By Rita La Rosa Loud, B.S.
By and large, we gain about five to seven pounds of fat during the Christmas season. Add to that the undesirable weight gains we experience during Halloween, Thanksgiving, New Year’s, and even Valentine’s Day. Yet it may surprise you that the holidays could be the best time to break unhealthy behaviors and build healthy traditions.
Like some of you, I have given in to unhealthy eating habits when surrounded by delectable temptations, particularly at family and holiday gatherings. Along with a sense of guilt, predictably, I end up feeling unwell. Breaking away from old habits and replacing them with healthy ones guarantees the new habits will last you for a lifetime. Moreover, it is not only changing your eating habits and how you prepare meals, but participating in structured exercise programs at the same time. A great example of the proof is in the pudding is our 2017 Nutrition Exercise Weight Loss Maintenance Study (below) conducted around public holidays. The results may astound you. First, let’s address doable changes resulting in less weight gain during these challenging seasons. The good news is, you don’t have to give it all up!
Doable food adaptations
Rather than revamping your entire holiday meals, desserts, and sweets, why not substitute fewer processed ingredients in place of high-calorie, highly processed foods. The alternative version(s) will likely taste just as scrumptious. For example, when drawn to several goodies or highly caloric adult beverages, limit your intake to just one. Better yet, drink seltzer with fresh lemon or lime and a dash of juice to quench your thirst. Even with minor changes such as these, you will experience fewer calories, less weight gain, and feel more energized than usual during these celebratory moments.
Easy exercise solutions
Engage in aerobic activity. A 30-minute leisurely stroll around your neighborhood, especially after a hefty holiday meal, will help you to burn those extra calories. Even better, make it your daily routine.
Participating in a basic strength program just twice a week strengthens muscles and bones and especially increases resting metabolism, so you can burn even more calories. Better yet, why not train on a consistent basis? Including these two fitness components (aerobics, resistance exercise) all through the holidays will help you to avoid too much of a good thing.
Here are our study results done during holiday festivities and throughout the year:
Westcott’s proven results
Westcott’s research revealed moderately decreased calorie consumption, and increased protein intake coupled with basic strength and endurance exercise is most effective for reducing body weight and improving body composition. Over six months, participants lost 14 lbs./fat, added 4 lbs./muscle, for an 18-lb./improvement in body composition and physical appearance. During the nine-month maintenance phase, subjects trained two to three days a week for 40-50 minutes and continued to lose fat and add muscle for enhanced health and fitness!
Special holiday helper
Quincy College’s Wayne Westcott, Ph.D. Center for Health and Fitness is offering during the month of December an affordable four-week holiday program in strength and aerobic exercise to help you get through the holidays. Located at Presidents Place, 1250 Hancock St., Quincy. Call 617-405-5978 for cost and registration details. Street parking and a parking garage are available.
About the Author: Rita La Rosa Loud holds a B.S. in Exercise Physiology with additional education in Sports Medicine and Athletic Training. She is NASM Certified and has been actively involved in the fitness industry for more than 35 years. She is also an author and writes
fitness-related articles for various publications. Currently, she is a fitness researcher and directs the Wayne Westcott, Ph.D. Center for Health and Fitness at Quincy College. She can be reached at 617-405-5978.
