The holiday season is officially in full effect. Exciting, right? Nothing screams “fun” quite like the holidays, but do you know what’s not fun? The ‘festive 15’. For those of you who may not know, the festive 15 is very similar to the freshman 15. While the freshman 15 refers to the 15 pounds you gain during your first year in college, the festive 15 refers to the extra weight you put on every holiday season (which adds up over the years by the way!). Sound familiar? Check out these five simple ways you can steer clear of those extra pounds this year.
1. Weigh yourself more often.
We’re not saying that you should become obsessed with weighing yourself all the time. But, if you notice that you tend to pack on the pounds during the holiday season, then it might not be such a bad idea to step on the scale once a day (in the morning before you eat) so that you can stay on track versus waking up on the first day of the New Year and realizing that you’ve gained nearly 20 pounds.
2. Don’t completely swear off desserts.
Let’s be real: It’s not a holiday if don’t have any desserts. Peach cobbler, sweet potato pie, apple pie, key lime pie – don’t you just want to eat them all? The key, though, is moderation. Yes, we hear this all the time, but that’s because it actually works! Instead of sampling each dessert on the table, stick with one. If you’re really disciplined, then you could try eating a half slice of pie or cake and saving the other half for the following day.
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3. Step up your workout game.
If you usually do 30 minutes of cardio a day, why not add on another 10 minutes? Sneaking in a few minutes here and there could help balance out those extra calories you consume around the holidays. And here’s another tip: Working out in the morning has proven to be the most effective, according to a 2012 study published by the journal of Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise.
4. Send your guests away with leftovers.
No matter how hard we try, we always end up cooking way more food than we need around the holidays. The problem, however, isn’t the one day we eat that huge holiday dinner. Continuing to eat the same meal for three or four days in a row? Now that’s a problem. To avoid pigging out on leftovers, send your guests off with food-filled containers. They’ll love you and so will your waistline.
5. Don’t arrive hungry.
We’ve all been guilty of skipping breakfast and lunch so that we can indulge later and not feel as guilty about it. This may come as somewhat of a shock, but this is actually doing you more harm than good. Why? By the time you take your seat at the dinner table, you’re starving and tempted to eat absolutely everything in sight. While it’s understandable that you might not want to have a full breakfast or lunch, eating small snacks (a handful of nuts or a cereal bar) throughout the day will help curb your appetite.
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Happy and HEALTHY holidays!
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