Run from winter weight gain!
The holiday season is here, with glad gatherings and
gigantic goody fests all around. Folks dress up in festive clothes to gather
for great food and fellowship with family members, friends, and others. Of
course, the temptation to overindulge in all those holiday treats and sweets
can be a dieter’s undoing. And for the runner, those rich food overloads can
lead to real trouble on the trail or running path afterwards.
How can folks stay
fit and trim during the holiday season?
Try these eight simple dieting tips for holiday
celebrations.
NOTE: Written by this author, this copyrighted material
originally appeared on another publisher’s site. That site no longer exists.
This author holds all rights to this content. No republication is allowed
without permission.
1. Stock up on fresh
produce.
The most successful holiday dieters fill up their own home
refrigerators with fresh vegetables, which are cleaned and cut and ready to
eat. Why not place a big bowl of delicious fresh fruit on the kitchen counters,
offering convenient and healthy snacks throughout the holiday season?
Those who make smart choices habitually are most likely to
do the same at holiday parties. In fact, they may even offer to bring fresh
vegetables or fruit salads to seasonal get-togethers.
2. Eat smart before
attending holiday parties.
Savvy dieters do not fast before holiday gatherings. In
fact, they eat healthy mini-meals, such as cheese or nuts or eggs, before
attending these events. By doing so, these folks are less likely to succumb to
the temptation to eat fatty, high-calorie appetizers, simply because they have
taken the edge off their hunger ahead of time.
3. Wear a belt to
holiday events.
For generations, folks have teased about wearing stretchy,
elastic-waisted pants to holiday feasts. In truth, those who wear tailored
clothing with fitted waistbands and even belts tend to be less likely to
overindulge at the buffet counter or dinner table and to remain trimmer during
the holiday season.
4. Choose smaller
plates for holiday feasts.
A holiday buffet setting will usually offer a variety of
plates for various courses of the meal. By selecting a salad or dessert plate,
rather than a full-sized banquet plate, a dieter is more apt to take moderate
portions of the food being offered. After all, a holiday smorgasbord need not
be an all-you-can-eat affair, particularly for those who wish to stay trim
during the holidays.
If a dieting diner spots a favorite high-fat or high-caloric
holiday dish, he or she might wisely choose a half-portion.
The same principle holds true for a plated dinner, given the
choice.
5. Drink lots of
water throughout the holiday season.
Good hydration is essential to good health, particularly for
dieters. As a bonus, those who drink plenty of water tend to feel full
faster. Healthy dieters might choose to
drink water with holiday meals, rather than sugary sodas or alcoholic
beverages, which tend to lead to more waist.
6. Offer to help
holiday party hosts with serving or cleanup.
Besides moderating food consumption, those who wish to stay
trim and slim during the holidays do well to remain as active as possible.
Offering to help a party host or hostess by passing hors d’oeuvres or clearing
the dinner table is one way to increase metabolism and goodwill at the same
time. Plus, this keeps a partygoer busy, minimizing the temptation to munch
continuously on high-calorie treats.
7. Get up and dance.
To burn even more calories at a holiday gathering and stay
trim throughout the holiday season, a dieter might do well to get up and dance
or to take a brisk walk, if such options are available. Why not keep moving,
while keeping the holiday season merry and bright?
8. Don’t be
discouraged by dietary slip-ups during the holiday season.
Inevitably, a holiday dieter will face times when
overindulgence occurs. Everyone seems to slip up sometimes. The key is to
continue, even afterwards. The most successful holiday dieters refuse to give
up. Instead, they are willing to hop right back on the proverbial bandwagon the
next day, dieting and exercising and aiming to stay trim during the holidays.
Runners, in particular, intentionally add a few miles to
their training regimens in the days following holiday gatherings, as they plan
to enjoy some richer fare than usual.
Image:
Adapted from public domain artwork.
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