5 Keys To Enjoy The Holidays Without Gaining Weight
Before the holidays arrive, we may have the anxiety of gaining weight. Sometimes it is because during the year we have made a lot of efforts to stay in shape, or because we already have a few extra kilos and we don’t want them to accumulate more.
Because it is clear that we really like parties and end-of-year culinary specialties, and we want to be able to enjoy these social moments without it being a nightmare and also making us gain weight. So… What to do?
Below we will see 5 keys to help you make this time of year as pleasant as possible without weight being a concern.
1. Intermittent fasting
Intermittent fasting is increasingly practiced by people who want to take care of both their figure and their health In general it can be practiced at any time of the year, so during the holidays it is equally recommended, since we know that we are going to eat more than normal and with excessive nutritional contributions.
Fasting for at least 12 hours a day is recommended That is, leave 12 hours between finishing dinner and having breakfast. Thus, we will have breakfast a little later and continue with the 3 meals a day without skipping any meals. This allows the digestive system to rest and assimilate excessive holiday meals.
Taking advantage of the moment of fasting to do moderate physical activity in the mornings could be very effective. Walking in the mountains, walking at sustained speed, riding a bike for a walk, or doing moderate physical activity at home (yoga, exercises to strengthen muscles) are examples of healthy routines.
If you have a pedometer or a connected device that can measure your steps, it is recommended to take about 12,000 steps a day.
Moderate physical activity is beneficial for your health, and allows the body to burn some fat reserves or at least burn off extra calories consumed during these exceptional meals. Did you know that even after you have finished physical activity, your body can continue to use energy for a few more hours?
3. A juice or smoothie:
If you have never tried fasting, one of the 3 meals can be replaced with a fruit and vegetable juice or smoothie
A recipe to keep in mind is the following: 1 apple, 1 beet, 2 medium carrots, ½ lemon, a little fresh parsley, 1 1 cm piece of ginger.
Put all ingredients in the blender and drink immediately to enjoy all the nutritional benefits. It is important to choose quality and organic ingredients to limit the influence of pesticides or lack of nutrients.
If you have a blender, you can make this juice recipe that will help your liver detoxify your body , or other recipes to help better assimilate fats or help regulate blood glucose levels. Because there are no detox ingredients or detox juice, but ingredients that help the liver do its cleansing work in your body.
If our goal is limit the negative effects of the excesses that we can do by eating more during the end of year holidays , it is important to know our body. Meditating and using some mindful eating techniques can be very beneficial to limit weight gain.
This will allow you to enjoy the food, know when is the best time to stop eating or limit the quantities and, thus, eliminate this feeling of guilt that we do not want to have after eating.
5. Meditate every morning even for 15 minutes
At mealtime, meditation can help you:
6. Eat slowly
Halfway through the meal, ask yourself if you’re still hungry. Also, chew your food well: All the previous chewing work will help the body digest and assimilate nutrients better , and therefore limit excesses by transforming what is ingested into reserve fat. Savor your food.
7. Dissociate:
Another possible alternative may be to try eating in a dissociated way to facilitate the digestive process. What is dissociative eating? It consists of not mixing proteins with carbohydrates in the same meal. For example: eat a plate of vegetables with legumes or vegetables with cereals, or a plate of vegetables with meat or vegetables with fish or vegetables with eggs, but do not mix meat or fish with cereals, pasta or potatoes.
During the holidays, it is sometimes difficult to do this, but it can be tried for some meals. This may suit some people and not others: you have to try it to see if it can be done without problems.
