How to beat the holiday bulge: Nutrition & fitness hacks by Dr. Chip Studley

How to beat the holiday bulge: Nutrition & fitness hacks by Dr. Chip Studley

Ahhh yes…the holiday season is upon us.

For many, the expected flood of sugary and fattening treats has already begun to descend upon us. Even the most disciplined amongst us will have a hard time saying “no.”

Unfortunately, the weight gained during this season tends to stay with us.

Hopefully I can impart some knowledge about nutrition and fitness that will allow you to still have a lot of fun, while eating healthy and staying fit.

Winter naturally increases our cravings for sweet carbs by our decreased exposure to sunlight, which results in less serotonin activity in the brain. This serotonin deficit results in our feeling tired and hungry. In order to battle this, we can put ourselves in a better position by eating low-fat, healthy carbs, such as sweet potatoes, oatmeal with brown sugar, or cinnamon toast – still yummy stuff, but much healthier than cookies, pies, and candy.

Hopefully obvious from my previous statement is that you should get as much sun exposure as possible, at least 20-30 minutes/day. Outdoor, natural sunlight is best, but if nothing else at least sit by a sun exposed window. There are too many tips to list them all in this article, so I’ve only included the most significant ones that pertain to the majority of the audience.

• Eat a low-fat snack before going to a party.
• Take a 30 minute walk before eating as it will burn calories and reduce appetite.
• Limit your alcohol calories, which are generally stored as fat.
• Use smaller plates, and fill that plate with vegetables first, then with the other “meats n’ treats”
• Use minimal salad dressing (tend to be high in fat unless you use a vinaigrette). • Okay…eat your favorite dessert (It’s the Holidays, for crying out loud!), but take a small portion and don’t go back for seconds.

Let’s not forget about winter fitness. It is natural for us to slow down a little in the winter, especially with the shorter days. We have to make a special effort to stay fit during this time because of the lack of sunlight and warm weather; otherwise we will hunker down and reverse all of our fitness gains that we attained over the long summer.

“But it’s cold outside, and I think the gym is boooooring!”, you say. I somewhat agree, but there are so many options that we can choose from to help us overcome those obstacles. I’ve included some fitness tips/ideas to help you battle the bulge.

1. Stairs – take them…always…everywhere!
2. Mall Walking – many people still want to go for walks, and the mall is a warm place to do it.
3. Indoor Sports – many facilities offer indoor soccer, basketball, swimming, rock climbing, etc.
4. Home Gym – it’s amazing how much you can do with exercise bands and a couple of clips.
5. Workout Videos – jazzercise, Zumba, yoga, bootcamps, etc. (All free on YouTube).
6. Dancing – what a wonderful time of year to take up.
7. Winter Sports – bit of a trip, but skiing, snowboarding, and x-country skiing are all within reach.
8. Active TV Watching – commercials are a great time to do jumping jacks, push-ups, squats, and burpees. If you have the luxury of space, put a TV in front of your bike trainer or treadmill.

Many holiday and family traditions revolve around foods that make the season special. Limiting high-fat foods, maintaining a healthy diet and getting regular exercise year round will fend off significant permanent weight gain from holiday festivities. I hope this helps, and may you all have a wonderfully blessed holiday season with your loved ones.

-Dr. Chip Studley