Three Tips to Avoid Holiday Weight Gain

Did you know that the average person gains seven pounds between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day? If that happens year after year, your waistline, your joints, and your heart health (among other things) will suffer. The reason for this is that unfortunately, many of us don't ever lose the weight we gain over the holidays. That means that holiday weight gain can be a significant contributor to our weight gradually creeping up over the years. Who needs that?

Luckily, it doesn't have to be that way! I have three tips to help you avoid holiday weight gain:

1. If you have a special event, especially in the evening, eat normally during the day leading up to the special event. Often, we skip meals or eat extra light before a special event, but all that does is cause us to arrive at the event famished. We end up overeating all the decadent foods and probably feeling stuffed as well. Better to eat normally during the day and the NEXT day, perhaps cut back a slight bit and make sure you get in a workout.

2. Keep up your normal exercise routine as much as possible. If you need to skip or shorten some workouts, that's not a problem and it's certainly preferable to not exercising at all. We need to keep working out to offset the additional calories that many of us will be consuming. 

3. Whatever you do, don't say to yourself "I'll just worry about it on January 1." THAT is a recipe for the seven-pound weight-gain! Get rid of the all-or-none mindset and plan to enjoy the holidays AND keep a bit of balance going with some normal eating and exercise habits. You can definitely do both and you will thank yourself come January 1 when you are ready to start off the New Year with good habits still in place!

Here's to a happy and HEALTHY holiday season!