The holidays are notorious for wreaking havoc on our weight
loss and fitness efforts. Decadent
goodies show up at every turn, and our time normally spent working out gets
taken up with shopping, decorating, sending holiday cards--you name it. Many of us just give up during the holidays,
thinking, “If I’m going to be bad, I might as well be really bad!” Other people may swing the other way and
attempt to maintain a very strict diet throughout the holiday season, feeling
deprived in the process.
The dynamics of deprivation can mess with our “dieting
minds.” For a lot of people, giving up a
specific food that they love may cause them to rebel, then resort to eating all
the wrong foods, gaining extra pounds in the process.
A better approach is to fall somewhere in the middle. Don’t diet, but don’t go crazy either. Don’t give up exercise totally, but add
movement to every day instead. I call this “breaking even” instead of “breaking
bad.” If you can follow this path of
moderation it is more likely that you can break even and maintain your current
weight.
So if you typically follow a specific diet, take a break
from it during the holidays. Instead,
watch your portions and be mindful of all your food consumption. Eat whatever you want, but in modest
portions. Being mindful and aware of
what you eat, eating it slowly and not eating too much helps you be in control
of your caloric destiny!
For exercise, instead of keeping to your gym schdule, try walking or jogging
whenever and wherever you can. Take a
stretch break. Make movement part of
every day during the holiday season.
In taking a more
balanced approach, giving yourself indulgences without going crazy, making
movement part of every day, you can more
easily maintain your current weight and avoid the “Christmas Five” (or ten)!
For more information on mindful eating: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/08/dining/mindful-eating-as-food-for-thought.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
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