This is another in a series of articles intended to expose our readers to pertinent information regarding their fitness efforts. It is produced mainly on the basis of research done by Rodriguez “Rodja” Constantine, who is a Fitness Consultant, the owner of REPTS (Registered Exercise Professionals & Therapists) and co-producer and host of THE FIT FACTOR on Rhythm Fm (95.5). Rodja has over 20 years experience in the field.
TIPS FOR A HEALTHY HOLIDAY SEASON
Since food is an important part of many holidays, celebrations, family and cultural traditions, in fact, special occasions often centre around food. Consider these 10 tips for fully enjoying the holiday season without gaining weight!
1. Focus on weight maintenance vs. weight loss during the holidays. If you are currently overweight and want to lose weight, this is not the time to do it. Maintenance of your present weight is a big enough challenge during the holiday season.
2. Plan on NOT dieting after the New Year. Anticipation of food restriction sets you up for binge-type eating over the holidays. It has been found that restrictive diets don’t work in the long run.
3. Be physically active every day. Physical activity, especially aerobic activities (like brisk walking, jogging, bicycling, roller blading, and swimming) can help relieve stress, regulate appetite, and burn up extra calories from holiday eating.
4. Eat a light snack before going to holiday parties. It is not a good idea to arrive at a party famished. Try eating some almonds or an apple before you go.
5. Make a plan. Think about where you will be, who you will be with, what foods will be available, what foods are really special to you (that you really want to eat) vs. those that you could probably do without, what are your personal triggers to overeat and how can you minimize them.
6. Take steps to avoid recreational eating. At parties and holiday dinners, we tend to eat (or keep eating) beyond our body’s physical hunger simply because food is there and eating is a “social thing.” To avoid recreational eating, consciously make one plate of the foods you really want.
7. Reduce the fat in holiday recipes. There are plenty of low fat and low calorie substitutes that are amazingly tasty.
8. Choose your beverages wisely. Alcohol is high in calories. Liquors, sweet wines and sweet mixed drinks contain 150-450 calories per glass. By contrast, water and diet sodas are calorie-free. If you choose to drink, select light wines and beers, and use non-alcoholic mixers such as water and diet soda.
Limit your intake to one or two alcoholic drinks per occasion. And, watch out for calories in soda, fruit punch, and egg nog as well. Try adding a lemon lime diet drink with wine to make a wine spritzer and always have a bottle of water handy.
9. Enjoy good friends and family. Although food can be a big part of the season, it doesn’t have to be the focus. Holidays are a time to reunite with good friends and family, to share laughter and cheer, to celebrate and to give thanks.
10. Maintain perspective: Overeating one day won’t make or break your eating plan. And it certainly won’t make you gain weight! It takes days and days of overeating to gain weight.
Now go out and enjoy the holiday season!
Keeping on your fitness game–with or without a personal trainer– is easier than ever with Repts4Life workouts. here’s a fitness programme to help you shed unwanted pounds, trim excess body fat, and sculpt a lean body. Each week, the workouts will become progressively challenging to keep you motivated toward your fitness and weight loss goals. Each exercise should be performed in sequence with one day of rest in between and each should eventually be completed within 30 to 45 minutes. Personalized programmes are also available for a nominal fee. In the mean time, do take advantage of our holiday special: Renew or Signup for any personal training package by December 24, 2015 and get FREE gym membership, a FREE diet, FREE massages with timely renewal, and FREE classes. Get two to six personal training sessions per week starting from as low as $100 monthly. Returning clients pay no registration. Gift Certificates & FREE Trial Sessions are available!
REPTS ( Registered Exercise Professionals & Therapists) is a Personal Training Studio located both in Castries (upstairs Kaycees on the Square) and Rodney Bay (opposite RJ Clarke). REPTS offers all inclusive upgradeable fitness packages (Personal and small Group Training, Body Analysis, Nutrition Counselling and Planning, FREE Gym Membership, Classes and etc.) for one affordable monthly fee. Rodja also designs long term fitness plans and short term workout routines for use at home, your current gym, or when travelling. Skype Training is also available for those who live abroad or travel too frequently to maintain a consistent training programme at home. Call 758-722-3763 for details and to schedule an FREE consultation and trial session. You can also visit repts online at reptsfitness.com or on facebook at facebook.com/repts.fitness.