A FEW TIPS..
The holiday season is in full swing and with that brings more sweets, high- calorie snacking, holiday parties, and heavy meals....basically, portions & servings sizes may be the last thing on everyone's mind but shouldn't be.
So, I want to remind you all once again the importance of making the commitment to your daily workout classes and increasing daily overall activity & movement. During the day while at work get up and walk around more, stand more as standing burns more calories than sitting, and take 10....10 minutes of leisurely walking before lunch and after dinner help to raise your calorie burn. All this extra movement has been shown to keep your Resting Metabolic Rate working efficiently utilizing energy for our body's to stay in that homeostatic state. Burning off an additional 100 calories daily adds up to a lot of calories be expended overtime.
This is also the time of year you really want to plan out & prepare your snacks, lunches, and dinners ahead of time so that you don't get too hungry AND you have less temptation to indulge on sweets and other heavy calorie meals. In fact, removing temptation foods & snacks may be best. Limit yourself to treats and higher calorie meals leaving that only onThanksgiving & Christmas Day while in between you focus on healthy eating and healthier alternatives.
Limit over processed & hydrogenated fatty foods and snacks. Not only have they been robbed of nutrients, they trick our brain to wanting more, overeating, suppressing satiety leaving us feeling bloated with less energy. Choose foods that are closest to their natural state like whole grains which have not been stripped of the bran, germ, or endosperm. Foods and snacks with the word "whole" in the ingredients have a higher content of fiber leaving you fuller for a longer period of time and therefor eating less calories. Foods higher in both soluble & insoluble fiber aids in GI health as well. Lastly, eat a little more protein this time of year. Proteins take longer to digest and take more energy to breakdown. So, you burn off calories just through metabolic breakdown without the spike in blood sugar levels. It's that sudden rise and fall of blood sugar levels that can cause overeating and cravings.
Other tips include:
So, I want to remind you all once again the importance of making the commitment to your daily workout classes and increasing daily overall activity & movement. During the day while at work get up and walk around more, stand more as standing burns more calories than sitting, and take 10....10 minutes of leisurely walking before lunch and after dinner help to raise your calorie burn. All this extra movement has been shown to keep your Resting Metabolic Rate working efficiently utilizing energy for our body's to stay in that homeostatic state. Burning off an additional 100 calories daily adds up to a lot of calories be expended overtime.
This is also the time of year you really want to plan out & prepare your snacks, lunches, and dinners ahead of time so that you don't get too hungry AND you have less temptation to indulge on sweets and other heavy calorie meals. In fact, removing temptation foods & snacks may be best. Limit yourself to treats and higher calorie meals leaving that only onThanksgiving & Christmas Day while in between you focus on healthy eating and healthier alternatives.
Limit over processed & hydrogenated fatty foods and snacks. Not only have they been robbed of nutrients, they trick our brain to wanting more, overeating, suppressing satiety leaving us feeling bloated with less energy. Choose foods that are closest to their natural state like whole grains which have not been stripped of the bran, germ, or endosperm. Foods and snacks with the word "whole" in the ingredients have a higher content of fiber leaving you fuller for a longer period of time and therefor eating less calories. Foods higher in both soluble & insoluble fiber aids in GI health as well. Lastly, eat a little more protein this time of year. Proteins take longer to digest and take more energy to breakdown. So, you burn off calories just through metabolic breakdown without the spike in blood sugar levels. It's that sudden rise and fall of blood sugar levels that can cause overeating and cravings.
Other tips include:
- Get to bed and wake up at the same time on most days of the week to keep your circadian rhythm in check.
- Limit alcoholic beverages, caffeine in moderation, and be careful of those high calorie drinks such as coffee's, eggnog's, and punches.
- Limit stress by telling yourself you don't have to be perfect and you don't have to do it all, and ask for help when needed. Stress is one of the biggest triggers this time of year that can cause overeating and eating high calories sweets & sugars. Proactive relaxation techniques and stretching help too.
- Reward yourself with a nonfood item.
- Surround yourself with positive people, good friends, and your family. And, limit time around people who bring you down or cause stressful, negative, and emotionally upsetting environments for you.
- Reassure yourself that the holidays come around only one time out of the year. It may not be the best time to focus on losing body fat and changing the shape of your body, but you can still work on maintenance. You don't have to gain weight as long as you EAT IN MODERATION, WORKOUT, AND STAY ACTIVE IN YOUR EVERYDAY LIFE.
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