by Dan Marzullo

4 Holiday Healthy Habits

The holidays are right around the corner – that means celebrations with friends and family, holiday parties, and most of all, delicious food! However, if you’re not strategic about how you indulge this season, you might end up with a bigger New Year’s resolution than you were hoping for. On average, people gain 5-10 lbs. between November and January, and typically don’t lose this weight the following year. Enjoying great food and holiday treats doesn’t have to be a threat to your waistline. Here are four tips to survive the holidays without sabotaging your health and fitness goals.

1.  HIIT for the Holidays

Scrambling between planning, shopping, and entertaining can leave little time for our weekly gym routines. If you’ve got a hectic day of running around getting everything ready for that Thanksgiving feast or Christmas party, make it a point to schedule a quick workout beforehand. High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) can save the day when you have little time to spare. HIIT is a training technique in which you alternate periods of fast, intense bursts of exercise with short rest intervals. This type of exercise spikes your heart rate and burns more calories in less time. Wake up 30 minutes earlier to knock out a quick HIIT workout!

2.  Sweat Equity

Giving up our guilty pleasures during this time of year is no fun. No one wants to pass up Grandma’s award-winning carrot cake. Instead of avoiding everything you love at the annual Christmas party, earn those calories with a little sweat equity. Go above and beyond during your workout to burn extra calories before the big night to account for those extra foods. You might even think twice before having a third piece of cake after you worked extra hard in the gym that day.

3.  Pre-Game

Before the big party or Thanksgiving feast, plan ahead by eating before you arrive. Having a healthy snack or small meal before the party will keep you from overindulging on all of your favorites. You can still enjoy the foods you love with less temptation to overeat because you’ll already feel somewhat full and satisfied.

4.  Fight the Food Coma

Instead of giving in to the urge to collapse on the couch waiting to give birth to the food baby you conceived during your holiday feast, get up and get active. Start a new holiday tradition this year by taking the festivities outside to bond over a family football game or stroll around the neighborhood. Not only will staying active after the big meal help you burn off those foods, but you won’t feel sick for the rest of the night!

Incorporate these four healthy habits into your holiday routine to stay on track with your health and fitness goals so you won’t feel like you have to “start over” January 1^st!

Contact Dan at: www.fitbodiesco.com