Its here again! You know that time of year where putting on the pounds is inevitable.  Things like picking at the Holiday party sampler plates, eating mall food while shopping for gifts, or drinking on a near daily basis will pack on those pounds. Fitness is a lot like money. We can burn through our gains much faster than we seem to make them.   You spend all year dieting only to throw it all away for a few weeks of indulgence during the Holidays.  Then you resolve to undo the damage for the following year.  You may keep asking yourself “Why do I keep doing this to myself?”  Well the answer is simple good food is hard to pass up and people tend to eat more during winter months to stay warm. 

How Do I Eat Smart During The Holidays?  

The easiest way to stay lean is to maintain the same sensible diet year round.  Most people burn more calories in the winter months because their body fights to stay warm.  Consequently, winter months usually mean that you stay in and eat.  If you can manage to stay active and keep your calories down, then winter is the perfect time to lose weight.  By the time spring hits, you can show off your self discipline in your favorite warm weather attire. 

Tips to Curbing Your Holiday Food Cravings.

1.       Fill yourself up on water.  You will flush out those fatty foods and be too full to over eat.

2.       Reach for the veggies not the fatty finger foods.

3.       Stay out of the fridge before bedtime.  Come on do you really don’t need seconds at midnight?

4.       Horde up all of the sweets you got as gifts and give them away.

5.       Eat earlier so that your body has time to digest the food before bed.

6.       Bundle up and go for a walk outside with a good friend or family member. 

7.       No time for the gym? Do jump squats, push ups, sit-ups and jump rope at home.