Do you know how much weight you can expect to gain after this holiday season? Unfortunately, the answer is roughly two to four pounds per person. However, you can fully enjoy your feast and family if you know how to stay fit and healthy during food-focused holidays.
Yes, you can have your apple pie and eat it too when you stay fit with these fitness tips. So, continue reading to learn the tricks for staying fit during the king of all glutinous holidays, Thanksgiving.
Start the Day Right with a Healthy Breakfast
This may seem counterintuitive for those concerned with calories in and calories out but eating a nutritious breakfast in the morning may help prevent you from making bad choices at dinnertime. A hearty, fibrous breakfast like oatmeal is the ideal way to start your day because it will keep you feeling satiated for hours. The complex carbs in a bowl of oats will also prevent your glucose levels from dropping too quickly, which staves off hunger pangs.
Then, when it’s time to dig into the turkey and dressing, you won’t binge eat because you won’t be starving.
Get Some Fitness In
This most joyous time of the year can also be a time of high stress, and if you’re like most people, stress may lead to hibernation and over-eating. So, while staying fit with some exercise during the holiday season is the perfect way to maintain physical health, it’s also an excellent stress reliever.
Yoga and Pilates are examples of workouts that you can do from anywhere. After dinner, if stretching seems impossible, go for a brisk walk with the whole family.
Pro Tip: Pack Travel-Easy Fitness Equipment
Do you know how professional athletes maintain a daily routine to stay fit while on the road? They bring along easy-to-pack training gear. Some popular items are resistance bands or foam rollers. Both can fit in a backpack and can be incorporated into a complete fitness routine that’s sure to get your heart rate up and those muscles sore.
Help Your Host
This is an easy one, and this tip does double work: you’ll ease a burden off of your busy host, and you’ll ensure there is something diet-friendly on the table for all to enjoy. A few weeks before the big holiday, reach out to your host and ask if you can bring a side dish. Then, bring your riff on a family favorite. Perhaps you can make a low-fat green bean casserole or a tray of maple sriracha brussels sprouts; the choice is up to you!
Staying Fit All Year Round
Staying fit during the holidays is one step towards maintaining optimum physical health throughout the year. Having access to a home gym or professional training makes reaching those health goals becomes much more manageable.
Balance Fitness has strived to foster healthy relationships with fitness and our clients through training and fitness facility development for over twenty years. Contact us today to talk with a fitness consultant about your goals.
