Fit for Life: Holiday Survival

Saturday, November 09, 2019

Matt Espeut, GoLocalWorcester Health +Lifestyle Contributor

Matt Espeut

So, we are approaching the final 2 months of the year, and I am looking forward to the Holiday Season.

I enjoy this time of year because it gets people together, and for the most part it is a joyous time full of celebration.

What I don’t like is the fact that people get all stressed out about trivial things, and a lot of folks let go of any structure in their lives and let their health and fitness spiral down the toilet.

Yes, there is a lot of extra food around, and yes it is harder to stay focused, however, it isn’t impossible, and with a little extra will power, and help, you can survive the holiday season without packing on extra pounds.

I decided to use the word H-O-L-I-D-A-Y as an acronym to write this article, hoping to have a little fun and get you focused on maintaining great health throughout the season.

H-Hold the stuffing, gravy & mashed potatoes. These things may taste great to you, but homemade gravy is made from the fat drippings of the turkey and mashed potatoes usually have dairy and butter, while stuffing is nothing more than soggy bread (ALL will add lots of hidden calories). So up the protein by eating more bird, opt in for more sweet potatoes and vegetables and ditch the gravy, stuffing & mashed potatoes.

O-Offer a few healthy options when hosting and bring some when visiting. I don’t mean steamed broccoli as an alternative, but green beans with almonds, sweet potatoes with apple slices and Brussel sprouts with bacon bits taste great and are acceptable alternatives to heavy dishes loaded with fat and extra calories.

L-Log your food intake and see what you are eating on a daily basis from now til the end of the year.

LOG EVERYTHING, even if it’s bad for you.

This will hold you accountable and avoid mindless eating.

Even on Thanksgiving Day, be mindful of how many calories you are consuming.

Don’t stress, give yourself permission to indulge, just stay mindful and pay attention to your caloric intake.

I-Intense exercise is MANDATORY this time of year. If you eat excess calories and don’t exercise, you will gain even MORE weight. If you are hitting the gym 3-5 times per week you can off-set SOME of the extra calories. NO, you can’t out exercise BAD nutrition, however, you can still add muscle and that will help boost your metabolism and encourage your body to burn more fat.

D-Distract yourself from food. Don’t have it in sight and easy for you to indulge. Eat when you are hungry, don’t eat something just because it’s in a candy dish in front of you. If it’s everywhere, use outside distractions, like drinking more water or eating healthy snacks that you bring with you to deter you away from mindless binge eating.

A-Alcohol needs to be kept to a minimum. This is a double-edge sword. When you drink, you are not only adding calories, causing dehydration, spiking blood sugars and inhibiting fat burning, you are lowering your will power and usually eat more unfavorable foods. Try drinking water in between beverages, keep it to 2 per engagement, and when you consume alcohol drink clear spirits like Tito’s vodka to reduce calories.

Y-Yup, YOU can do this. It’s a matter of how important it is to you. Try thinking ahead and realize how awful you will feel if you tack on another 10 lbs. to your physique over the holiday season. I’m not saying that you need to be perfect and be a social outcast at parties and dinners, however, you CAN maintain control and keep the damage to a minimum.

As I said earlier, it’s imperative that you stick to your workouts and keep the intensity high.

For all you Providence Fit Body Boot Camp members, you know that you can reach out to your coaches, and other members within our community to help keep you focused and on point.

Those of you nonmembers reading this, we can help you too.

We have a 21-day promotion running through the holiday season, so jump on board and let Providence Fit Body Boot Camp hold you accountable so you can maintain your health and fitness all year long.

Committed to your success,

Matt Espeut, GoLocal's Health & Lifestyle Contributor has been a personal trainer and health & fitness consultant for over 25 years. He is the owner of Fitness Profiles, a one on one, and small group personal training company, as well as Providence Fit Body Boot Camp, located at 1284 North Main St., on the Providence/Pawtucket line. You can reach Matt at (401) 453-3200; on Facebook at "Matt Espeut", and on Twitter at @MattEspeut. "We’re all in this life together – let’s make it a healthy one.

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Fit for Life: Holiday Survival

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