.

Top 10 Stay Fit During the Holidays

1) Workout as early as possible, preferably first thing in the morning.
The best way to ensure that you fit your training into a busy holiday schedule is to make it your first activity of the day. It is an excellent way to get the blood pumping, lift your spirits and guarantees that your other important activities don’t make lifting take a back seat. If your schedule is really hectic, I would advise waking up early and getting training done, if possible, right before you go to work. If this is not possible, then try doing it at lunchtime or right after work so that nothing else interferes with your workout.

2) Try to train at least 3 times a week.
Keep yourself in the habit of working out even when your schedule is upside down. If you go too long without working out, your body will get used to the inactivity and it will be much more difficult to get back in the habit. Even 3 sessions per week of 1 hour will give you more energy and help keep the holiday pounds from creeping up.

3) Have a plan!
Because of the amount of get togethers and days that the gym may be closed, it is best if you decide a week ahead which days you will be attending the gym. In this manner, your chances of missing a workout due to parties or gym closures are eliminated. Also, have a plan for what workouts and exercises to complete well before you enter the gym.

4) Keep yourself in check. Or find someone that will!
It is all about accountability. If you know that once a week you will have to stand on the scale and be accountable for how often you trained or what you ate the week before, it will be easier to stick to your plans. Start each week of the season by taking your weight and measurements and doing a personal evaluation of your habits from the previous week. Did you get in all of your lifting & cardio? Did you stick to a healthy nutrition plan 90% of the time? By thinking through your past week, you will have renewed focus for the week ahead. Better yet, find a friend or trainer to track those numbers with you and who will be there for motivation.

5) Plan Your Cheats Wisely.
Avoid the tendency to turn the whole holiday season into one big cheat month. Many people start overeating at Thanksgiving and don’t stop until they can’t fit into their favorite outfit for New Years. Determine ahead of time when you will indulge and enjoy yourself at those times. My advice is to attempt to space cheat meals out with at least 6 days in between. The rest of the time, eat as you normally would the rest of the year.

6) Have a tough workout before you cheat to minimize fat gain and maximize muscle.
Reason for this is because after a workout the body is primed to absorb nutrients in the form of proteins and carbohydrates. Thus, having a cheat meal afterwards will ensure that most nutrients are used for recovery and muscle production.

7) Take 3 Lean Out before a cheat meal helps to increase your cell’s ability to accept insulin, and thus, assimilate the extra carbohydrates better. As a matter of fact, increasing insulin sensitivity is one of the reasons why I like to have a big workout prior to the cheat period.

8) Have some EFA’s with your cheat meal.
Research indicates that some Essential Fats like the ones found on flax oil or fish oils have anti-lipolitic properties. In other words, they inhibit some of the enzymes responsible for fat storage. By taking these fats with your cheat meal, you can minimize some of the damage. One tablespoon Flaxseed Oil or 3 capsules of EFA gold should do the trick.

9) Fill up on healthy foods first!
Start your meal with a salad or a low cal soup to dull your hunger. When making up your plate at a holiday buffet, load up with the veggies first (and hold off on any sauces that you can do without). A good rule of thumb is to make at least half of your plate vegetables. This will help you from overdoing the foods that are higher in fat.

10) Three to five hours after the cheat meal has ended have a 30-minute walk.
I’m not talking about anything strenuous; around 2.5 to 3 miles per hour is a good pace. Doing some cardiovascular activity after the cheat meal has ended will start burning some of the carbohydrates that may still be lingering around. The more of these you burn, the less likelihood of storing body fat. Better yet, make it a family affair and tradition. Have everyone get outside for an after the feast walk! You will all feel much better for it.

For more training tips & routines check out the full training section of the FitBody Members area!