Avoiding the Typical Holiday Weight Gain

We all know the Holiday season (Thanksgiving to New Year's) can be THE time to "relax" with respect to our exercise routine and watching our caloric intake because we become so busy, attending parties, traveling etc.

Being aware of some of your triggers for the events I mentioned is a big part of winning the battle of the bulge. I had an earlier blog post that talked about a study that showed the average person will consume 619 calories a day during this Holiday season which figures out to about a 7 pound weight gain! If you got off on the wrong foot yesterday with Thanksgiving there is always today to get in some additional exercise and re-focus. The average person can consume about 4500 calories and more than 200 grams of fat (that is 1800 calories from fat alone) over the course of a typical Thanksgiving day!
ollowing if you feel like your of course a bit too much eating:

• Increase the volume of your daily exercise (both strength and cardio).
• If you have a pedometer start wearing it again and work on increasing your daily steps over the course of the next 40 days.
• Watch your calories from soda, alcohol etc - try to add a glass of water in between drinks - if possible, avoid alcohol. The average person consumes close to an additional 500 calories a day through drinking soda, alcohol etc.
• Avoid late night eating - even better - STOP eating after dinner!!!

This Holiday season try something that is different and will work if you follow commit to it. Think of exercise as a way to prevent weight gain (not to lose weight) and if your looking to lose weight, the key for you will be increasing your activity level above and beyond your exercise sessions in conjunction with tightening up on your intake, especially after dinner!