Fitness Topics

Staying Energized Through the Holidays

(As appeared in the Holiday, 2005 issue of Healthwise magazine.)

Holidays are a time for fun and celebration. The word "celebration," however, should not be misinterpreted as a ticket to the abandonment of healthful living. Holidays were not intended to be a time for bodily abuse — excessive alcohol and unhealthy foods, coupled with the elimination of exercise and physical activity. The consequence can be a weight gain of 7 to 10 pounds in just the few weeks between Thanksgiving and New Years day.

Doesn't sound too bad? Before discounting this as a benign issue, consider the short period of time in which this weight gain occurs. Dramatic weight fluctuations impair metabolic function (your body's ability to burn fat), stress the heart and demoralize one's desire to stay fit. This is not a great way to begin the new year, is it?

With a small amount of planning and a bit of determination, you can keep yourself looking and feeling good — even with the added social obligations associated with holidays.

Here are ten tips for enjoying your holidays while maintaining your shape ... and your energy.

1. Create a plan of how you will incorporate physical activity and proper nutrition into your daily routine all through the holidays. Be realistic in determining how much time you can and will devote to physical fitness.

2. Schedule at least two (preferably three) exercise sessions per week. Even if sessions must be abbreviated, doing something is always better than doing nothing.

3. Stay hydrated. Drinking enough water on a daily basis will help keep your body cleansed of toxins and will help to keep your metabolism and basic bodily functions running smoothly.

4. Minimize your consumption of sweets. Before heading off to parties, eat a salad or fruit and drink 1 to 3 glasses of water (depending on hydration status).

5. When at a party, be sure that the first foods you eat are healthful — salads, vegetables, grilled fish or chicken, lean meats, raw nuts, etc. After filling up on these foods, if there is still room, then have some dessert. You'll be less inclined to overindulge.

6. If you have more than one party to attend in a given week, be mindful of your total consumption of unhealthful foods for that week. Always be conscious of the cumulative affect of such foods over a seven day cycle. Try to limit desserts and fatty foods to two parties per week, at most (preferably one time per week).

7. Minimize alcohol consumption. These are empty calories; containing none of the essential nutrients needed by the body, these calories easily get converted to fat. By having just 2 to 3 drinks, you will have consumed as many calories as an entire meal.

8. Eat frequent, small meals — every three to four hours, have some food — particularly, on days of parties. Always include breakfast. This will keep your metabolism elevated, and maintain a balanced blood sugar level, thereby minimizing cravings for unwholesome foods.

9. Walk whenever and wherever you can: to and from work and parties; when shopping, park at the furthest point from the stores; use stairs instead of elevators and escalators.

10. If there are days where there seems to be absolutely no time for exercise, then incorporate exercise in smaller doses — say 3 or 4 times per day, 10 minutes each. While this is inferior to exercising for 30 to 60 minutes straight, it is vastly superior to doing no exercise at all.

With a small amount of planning and a bit of determination, you can keep yourself looking and feeling good.

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