With the arrival of new year, we see optimism everywhere, and that is how we easily make excuses for all kinds of unhealthy food on our plate.
The sugary Christmas season is challenging for everyone! It gives us a rather hard time when it comes to saying no to the tempting delicious cakes and Christmas hams, puddings, apple pies… But is it possible to celebrate the holiday seasons without gaining extra weight? The extra weight which could actually linger much longer than you think? Here are some tips that may help you with this problem.
Learn to say NO
Of course, this is the main method that will keep you away from packing on the pounds. Obviously, you probably won’t say no to every tasty high-calorie meal you see, but learn to keep it moderate. Do you really need another biscuit? Don’t load your plate unnecessarily just because it’s holiday time and you’re cutting yourself some slack. Pick your favorite dessert and eat only the amount that will satisfy your needs. Train yourself to say it’s enough, rather than: Eh, what's one more cookie?
Stay keen on your workouts
Even though it may be hard to find time for treadmill or yoga class during holidays, don’t skip workouts. Exercising for only 15 minutes will help you with staying flexible and torching calories. So don’t limit your movement during holidays to raising your fork, but find time at least for 15 minutes of jumping rope! This will help you burn 190 calories.
Avoid overeating to reduce the stress
Even though it’s considered the most wonderful time of the year, with plenty of joy, happiness, and good mood, holidays can be rather stressful. If it’s up to you to cook, organize, plan Christmas dinner, New Year’s parties etc. the stress is unavoidable. When under stress, the human body produces high levels of the hormone called Cortisol, which is responsible for easier weight gain. Furthermore, when in stress we tend to eat more junk food, to “relieve the stress” and make the things even worse for our body. So forget about eating to reduce stress and focus on positive thoughts, exercising and meditation!
Don’t skip meals and eat slowly
Avoid skipping breakfast or lunch so you would save your appetite. This is a true nutritional malpractice which leads to excessive eating later on. Eat your daily breakfast rich in proteins, as this will keep you full longer and calm the urge for overeating later. Remember to eat and chew slowly because the slower we eat; the more time the body has to register fullness. It takes about 20 minutes for the brain to receive the message that it’s been fed, so hold on before grabbing seconds.
Cut back on the booze
Drinking alcohol adds calories to your nutrition. Furthermore, it may lead to losing our inhibitions around food, so we often start overeating irresponsibly. So, you should definitely think about controlling yourself around wine, eggnog, beer, and champagne…
Happy holidays!
Nessie L.B.