The holiday season is a great time to enjoy delicious food and gather with family and friends. However, if you’re not careful, you can gain a significant amount of weight. Here are some tips shared by sports nutritionist Jess Hillard and trainer Sam Gregory to help you avoid weight gain during the holiday season.
1 Exercise
Exercise is the best way to burn calories and stay in shape. Jess, a nutritionist in New York, says: “The key to exercise is to maintain it daily, helping to burn the extra calories consumed during the holiday period.”
Exercise is the best way to burn calories and stay in shape
In addition, Jess also suggests that: “You don’t necessarily have to do high-intensity workouts, you can do gentle exercises.” And gives suggestions for suitable exercises “Walking for 15 minutes is beneficial. Walking a short distance is better than not walking at all”.
You can incorporate exercise into your daily activities like cooking or taking a walk with your family and enjoy the fresh air.
Furthermore, Sam also has some tips and exercise suggestions like: Doing cardio in the morning on an empty stomach helps burn excess fat better or “participating in HIIT classes, which can burn about 800 calories in a short period of time”.
2 Choose Healthy Foods
Choose Healthy Foods
During the holiday season, people tend to consume too much high-calorie, sugary, fatty, salty foods… which is one of the main causes of weight gain.
However, this doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy your favorite foods, to avoid wasting your workouts and maintaining your weight, you need to choose your food carefully.
According to Sam, you should eat more and opt for healthy foods that are high in nutrients but low in sugar. Limit fried and sweet foods, soft drinks, alcohol…
3 Eat Mindfully
Eat Mindfully
Eating mindfully is an important factor in weight control. When eating, you should eat slower and recognize when you’re full, instead of making yourself uncomfortable by overeating.
According to Jess, listen to your body, eat when you’re truly hungry and stop when you feel about 80% full. You should also drink plenty of water, especially before and after meals, to help cleanse your body and reduce cravings.
In addition, Sam also advises people to keep a festive spirit. He believes that eating and having fun should proceed as normal.
“You shouldn’t worry, instead, give yourself a break, dance, laugh more, and enjoy the happiness you deserve. There must be a reason why it’s called the holiday season,” Sam said.
With the above tips that we shared, we hope you can enjoy your food without worrying about weight gain during the holiday season.
