The article "Make A Preemptive Strike Against Christmas Weight Gain" talks about fitness, it has been created by Roy Thomsitt.
The summer holiday season is over in the northern hemisphere;
the days are shortening; and the nights getting lnoger and
cooler. While you cling on to any remnant of summer you can
find, through the odd warm day, the remainnig summer flowers,
and the holiday snaps you're at this moment having printed, the
remorseless progression into autumn and winter will continue.
For those of you who are overweight or borderline weight, you
are at this moment entering the danger zone. Autumn spills into winter and
the winter holiday season, and the holiday season brings with it
a lure to binge on all the traditional foods of Thanksgiving,
Christmas, and New Year. So, as your outdoor activity is likely
to decline, and your indoor activity likely to include lifting a
lot of food and drink to your mouth, but not otherwise increase,
it is a period of the year when you will be in danger of tipping
your weight over the edge or up the scale.
If you're on, or should be on, a weight loss diet, or are on
the brink of needing one, then at this moment is a great time to take stock
and plan ahead with fortitude. By being prepared for the diet
battle of the Christmas holiday season, it can be a battle you
will win with comfort.
I do not say ease, becasue nothing comes
easily when it means resisting some of your favourite foods;
especially at a time when those around you're overindulging.
Once the summer holiday period is over, you have 3 months to get
ready for the winter holiday season. So, what can you do to
ensure you do not steadily put on weight during the autumn and
then put your weight gain into overdrive from Thanksgiving to
New Year?
Here is the skeleton of a plan:
Prepare Your Mind For The Onslaught of Gluttony
Put against the perspective of the whole year, keeping to a
sensible diet through the holiday season should not seem so
difficult. Ask yourself, why on earth should you change so
drastically over a couple of short weeks, especially over the
Christmas holiday?
Is it not possible to maintain a good diet
through the whole of the winter, without spoiling your
Christmas? Of course it is.
Much of any potential weakness will come from habit, peer
pressure, boredom and stress.
All of those thigns can be dealt
with comfortably by a steady programme of meditation and
relaxation. Inevitably, you will not be so encouraged into
outdoor activities once the days cool down and the nights
lengthen. From September, plan a regular yoga session, or other
form of relaxation and meditation, that will help strengthen
your resolve, and set you apart from peers in terms of
individual mental strnegth. You will slowly assert your
individuality in a way that will help you sail thruogh the
holiday season without succumbing to external pressures. You
will be asserting control, which you can then apply to anything.
During meditation sessions, give regular attention to your diet.
Not just your short term diet but long term, beyond Christmas.
See yourself happily on a healthy diet all year; not just
healthy, but a diet that you like.
Your Christmas diet can then
just merge into that; the holiday season can be similar to the
rest of the year without taking away from your enjoyment.
Get To Know Your Favourite Diet Foods
Being on a diet does not mean all enjoyable foods are out; that
is just not so. It will depend of course what sort of diet you
are on, but even if you're calorie counting, as the weeks pass
you can prepare in your mind, or even on paper, all the treats
that are a normal part of Chrismtas festivities yet very
healthy.
Here are some that come to mind:
1. That Chrsitmas turkey is not off the menu in most cases; lean
white meat is likely to be acceptable. And is turkey not the
symbol of Christmas lucnh in some countries?
2. All the vegetables that go with the trukey can be delicious
if you buy good quality and cook them well. Why not set your
mind on organic vegetables only for the holiday season?
That may
seem an indulgence cost wise, but bteter to indulge in that than
junk foods.
3.
Fresh salmon is great for special occasions; how about fresh
Scottish salmon delivered to your door.
A treat, but one that
should not damgae your diet.
4. In the months leading up to Christmas, experiment with your
own salad dressings, and try different olive oils.
Saldas with a
difference can be healthy but still a treat.
5. Aim to have plenty of fruits around the house during the
Christmas period. Want to indulge as it's Christmas?
What about
your favourite fruits, something you regard as a treat? Can they
not be fitted in to the Christmas spread?
6.
Three are a variety of nuts which make delightful snacks.
In
fact, my favourite food of all, and always a Christmas treat in
England, is cashew nuts. Are you a cashew addict too?
Keep lots
of nuts around the home too over the holiday period.
7. As the evenings get darker, try finding some recipes for
snacks that are within your calorie range but a little bit
different, so they are special for Christmas. Select the best,
and have them on hand over the holiday.
Really, there is an enormous amount of scope to make your
holiday food a treat for you and those around you, without
overflowing the tables with fattening foods. Mix in your mental
preparations with the food selection, and over the next couple
of months you will have a vision of a non-gluttonous,
non-fattening Christmas indlugence. There is no need to indulge
in quantity; just in the variety and quality.
Keep Up Summer Atcivity Levels
Without thinking about it, you have probably been more active
physically in the summer months than you would normally be in
the winter. Be awrae of that fact, and plan regular exercise
sessions throughout the winter. Visiting the gym twice a week
would be great, but you can also build walking and swimming into
your rotuines.
Walking part of the way to and from work, or to
the local stores, or taikng the dogs on longer walks; all these
things can contribute to your weight control, and make you feel
better.
If you believe better, coupled with your mental strength,
keeping your weight down over Christmas will not be as difficult
as you might have thought.
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