How To Train And Eat Right During The Holidays
Tips to help you enjoy eating good food without feeling guilty
We tend to eat lots of good food during the holidays. Sometimes it can get out of control. In this article we will give you tips to work out and eat what you love without feeling guilty.
Try intermittent fasting. It will help you reduce your overall caloric intake for the day. It will also increase the GH's (Growth Hormone) production, which promotes muscle growth.
It's very common to reach food coma during the holidays, I'm also guilty of it. Make sure to take your time and chew food properly. It will help you digest the food properly and avoid rushing to get your second plate. An average of 32 chews is necessary to help you digest food properly.
We tend not to be able to follow our usual training plan during the holidays. It is important to adjust your training according to your schedule. So if you usually train lower body on Monday and upper body on Tuesday. Now let's say you won't be able to train on Tuesday, try to do a full body workout on Monday. It will help you target all the muscle groups.
You may have to go to a location where you won't be able to have access to a gym. It's okay. You can do a home workout that will help you keep your body moving and burn calories.
Time can be limited during the holidays. It can be useful to use intensification training techniques like the superset/circuits to make your workouts shorter. Also, circuits can increase your heart rate more than a traditional workout, which will make you burn more calories.
Compound exercises such as squat, deadlift, overhead press... will help you target more muscles at once than isolation exercises. They will also help you burn more calories.
You might be able to work out like your usual schedule. However, you may be eating way more than you usually do. So instead of restricting yourself, try to add an additional cardio session during that same week. Try HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training). It will make you burn a lot of calories in a short period of time.
- Try fasting, it will help you decrease your overall caloric intake and promote growth hormone.
- Avoid overeating by taking your time and chewing your food properly.
- Train more muscles at once.
- Work out at home if necessary
- Make your workouts shorter by doing circuits.
- Do additional cardio sessions to help you burn more calories.
Frequently Asked Questions
To maintain your fitness routine during the holidays, consider adjusting your workout schedule to fit your holiday plans. Incorporate full-body workouts, which can be more efficient, and use supersets or circuits to make your sessions shorter and more intense. If you don't have access to a gym, try home workouts to stay active.
To avoid overeating during holiday meals, take your time to chew your food properly, which aids digestion and gives your brain time to register fullness. Consider intermittent fasting before a big meal to balance your caloric intake for the day.
Yes, you can enjoy holiday foods without guilt by balancing your intake with increased physical activity, such as adding extra cardio sessions. Focus on portion control and savor each bite to enhance satisfaction without overindulging.
Compound exercises, such as squats and deadlifts, engage multiple muscle groups simultaneously, making them ideal for efficient workouts during the busy holiday season. They also help burn more calories, which can offset the additional holiday food intake.
Intermittent fasting can help manage holiday weight gain by reducing overall caloric intake and promoting increased growth hormone production, which supports muscle growth. For more details, check out our article on Intermittent Fasting.
Effective home workout options include bodyweight exercises like push-ups, squats, and planks. These exercises require no equipment and can be performed anywhere, making them perfect for maintaining fitness when traveling or away from the gym. For structured plans, explore the Gymaholic App.