The New Year is almost here, and with it, you’re probably following some new fitness goals. But instead of biting off more than you can chew, follow some quick tips before you start down the road of being overextended in 2011.
Write it down. Writing down what you eat, and how much you exercise, will provide a reality check on how many calories you are actually consuming and will help you focus your workouts in the future.
Keep moving. Be physically active everyday (exercise alleviates stress, regulates
appetite and burns off extra calories). Even if it’s not incredibly intensive, movmement helps!Let it go. If you overeat one day, don’t let it ruin your enthusiasm. Life is about balance. Forget about it and work on getting back on track. Just don’t make the overeating a habit!
Dine before you dash. Eating something healthy before going to a party will help you resist the temptation. If you’re full before you hit the party, the temptation to indulge goes away!
Avoid buffet binging. Your eyes tend to be bigger than your stomach, choose a variety of foods in small portions. Don’t eat, and eat, and eat — pick your portions and times!
Prepare to eat, not cheat. Bring a “healthy” dish to parties like whole-wheat ginger snaps that won’t be as bad to munch on relative to what you would normally face.
Slow and steady. Eat slowly and only until you are not hungry anymore. Don’t keep eating until visions of donuts appear, and then decide it’s time to stop – make a plan and eat slowly, tracking calories and reading your satiety level.
Don’t sip your calories. Alcohol mixed with sugary juices, creamy eggnog, and open wine bars are not your friend this season. Enjoy calories through the foods present rather than gulping them down through any sort of drink.
Look for Warning signs. If a food is fried, creamy, cheese filled, processed, pastry or baked good try to avoid it at all costs. These foods tend to be the highest in fat and calories, and more often than not, carry the lowest nutritional value.
Substitute. There are hundreds of great healthy recipes out there for your favorite holiday dishes. Start by substituting unsweetened applesauce for oil, using whole grain instead of all-purpose flour, trying Stevia instead of table sugar and reducing the amount of salt in recipes. Every healthy adjustment
helps.
About the Author: Bobby DeMuro is the Founder of FusionSouth, a personal training firm in Charlotte, NC. He is also the Executive Director of NoFizz Charlotte, a non-profit dedicated to awareness on the importance of proper health and nutrition. He resides on Lake Norman with his 2-year old boxer, Dakota.
Thanks for the great tips. This was the perfect read before I head off for New Year’s away. And alas, you are right, I shouldn’t sip my calories.
Oh my. So apparently I’m doing EVERYTHING wrong/ I guess I have a few more days until I hit the reset button.
“Don’t sip your calories”
I need this DRILLED IN MY BRAIN