Don’t Let Your Physical Fitness Suffer During the Holidays!

It’s that time of the year again where you have to attend an endless number of holiday parties and lie down all day. With all the holiday treats and eggnog, you will probably start the year with an extra 5 to 10 pounds or more. It may seem impossible to maintain a workout routine during the holiday season, but if there is a will, there is a way. Several studies have shown that most people gain weight between Thanksgiving and New Year. The problem is that most people don’t lose the weight they put on during the holidays according to The New England Journal of Medicine.

It may be difficult, but it is possible to maintain your regular workout routine during the holidays and making healthy eating choices. Even if you’re going on a trip out of town, there are efficient workouts that take very little time from 15 to 30 minutes. Here are some helpful tips to help you stay on course during the holidays.

• Establish a Regular Exercise Schedule
  You need to look at exercise like any important obligation on your calendar. It should be a necessity and not just a luxury especially because it is closely connected to your health. Set a schedule for your workouts even if you will be traveling. There are basic gyms in most hotels, and there is surely somewhere you can jog. Even if you are in the mall for several hours for shopping, you can burn calories by walking around and climbing stairs.
• Reduce Your Workout Time
  If you have a hectic schedule, you need to remember that something is always better than nothing. Even a quick 20-minute circuit workout can crank up your metabolism and keep your body in fat burning mode. There are workout routines from fitness experts that can help you maximize your workouts.
• Hire a Trainer
  There are many benefits of having a personal trainer helps in getting a personalized workout and diet plan designed for meeting your specific needs. It is a lot easier to skip a workout if you have nothing to lose. Hiring a personal trainer helps ensure that you will stick to your workout schedule. This will also ensure that your workout is as efficient as possible.
• Change Your Schedule
  A little tweak here and there on your schedule can help ensure that you won’t be missing any workout this holiday season. You must make exercise your priority so that you won’t be gaining any weight unless it’s lean muscle. If you need to get up earlier for your workout or go to the gym after work, then you just have to make the sacrifice.
• Change Your Diet
  The reason most people gain weight during the holidays is that the tendency is to ease up on your diet. This is another reason to seek professional help from a fitness expert who can give you the best diet plan for your particular goals whether it is to gain muscle mass, lose body fat or just making sure your have the healthiest diet for you. You can also try making better food choices like avoiding fatty and salty food items and controlling intake of sugary foods like pastries.
• Try a New Workout
  If you are like most people, you probably have been doing the same workout routine for a long time. You need to try new things to shock your body into burning fat and building lean muscle. This is another reason it would be a good idea to hire a personal trainer who can create a customized workout and diet plan designed to meet your specific goals. Look for a fitness expert who can walk the talk meaning he/she has accomplished something like winning a fitness contest.
• Broaden Your Knowledge
  There are many things you can learn about diet and exercising. There are many sources of knowledge regarding diet and exercise like eBooks from renowned fitness experts. If you have been working out for a long time and still haven’t achieved your dream body then perhaps it is time to kick things up a notch. Invest in your fitness by purchasing and reading eBooks. If you have the budget, invest in some one on one time with a fitness expert who can guide you towards your fitness goals.
• Make the Most Out of Your Available Time
  You can exercise periodically during the day if you only have very little time intermittently throughout the day. For example, you can perform 5 sets of push-ups in the morning and perform 5 sets of squats in the evening. There are many bodyweight exercises you can perform at home like burpees, mountain climbers, jumping jacks and lunges.

Conclusion

With the holidays just around the corner, you can start designing your holiday weight loss program. You don’t have to gain weight this holiday season. In fact, you can even lose weight with the proper diet and exercise program while indulging a little on some holiday treats.

Author Bio: Ella James is an independent researcher and writer. She has contributed to many online websites related to general health and fitness. Her interests include reading and writing about day-to-day health, fitness, and skin care problems. Connect with her on Facebook and Twitter.

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