1. FILL UP ON MORE SENSIBLE FOODS Foods that are high in fiber or water fill you up quickly and help keep you from overindulging on the "bad" stuff. Take an extra scoop of vegetables and fruit when filling your plate, and by the time you finish, you won't have room for the other foods which are higher in calories and more likely to cause you to gain weight.
2. EAT SMALLER PORTIONS No doubt, everything at the table looks good, and it's all you can do to keep from filling your plate 2-3 times so that you can sample everything. An easy way to combat this urge is to simply take a smaller portion than you normally would of those dishes you're most interested in, especially belt-bursting desserts. Split a piece of pie or cake with your spouse, child, or another family member who may be watching his or her waistline.
3. DRINK AROUND, DURING, AND BETWEEN MEALS Drink a fair amount of water or other unsweetened beverage before each meal, as well as during and between them. The liquid in your stomach will help trick your mind into not feeling as hungry, which reduces the tendency to gorge yourself on potentially fattening foods.
4. POSITION YOURSELF AWAY FROM THE SNACKS If you take a seat within an arm's reach of the snack table, you're going to have a tough time keeping yourself from unconsciously grabbing handfuls of party mix, candies, and the like and picking at them all day. By sitting on the other side of the room, getting to the snacks involves a conscious effort into getting up and walking over to get at the snacks.
5. TAKE AN EXERCISE BREAK If the weather permits it, go out and take a quick walk around the house or block. If your celebration is taking place in a colder climate, you'll be more inspired to quicken your pace and burn a few extra calories in the process. If the weather is bad, do 10-20 squats, stretches, or other brief exercise each time you go to the restroom. You only want to do just enough to elevate your heart rate, but not break out into a sweat. Chances are, no one will know what you're doing, and you won't have to feel self-conscious about trying to maintain your figure.
Finally, if you still manage to put on a few extra pounds, don't stress over it. If you've been following a sensible diet and exercise plan, the chances are good that any weight you do gain is going to come off shortly after the holidays are over.
Here is the 5 sure fire ways to help you prevent weight gain before the New Year. This is the busiest period where everybody gets really busy with the Christmas preparation and easily the time many people would fall off the wagon and start gaining weight. People are trading in their workout commitment for more time for Christmas errands and events. Don't let that be you. Why? It is a huge mistake to risk losing the lean muscle mass and strength that you have worked so hard to gain. Your resting metabolism rate accounts for 60-75% of your total daily calorie intake and losing lean muscle mass will actually lower your resting metabolism rate which in turn will cause your body to burn less and less calories day by day. This means that you will be at a greater risk of easily gaining excess weight on your body. Plus, losing the strength will mean your performance will be sub par the next time when you get back to work out and you will find it a lot harder to gain your strength back than to lose it! So should you resign yourself to eminent weight gain that seems to affect everyone? Not really because there are smart and effective ways, both from exercise and daily activities, to help you maintain and stay in tip top shape during the Christmas holidays. Just follow the simple strategies below to prevent the dreadful holiday bloat!
1) Accumulate your workout throughout the day
The number one excuse most people have is not having enough time to do exercise. Often times, people will say they don't even have 20 minutes for exercise. Well no more! When it comes to expending calories, your body cannot recognize difference between 100 squats done in a row or 100 squats done in a day. I'm sure you can get quite a few free moments throughout the day like waiting between the time after you put in the turkey into the oven and taking it out. You will be surprised how many free moments you have in a day that you can sneak in something like 10 squats, 10 burpees, 10 pushups and 10 rows. Using these method throughout the day will lead to big numbers and results in more calorie burning and lean muscle building effects. Have a target! Go for 100 squats, 100 pushups and 100 burpees or something else.
2) Do multi-joint compound movement exercises
Forget about doing all your time-wasting biceps curls, triceps extensions/French curls or shoulder lateral raises. They are termed singled-joint movement exercises because the movement occurs in only one joint. The problem with single-joint exercises is that it would be very time consuming to perform all the single-joint exercises required to get a whole body workout.
3) Perform at least a intense strength training workout once a week
Studies show that one intense strength workout a week is enough to help maintain your current strength and lean muscle mass. For maximum fat burning effects, perform three full body strength training sessions per week and three cardio interval training sessions on non strength-training days.
4) Be on your feet most of the time Stop using all the machines that has made us all incredibly all of shape and overweight. You should still drive to the shopping malls and do your Christmas shopping. But you can certainly find opportunities to burn more calories by parking your car further away from the shopping malls, forgoing the escalators or lifts and walk more on your feet. And carry your own shopping bags for more calories consumption!
5) Engage in more outdoor holiday activities
If you're in the hot summer of Australia, and heading to the beach for some social outing during the Christmas holidays, don't just lie around and drink your booze. Have some fun by bringing a football or volleyball and played some games or just get into the water and have a swim. Talk about burning awesome amount of calories without thinking about it! Or if you're in the cold winter in the northern hemisphere, get into some fun-filled moment snow fight with your friends!
Both Nicky Pilkington & Tc Lee are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.