With October finally here, you may be starting to worry about the weight that the holidays tend to pack on. Between Halloween candy and Thanksgiving feasts, the next few weeks are sure to be a bit brutal for your metabolism. Of course, these short weeks are only going to be followed by more holiday activities and fun which are filled with overeating and sweet indulgences. Many people tend to want to jump on the gym bandwagon during this time of the year, but often enough, things get too busy during these months, which makes the purchase a total waste. Luckily, there’s a few things you can do in your everyday life that will cut down on the calories you consume and help you prevent the weight gain you’re already dreading.
1. Water
It doesn’t matter what time of the year it is, water is one of the best defenses against gaining weight. Not to mention, it helps your body function without a problem so you’ll feel better than ever anyway. As far as water is concerned, it helps cleanse your system of all of the bad components you put into it and, let’s face it, there’s a lot of bad components during this time of the year. By simply drinking a glass of water when you wake up, you’ll be boosting your metabolism substantially. Another great thing about water is it helps suppress your appetite. If you drink a glass of water prior to every meal then you won’t want to eat as much. This may really come in handy when it comes to holiday feasts too. Plus, it will slow down your eating, so you have more time to sit back and savor the tastes of all of your holiday treats. Apart from metabolism and appetite suppression, water can also lower your blood pressure if you drink a glass prior to showering. This can help you feel amazing, so you’ll have the energy and overall gumption to enjoy the holiday season.
2. Ditch Soda
Although your holiday feasts may be more of a wine occasion than a soda occasion, you may find quitting soda during this time will make you feel a bit better about the excess calories. Even if you allot calories for soda in your daily diet, you can still end up gaining weight due to the ingredients in the popular beverages. Not to mention, soda often causes the stomach to bloat, which will make your clothes fit poorly and will cause you to feel uncomfortable. When you kick a soda habit, you’ll notice a major differences in how you feel, so it could be the right move for the rest of the year too. Also, you should take into consideration the amount of money you’ll save by cutting soda out. This is sure to help make your holiday budget thrive and will give you extra money if you do decide to exercise outside of the home.
3. Use Smaller Plates
A lot of people base their portion size on the size of their plate, thus switching to a smaller plate could actually make believe that you’re getting more to eat. This spatial awareness could be something helpful to try during the holiday months. Sure, the size of your plate won’t stop you from going back for seconds or thirds, but it may help you cut down on the portion size you choose to get each time you go back for food. For instance, 3 servings on a smaller plate may equal out to around 1.5 servings on a larger plate. These servings add up, especially in the calorie department. If you do choose to use larger plates then let these plates be designated for salad, while the smaller plates can be used for heavier dishes like meats and carbs. This system might help you out enough to convince you to stick with it throughout the year.
4. Hide the Candy
It happens every year, we say we’re going to limit ourselves to a piece or two a day and then we catch a glimpse at the tasty treats just sitting there waiting for trick or treaters. It doesn’t matter what your age is, candy can be pretty tempting, which is why you should keep it out of temptation until the holiday actually arrives. It isn’t exactly convenient to go shopping for candy on the day of Halloween, so you shouldn’t have to sacrifice this in order to avoid temptation. Try putting your candy under something in a closet to keep it out of eyes reach. If you still find yourself snacking on the treats then put the candy that is harder in the freezer. This will actually prevent you from eating it right away. So, while you wait for it to thaw, you should be able to talk yourself into another snack to help remedy the problem. Of course, Halloween isn’t the only time candy is a problem. If you end up with boxes of treats for other holidays then try to follow the same procedure, or get rid of the candy faster by sharing it with friends, family and colleagues.
5. Make More Veggies
Sure, we all have our favorite dishes when it comes to the holidays, but a lot of the time we load up on far too many meats and carbs during this season. In order to reduce the temptation of only eating these dishes, you may want to add more veggie dishes to the menu. I know, it’s hard to get some members of the family to eat vegetables, but you may be surprised how great some of the recipes taste. Simply look around and see if you can replace some of your favorite dishes with a more vegetable friendly dish. For instance, if you use cauliflower rather than potatoes, you will get a creamy batch of mashed “potatoes” and gravy that everyone will adore. There’s lot of substitution tricks online, but there’s also a lot of wholesome recipes designed to make certain vegetables thrive. Of course, a salad is always a great idea too and can help reduce the amount of other foods that you eat. If you’re watching your weight though, you should try to eat more of the veggie dishes, but if you still want to indulge you can remedy the problem by eating the veggies first.
