I was inspired to write this after watching the "Man of Steel" trailer, which if you haven't seen already is pure awesomeness. In an effort to help you navigate through the pitfalls of the season I have exposed some of the most badass holiday health villains and their superheroes to help save you.
Holiday Villain #1: Calorie Bombs. There is only one
day a year where you can eat whatever you want and not gain weight: your
birthday. The holiday season is sneaky with its dinners, events, parties and
the ever present office goodies but don’t be fooled. These “bombs” come dressed
up, displayed, and sometimes delivered with love but have a serious blast area,
nutritionally speaking.
Holiday Hero #1: How do you disable a calorie bomb? Plan
for these splurges and save them for the things that you most look forward to
during the holidays. The only splurges allowed should be the ones you have
planned for on your calendar. If you
thoughtfully plan out your splurges you will be much more apt to stick to the
plan.
Holiday Villain #2: The bottle(s) of booze. Alcohol
has more calories per gram than either protein or carbohydrates. Plus alcohol
is what’s called a “priority nutrient” meaning that your body will prioritize
using it for energy before any other substrate. In other words, all those holiday
beverages have to be burned off before any fat loss can start to take place
(which may take a while depending on how festive you’ve gotten!)
Holiday Hero #2: Use the tried-and true trick of
having one glass of water for every drink you take in. This will not only cut down on the amount of
booze you knock back, it will also help you stay hydrated, flush any extra
holiday toxins out of your system and improve the quality of your sleep.
Holiday Villain #3: Shut eye. All the extra parties, shopping and
decorating tend to cut into our shut eye. Sleep is when your body repairs itself, and lack of sleep can wreak
havoc on your body fat and your hormones. Research has shown that as sleep quality and quantity decrease, levels
of the stress hormone cortisol increase, while levels of growth hormone, a
hormone linked to building muscle and burning fat, decrease.
Holiday Hero #3: Get 6 to 8 hours of sleep every
night. Establish a nightly ritual of doing something relaxing, such as taking a
hot bath or foam rolling and stretching and then try to hit the sack
around the same time every night.
Holiday Villain #4: Holiday stress. We all know how stressful the holidays can
be. Stress can promote the release of
hormones that cause our bodies to store fat. When your
body is under excessive stress, you produce a hormone called cortisol, which is
secreted by your adrenal glands. This hormone was meant to be secreted in
fight-or-flight situations. For example, your body would churn out cortisol
when you got scared because an animal was chasing you, and then you would run
away and go sit in your cave and have what I call cortisol reduction time, when
your adrenals would re-boot for the next stressful event.
Unfortunately,
these days most of us don’t get much cortisol reduction time. Instead our
bodies are secreting cortisol 24/7, and as the day goes on, the stress
increases and the cortisol keeps rising. When your stress and therefore your
cortisol are high, your body is in a panicked state of survival. If your
cortisol is chronically high, you may notice you amount of belly fat going up.
Holiday Hero #4: Make R, R and R a priority. You don’t just need R and R you need R, R
and R – rest, relaxation and regeneration. Mark in an activity weekly that will help calm your nerves. Perhaps a massage, warm bath, meditation...or
a visit to the gym to foam roll, stretch and decompress.
Holiday Villain #5: Skipping the gym. With Christmas less than 2 weeks away we are
fast approaching the "Holiday Zone," in which many of us become
immersed in all sorts of overindulgence; a period in which the average Canadian
gains between 2 and 8 lbs. of fat! Yes,
some of this gain will be temporary and will be lost when the partying stops,
but more than half of those who gain will hold onto at least 1-2 lbs. of this
fat, adding it permanently to their "bottom" line.
Holiday Hero #5: You don’t have to be a compulsive
gym-goer to burn calories. Designate 4
days of each week that you will make it to the gym and participate in a class
or work on your own personal strength training plan. These workouts will add up to help boost your
metabolism and keep you in the holiday fat burning zone.
Wishing you good luck in battling the villians, and a happy and healthy holiday season!
~Sasha