A Pre-Holiday Health Challenge: 5 Ways to Stay Fit and Avoid Weight Gain During the Holidays

You have tried everything in order to avoid the holiday weight gain and the slow slide into a bigger waistband during the weeks between Thanksgiving and New Years. Usually it is a valiant effort with minimal and often depressing results. This year, try something different.

START NOW!

There are over 7 weeks between October 1 and Thanksgiving Day. Use this time to get ahead of the game and enter into the holiday season lean and in peak condition. Your only challenge between now and Thanksgiving will be surviving the Halloween candy craze. But avoiding processed, pre-wrapped mini candy bars will be far easier than passing on a slice of Grandma’s famous Christmas morning coffee cake while you open packages by the tree. So suck it up now for the reward of a less food-stressed holiday season. I recommend the following 5 ways to clean up your food, workout routine, and lifestyle choices between now and Thanksgiving. Try one of them or kick ass with all five of them. Either way, you are going to be physically and mentally in a much better place as you enter the endurance marathon known as the ‘Holiday Season’!

Good Luck!

1. TRACK ALL OF YOUR FOOD AND DRINKS

Study after study show that tracking your food will always lead to cleaner eating and better food choices. So use Cronometer, MyFitnessPal or any of the long list reputable food tracking software to not only track your food, but also make decisions on what to eat based on that tracking. If you get to dinner and you have maxed out your fat allowances for the day, then it has to be a fat-free dinner for you. Don’t just track, but nail your macro-nutrient ratio recommendations and food volume on a daily basis.

2. ELIMINATE WASTED CALORIE FOODS AND DRINKS

It is only 7 weeks of your life folks. You should be able to give up anything for 7 weeks, especially when you know it is worthless for you and is taking you physically and mentally in the wrong direction. Use the holidays as your carrot at the end of the stick.

NO ALCOHOL – You don’t need it, no matter how much you think you do. Try to avoid alcohol completely for 7 weeks.
NO PROCESSED SUGAR – It is an addiction, and one of the toughest to shake. If you are eating it now, the first week without it will be hell. But trust me, “It Gets Better” after that. If you are dying for a PSL (Pumpkin Spice Latte), then hold that prize until Thanksgiving Day when the actual season begins.
NO DAIRY OTHER THAN GREEK YOGURT – Many of us have an inflammatory reaction to milk and cheese (bloating, digestive irritation) and you can get much healthier versions of calcium from yogurt, dark greens (kale, spinach, broccoli), sardines, salmon, shrimp, and oranges. Ditch it for 7 weeks or forever if you can.
NO PROCESSED STARCHY CARBS – Crackers, bread, pasta, cereal, flour tortillas. All are a starchy bomb and waste of calories. Keep at least one serving of starch in your daily meals to help replenish your glycogen storage depleted during your workouts. But select more nutrient-dense starch such as sweet potatoes, brown rice or quinoa.

3. PRIORITIZE YOUR WORKOUTS AND BE CONSISTENT

Your workout schedule is going to be a mess during the holidays with travel, parties, and sugar hangovers (it is a real thing!)… it always is. So get ahead of the game by developing a solid weekly plan for strength training and cardio workouts. I recommend a minimum of two 60-minute strength sessions and two 20–30-minute cardio sessions each week between now and Thanksgiving. If you can do one or two additional strength sessions each week, all the better. And don’t forget about active living in addition to these workouts. Try to walk or bike to work while the weather is still decent. Spend a weekend afternoon hiking and city walking with your dog or friend. After work each night, do a simple walk around the block after dinner.

4. RESTORE YOUR BODY NOW

Use this quiet before the storm to get your nightly sleep of at least 7 hours each night, ideally closer to 8. Also keep your appointments and obligations to a minimum in order to allow yourself time to breathe and relax. It is going to be a wild week from Thanksgiving on, so rest up now.

5. PLAN AHEAD TO REDUCE STRESS

I know that you have always made fun of your Aunt for doing it, but make a list of your holiday to-do’s and start planning and completing tasks now. Decide on budgets, gift lists, and a game plan for travel. This will take a huge load off your shoulders during the holiday craze. So instead of sprinting store to store, you will actually be able to enjoy those trips downtown to see the holiday lights.