Will you put weight on this holiday season?
December 20, 2022
Here is a crazy thing to consider. The holiday period can represent roughly half of a person’s annual weight gain. Say a person gains 4kg in a year; 2 kg of this is likely to be gained between December and January.
That stat alone points out there is a strong possibility of weight gain for many of us over the Holiday period.
Our environment, family, and social circles make it very hard to stick to a healthy diet.
First up, leading up to Christmas, we have workplace parties, social parties, and the get-together with friends. And all of these normally feature food and alcohol. (A perfect storm for weight gain)
Secondly, we get to Christmas Day, which involves the holiday meals (possibly multiple meals with different families and friends), which is a feast of food and drinks.
Thirdly, we then have the New Years’ celebrations, which, as you guessed, involves loads of drinks and food again.
On top of this abundance of calories, we may consume, we normally stop many of our daily routines. We may stop exercising, completing physical work, and being less active than in general.
Overall the equation looks like we eat more, party more, and move less.
As you can see, it isn’t surprising that weight gain is common during the holiday season.
It doesn’t have to be this way; with some planning, daily actions, and routines, we can get through this period without gaining weight or gaining very little weight.
And we can do it while still enjoying ourselves and the company of others.
The goal is to enjoy the holiday season with a few strategies in place to maintain our health and fitness.
We’d suggest the following strategies for our clients over the holiday season:
1. Think about what will bring you joy (and not stress) over the holidays. Plan to do the things you enjoy as much as possible. Holidays are about unwinding and enjoyment.
2. Feed your body, not your stress. If you eat the dessert or have a few drinks, don’t stress over it. One bad meal doesn’t make you gain weight. Weight gain is the compound effect of bad choices over time.
3. Plan your break-out days. Allow yourself time to savour the moments with friends and family. Plan 3-4 days over the holiday period to allow yourself to eat and drink without restriction. (Do drink responsibly, though)
4. Think about the choices you make. While we suggested allowing break-out days, it is important that on all the other days, you aim to make the right choices and implement your normal behaviour around your diet. Things like drinking plenty of water, eating protein at every meal, eating unprocessed foods, and eating slowly and only till 80 percent full. All the behaviours we encourage throughout the year.
5. Continue to exercise. It is easy to stop exercising during the holidays. Build strategies to keep up your fitness during this time. It may look different than usual, but it is still important. Plan walks each day, or organise to take a friend to the gym to train with. The benefits of exercise for well-being and fat loss are too great to ignore. And if you choose to ignore lifting and moving, you’ll put on weight easier and find it much harder to get back into exercising in the New Year.
The more strategies you plan to implement, the less likely it is you will gain weight over the Holiday season. You can still enjoy time with family and friends, enjoy food, and be healthy and fit.
Happy Holidays everyone.
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Will you put weight on this holiday season?
December 20, 2022
Here is a crazy thing to consider. The holiday period can represent roughly half of a person’s annual weight gain. Say a person gains 4kg in a year; 2 kg of this is likely to be gained between December and January.
That stat alone points out there is a strong possibility of weight gain for many of us over the Holiday period.
Our environment, family, and social circles make it very hard to stick to a healthy diet.
First up, leading up to Christmas, we have workplace parties, social parties, and the get-together with friends. And all of these normally feature food and alcohol. (A perfect storm for weight gain)
Secondly, we get to Christmas Day, which involves the holiday meals (possibly multiple meals with different families and friends), which is a feast of food and drinks.
Thirdly, we then have the New Years’ celebrations, which, as you guessed, involves loads of drinks and food again.
On top of this abundance of calories, we may consume, we normally stop many of our daily routines. We may stop exercising, completing physical work, and being less active than in general.
Overall the equation looks like we eat more, party more, and move less.
As you can see, it isn’t surprising that weight gain is common during the holiday season.
It doesn’t have to be this way; with some planning, daily actions, and routines, we can get through this period without gaining weight or gaining very little weight.
And we can do it while still enjoying ourselves and the company of others.
The goal is to enjoy the holiday season with a few strategies in place to maintain our health and fitness.
We’d suggest the following strategies for our clients over the holiday season:
1. Think about what will bring you joy (and not stress) over the holidays. Plan to do the things you enjoy as much as possible. Holidays are about unwinding and enjoyment.
2. Feed your body, not your stress. If you eat the dessert or have a few drinks, don’t stress over it. One bad meal doesn’t make you gain weight. Weight gain is the compound effect of bad choices over time.
3. Plan your break-out days. Allow yourself time to savour the moments with friends and family. Plan 3-4 days over the holiday period to allow yourself to eat and drink without restriction. (Do drink responsibly, though)
4. Think about the choices you make. While we suggested allowing break-out days, it is important that on all the other days, you aim to make the right choices and implement your normal behaviour around your diet. Things like drinking plenty of water, eating protein at every meal, eating unprocessed foods, and eating slowly and only till 80 percent full. All the behaviours we encourage throughout the year.
5. Continue to exercise. It is easy to stop exercising during the holidays. Build strategies to keep up your fitness during this time. It may look different than usual, but it is still important. Plan walks each day, or organise to take a friend to the gym to train with. The benefits of exercise for well-being and fat loss are too great to ignore. And if you choose to ignore lifting and moving, you’ll put on weight easier and find it much harder to get back into exercising in the New Year.
The more strategies you plan to implement, the less likely it is you will gain weight over the Holiday season. You can still enjoy time with family and friends, enjoy food, and be healthy and fit.
Happy Holidays everyone.