6. Donate Junk Food
Junk food is one of the main problems when it comes to gaining weight. With all of the extra calories coming in from the holidays, you may want to forget about eating junk food even more. These foods won’t just cause weight gain, but can leave you feeling unmotivated and uncomfortable during the busy time of the year. Of course, you shouldn’t simply throw out the food though. Most junk food can be donated to a local food pantry to help out families that may be struggling to get any food during a time in which most people enjoy celebrating and over-eating. By donating the food that you don’t want or food you want to avoid, you can help provide much needed calories for those that may be undernourished and hungry. You’ll feel great about your good deed and your body will feel great that you ditched the high calorie food.
7. Avoid Fast Food
The holidays are some of the worst times for cooking because most people feel burned out, especially after cooking a big feast. Of course, the leftovers eventually get eaten up or go bad, so you may want to make life simply by going out to eat or hitting the closest drive thru. As you know, fast foods aren’t exactly the best for you, especially when you’ve already been consuming too many calories. It may be in your best interest to avoid these at all cost. The visit are not only bad for your health, but the receipts eventually begin to add up, which isn’t great for your budget. Rather than eating out try to plan slow cooker meals on your busy days. If eating out for lunch is common for you, then cut back by taking a lunch into work instead. You’ll be surprised by how the weight begins to disappear.
8. Walk to the Store
Walking is one of the best ways to begin your weight loss routine. The best thing about walking is it doesn’t cost a penny and can actually save you a bit of cash. For instance, if you walk to the store, you’ll get plenty of exercise that will make you feel rejuvenated, speed up your metabolism and burn more calories. Of course, if the store is way out of walking distance then you may want to consider using public transit, as you’ll still get a fair amount of walking in this way. After the exercise you get walking to the store, you’ll feel a lot less hungry, which means you won’t want to buy as much food. Plus, since you don’t have a car to transport your items, you’ll have to keep your shopping on the leaner side, thus saving a lot more money.
9. Skip the Booze
Holidays and alcohol notoriously go hand in hand, but alcohol can be one of the main reasons you’re gaining weight during the holiday season. Although it may be hard to cut down on alcohol with everyone around you drinking, it will make you feel fulfilled and proud of yourself when you do manage to defeat the temptation. Of course, if you’re hosting your own holiday together, then you may want to make it a dry occasion to help prevent the urge to add a glass of champagne to the meal. Although alcohol does have a lot of calories, you may be able to pull off drinking a glass of red wine with your feast. The alcohol can help work as a digestive, but red wines are actually thought to be good for you. In fact, a recent study said drinking a glass of red wine is close to working out for 30 minutes. So, if temptation calls, a glass of red wine may be the solution to your holiday problem.
10. Small Burst
Working out can be tough, especially when you have to contend with a busy schedule. Rather than actually planning out long workouts, it may be more efficient for you to do small workouts throughout the day. For starters, try to add in 5 minutes of dancing every couple of hours. It’ll help boost your mood and energy, but will also get your heartrate up. You can also add in running to this mixture or anything else you actually enjoy doing. Before bed, if you can squeeze in ten minutes of yoga, you may be surprised by how well you rest. Your muscles may even feel stronger and more flexible. As far as working out in the morning goes, try to do 10 pushups and setups a day. As your body grows stronger increase the number and watch as your body and mind transform. Last but not least, there’s many 7 minute workout programs available today, which can help keep you fit. Try doing these every other day to every day to feel strong and energized. Of course, when it comes to these activities, the key is to do what your body feels good doing.
Losing weight over the holiday season may seem impossible, especially if you don’t have the money to spend on fancy diets. It doesn’t have to be though. With these handy tips, you should be able to find simple ways to work out that not only make your body feel good, but your wallet too. With any luck, none of these tasks will actually interfere with your day.
