire a trainer. It may help you find your tribe; the people who you can build a relationship with to stay motivated and live an active healthy life. 

Conclusion

The holidays are a combination of joy and stress. Don't let the stress of holiday weight gain take away from the joy. Finally, if you're not yet a member of a gym yet, I recommend Iron-bound Gym if you're in Williamsburg, VA where you can get a free one week pass. 

If you're new to fitness, I am offering two free weeks of online training. I'll also be setting up a 30-day fitness challenge starting November 28th. Follow me on Facebook and Instagram, or look for information on the Iron-bound Gym pages.

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Location: Williamsburg, VA, USA

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