5 Tips to Avoid Holiday Weight Gain

We all want to indulge in the holiday cookies, cakes, and other sweets during the holidays. But, we don’t want to deal with the weight gain that comes with over-celebrating with food. You really can avoid holiday weight gain this season. Just follow these simple tips to keep that number on the scale in check.

Control sweet cravings

Instead of saying no to everything, try to control your sweet tooth in other ways. For example, you can save hundreds of calories by savoring one piece of hard candy rather than a piece of cake. Candy canes are great for this. Just don’t go overboard with too much sugar.

Keep hydrated

Hunger cravings often hit even when you are just thirsty. Keep up your fluids to help your stomach feel full. If drinking does not give you the same sense of satisfaction as eating, pick foods that are high in water content like fruits and veggies. 

Schedule Your Workouts

This is something I have already done for the week. Between now and New Years, identify at least three to four 40-minute time slots and mark them on your calendar. If 40 is too much time, then mark at least five or six 20-minute slots.

The holiday season tends to be the easiest to let exercise slide. If you can, get your exercise first thing in the morning so that it is done for the day before you get caught up with work, errands, etc.

Add Resistance

The more resistance that you incorporate into your routine translates to more calories burned. Some ideas for adding resistance include: using hand weights, resistance bands, or even using your body as weight in exercises like push-ups, squats, etc.

Use Intervals

Interval training is an amazing tool for creating short yet effective workouts. Don’t worry, it’s not complicated. Interval training is simply alternating between different short bursts of activity. 

Here’s an example: Let’s say you want to focus on your legs and abs and also get an effective cardio workout. Here is a sample interval routine for these goals:

1. Lunge while curling dumbbells, 15-20 reps
2. 60 seconds of cardio: jog in place, jump rope, or jumping jacks
3. Squat while pressing dumbbells overhead, 15-20 reps
4. 60 seconds of cardio: jog in place, jump rope, or jumping jacks
5. Crunches on an exercise ball, 15-20 reps
6. 60 seconds of cardio: jog in place, jump rope, or jumping jacks
7. Hold Plank 30-60 seconds