Christmas is the biggest holiday season for family gathering with generous fare of family dinners, sweet-laden desserts and lots of other foods. Foods that are sure to bolster your festive spirit, complement to the rich vivacity of Christmas, even look good on your holiday photographs, but, are extremely unkind to your fitness regimen. Also take account of the chilly weather which stops you from running out and limits your outdoor physical activities. This holiday, I decided to take some strategic measures to fight my insatiable appetite for calorie-enriched meals and courses. So, I started to collate practical tips and ideas from fitness trainers, dieticians, and coaches. Alongside, I have planned to make the most of my gadgets and apps which could guide me, monitor my food intake, my physical activities as well as would help me avoid ‘dessert-disaster’ foods.
So, let me show you how we can program us to stay in shape and stay fit this holidays using technology.
Instagram
Did you know that Instagram could curb our gluttony? Yes, and it is studied and tested too. I read this recent research finding of Brigham Young University (BYU) which claim that Instagramming your food would alleviate your hunger as you tend to divert your focus to capturing, adding filters and sharing those on social networks. Thus, the more you look at those filtered photos of foods, the less you crave or want to eat. Scientists have referred this unlikely apathy toward food as “sensory boredom” which is happening to Instagram users as well as Pinterest users. According to Ryan Elder, study coauthor and BYU professor, “In a way, you’re becoming tired of that taste without even eating the food. It’s sensory boredom – you’ve kind of moved on. You don’t want that taste experience anymore.” I found it highly potential and practical way to resist calories for us since we breathe, walk, work and play with our gadgets. Hence, next time I come across a oh-so-chocolaty chocolate brownie or delicious cookies, I would stop and take picture of it instead of picking it up.
MyFitnessPal, my pal seriously!
And Noom Weight Loss Coach is actually my coach. When my ‘decision fatigue’ defeated my willpower (since our brain can take up limited number of decisions we make and it give in to our impulse), I resorted to an array of mobile apps to seek (and points to shame my mind) motivation for well-balanced diet and adequate physical activities. After trying and uninstalling varied range of apps, I settled with MyFitnessPal and Noom Weight Loss Coach. Both Noom Weight Loss Coach and MyFitnessPal provide large database of food with calorie count, let me enter food to check calorie, keep track of nutrients, track my exercise and above all, tell me the ratio in which I can consume no-calorie, low-calorie and high-calorie foods. Thus, I will be able to plan the hours of physical activities I need to burn the extra calorie I intake during holidays.
Run with my apps
Tons of apps let us track our physical activities, but how many of them will let us form a steady habit for physical exercise? Here is one which helped me do that – Lift. The Lift app has recently introduced Lift Plans which will help me form habit of running like practicing for marathon. The plan includes combination of long and short runs and when I need to rest. Moreover, the app also coaches me with step-by-step instructions on how I can achieve the goal I set and let me track my progress too. I can also share my progress with my friends and they can support me during this holiday to stick to my fitness goals, without coax me toward high-calorie foods and rich desserts.
YouTube fitness channels
In addition to Lift, I recommend you these really good fitness and running apps – RunKeeper, MapMyFitness, FitStar, Yog and GymPact. Along with these apps, I have also signed up with top 10 fitness YouTube channels to ward off expensive gym memberships and exercise in my comfortable refuge. These include BeFiT, Blogilates, SparkPeople Videos, Yogasync.TV, BEXLIFE.com, Diet.com Video, Sarah Fit, Steady Health, Tone It Up and Scott Herman Fitness.
Quick tips from fitness experts
For shedding extra calorie from the extra slice of pie and cookies during holiday, I sought what fitness experts and trainers suggest for staying fit and fend off weight gain during Christmas. Following fitness tips will serve as timely reminders when I tend to slacken my exercise or diet plan.
“As the personal fitness trainer to Miss District of Columbia and several pageant contestants throughout the region, I attend many holiday events. Prior to attending any event, I fill up by eating a lean, high-protein meal and drinking plenty of water. At the event, I avoid alcohol, and if I decide to indulge in a dessert, I’ll only eat half or a third of it or share it with a friend.”
—John A. Morris, personal fitness trainer to Miss District of Columbia
“Drink lots and lots of water daily. Many times, we eat when we are actually dehydrated and thirsty. Before I try one of my favorite holiday goodies, I have a glass of water. It softens my craving and helps me eat more moderately.”
—Elizabeth Brooks, personal fitness trainer and owner of Effervescence PT Studi
“No matter how sinful (or virtuous!) you are in your consumption during the holidays, it is important to stay diligently active and to stay on your normal schedule. If you eat three cookies at a holiday party, don’t skip breakfast the next morning to make up for it. Just make sure to walk more, take the stairs, and finish the day with a light dinner to make up for the caloric excess.”
—Monica Pampell, Advantage Trainer and swim instructor at the Sports Club/LA
“To avoid overindulging during the holidays, start your meals with a large salad. This way, you fill your stomach with a high-nutrition, low-calorie meal that doesn’t allow room for overeating. Stay active between meals, and seek out things you can easily do where you are and with whom you are: walking, playing the Wii, swimming, etc.”
—Timea Presley, head Pilates trainer at MINT Health Club & Spa
“The holidays are all about celebration and indulgence—both of which are essential elements of a healthy lifestyle. Loads of sugar will pack on the pounds, but on the other hand, depriving yourself is not healthy, either. So take full advantage of the 80/20 rule at the holidays, allowing yourself carte blanche 20 percent of the time for 100 percent of the results both mentally and physically.”
—Grant Hill, personal trainer with My Bootcamp
“When you know you’re going to a holiday party, eat your normal healthy foods before you go, so you won’t be as hungry once there. It’s not as festive as cramming your mouth with delicious, high-calorie treats, but you’ll feel so much better.”
—Laurent Amzallag, personal trainer and creator of the YaLa workout
So, how will you plan to retain in shape and stay fit during holidays? Share your tips and experience below or at Tech for Women- Mizwhiz.com.