It’s the hardest time of year to not gain weight! The weather is getting colder, the days are getting shorter, and the holidays mean lots of delicious, high calorie foods. What is your favorite food to eat on Thanksgiving? Is it pumpkin pie? Is it ham? Maybe it’s a special sweet potato dish your mom makes that you just can’t resist.
Whatever it is, I want to give you some strategies that can help you stay focused on your goals and a sure fire way to not only prevent weight gain this holiday season but to even lose weight!
I won’t make you wait until the end to find out the surefire way to be dialed in this holiday season...It's to hire a Nutrition Coach! This is a simple strategy but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. You are still going to have to do work, However, it will be structured to move you towards YOUR goals. You will always have guidance, support, flexible systems, and accountability. Above all you will have tools moving forward that will allow you to attend any social gathering or special event with the confidence that you can enjoy good food, good drinks, and good times while staying healthy and lean.
If you want the surefire way then just click this link -HERE- and sign up for a FREE discovery call so we can discuss YOUR holiday calendar, YOUR wants, YOUR needs, and the most efficient way to achieve YOUR goals.
Now that you know the surefire way to achieve your goals this holiday season here are 5 things you can do to avoid the holiday weight gain.
Be N.E.A.T. by consciously moving throughout the day. N.E.A.T. is an acronym for non-exercise activity thermogenesis. I know a mouth full. It’s how much we move our body in everyday activities like when we talk, bouncing our leg when we sit, fidgeting in our chair, and generally moving around the house, office, yard, etc...You probably know the type of person that is always moving and seems like they can’t sit still, they have a high NEAT output. This is the second highest calorie demand in our daily lives behind our basal metabolic rate (what it takes to run our bodies 24 hours a day). It’s significantly higher than the calories required to exercise for 45 minutes to an hour and is often forgotten about but easy to tap into calorie burn. Bottom line, consciously move more during the holidays. This can mean getting up and moving every 30 minutes or it can mean several short walks 2-3 times a day. Just move and then move some more.
Stand Up: this builds off the previous strategy but instead of moving, just stand. ANYTHING that requires staying in place don’t sit, just stand instead. Not only will this help burn more calories by using the biggest muscles in your body (legs and booty), it will also maintain better posture, muscle balance, and flexibility. I have a sit to stand desk at work and make it a point to stand as much as possible for all of the above reasons.
Drink More Water: Increase the H2O for several reasons. Not only does our body require hydrogen and oxygen for basically every process, organ and cell, it makes them all run more efficiently. Even the most minimal amount of dehydration reduces the efficiency of every organ system, increases our blood pressure, and subconsciously makes you move less. Bottom line: start with drinking half your body weight in ounces of water everyday and increase that amount until you feel good and your pee is light yellow. If you exercise that day, nothing you drink during your workout counts towards your daily ounces of water.
Start A Training Plan: There is a big difference between training with structure, progressions of exercises, and designed rest days and simply exercising. If you just want to burn calories then exercise all you want, walk, run, pick 5 random machines to work on in the gym, etc.. BUT if you want to systematically build muscle, lose fat, improve your flexibility, endurance, and overall athleticism then you need a training plan designed by a professional. Oh I should add that a good training plan will save you time through efficiency of what to do, when to do it and when to rest as well as prevent injury and always keep you progressing instead of spending countless hours on the elliptical or treadmill. Bottom line: work with a professional to find out exactly what you need to do in order to achieve your goals effectively and efficiently. If you want a program that dials in your nutrition and gives you a tailored training plan sign up for a discovery call so you can find out more info about our VIP service.
Go Public: Nowadays this is as easy as social media. Make an IG post about how you are starting a holiday get healthy program. Then follow it up with stories 3-4 times a week detailing your progress. Give lots of details on what you are doing, how you are feeling and why this is important to you. Public accountability is a very powerful motivator. Most of us don’t have trouble letting ourselves down. It’s easier to say you are going to do something and when it gets hard you justify why you can’t/won’t do it but when other people get involved we have a deeper drive to succeed. We don’t want to let them down and get the questions in the future, that’s using the power of public accountability to your advantage. Bottom line: Get a plan, figure out what behaviors you need to start doing in order to succeed, make it public through social media, telling people in person, and then give people updates on how you are progressing. Be motivating to other people and transform yourself at the same time.
The holidays are upon us and enjoying them as you stay healthy and happy is paramount to living a long healthy life. You shouldn’t have to avoid family get-togethers and dread all the desserts you're going to be around. You just have to be prepared and live a lifestyle that supports your goals and who you want to be. Follow us through the holidays because we will have more tips, self paced worksheets, recipes and videos that will help you have the healthiest and most successful holidays ever!
Live Well, Live Smart
~Coach Brant