Avoiding the Holiday Pounds

  MSN had a great article on How to Stay Slim During the Holidays.  Then I read a great suggestion about High Intensity Interval Training or HIIT.    
     1.  Break up Your Exercise – yes, you are supposed to exercise an hour a day but it doesn’t have to be an hour all at once.   It can be 10 minutes here, fifteen minutes there.  Park your car far from the front door, go up and down the stairs a few extra times.  Go for a 15 minute walk if you don’t have time for a longer walk.   
     2.  Exercise with a friend – more fun to go for a walk or to the gym with a friend.      
        3.   HIIT – Geralyn Coopersmith, global director of performance and fitness training at NIKE, Inc.  recommends HIIT. (BHG.com).  She notes that this type of training burns more calories and more fat.  A study of women working out 3 times a week, 20 minutes at a time using HIIT, burned more calories and more fat than women who worked out twice as long but at a slow and steady pace.  Her HIIT for a stationary bicycle is:
              • 5 minute warm up
              • One minute sprint
              • Two minute recovery
              • One minute sprint
              • Two minute recovery
              • One minute sprint
              • Two minute recovery
              • One minute sprint
              • Recovery
                I tried the HIIT workout on a stationary bike and it was great.  Definitely felt the calories burn off during the sprints.     
    4.  Dance to some holiday music – dancing is great exercise and can burn off some calories.    
  5.   Stay hydrated – if you are thirsty you are becoming dehydrated.  
     6.  Focus on veggies/fruit – at a party, load up on the celery, lettuce, cucumbers and for fruit the grapes, melons.  A Los Angeles nutritionist, Jackie Keller, tells celebrities to pile their ‘plate high with asparagus and green beans a few days before a “be-seen “event.  They’re high in filling fiber but less likely to expand your stomach”.   
     7.   Treat yourself - it is the holidays and it is OK to enjoy the food and fun.  At a resort this week, the first dinner out, I ordered whatever I wanted.  Yes, the meal was high in calories, but oh so good.  The next night I had a lighter meal, good but not quite so calorie laden. 
Sources:   How to Stay Slim During the Holidays. ,   “Get Intense”,  Dec. 2014,  BHG.com,  Image Source: HIIT

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How does coffee and tea affect blood sugar?

Image
Who doesn’t love some morning coffee?   Or, on cold days, a nice hot cup of tea.   Does drinking coffee or tea affect one’s blood glucose levels?    Should healthy adults be concerned about coffee or tea and blood glucose levels?   The Mayo Clinic says that for healthy adults, caffeine will probably have no noticeable effects on their blood sugar or blood glucose levels.   Studies have found that up to 400 milligrams of caffeine is safe for most of us.   A cup of coffee has about 120-180 milligrams of caffeine and most adults drink about 2 cups of coffee a day.   FDA says healthy adults can consume up to 400 mg of caffeine a day which equates to about 4-5 cups of coffee a day, or 10 cans of soda , or 2 “energy shot” drinks.   (See:   Caffeine – good or bad for your health? )     Can drinking coffee or tea reduce chances of getting type 2 diabetes? Some studies have found that coffee, tea, and other drinks with caffei...
Read more

Are there drinks that will help lower your blood pressure?

Image
According to the University of Southern California , almost half of Americans over the age of 20 have high blood pressure.   This means an astounding 122 million Americans.   Unfortunately, as you get older it is more likely to have blood pressure increase.   Many people don’t even know they have high blood pressure or hypertension.   The American Heart Association notes at first there are “no obvious symptoms to indicate something is wrong, but HBP can lead to heart attack, stroke, and kidney failure.”    A relative was asking what they could do diet wise to help lower their blood pressure.   We had already discussed the DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension).   (See:   Best Diets for Healthy Eating in 2024 .) and physical activity.    Diet wise, they were cutting back on sodium and increasing potassium foods but were wondering if there were anything else like any drinks that could help lower blood pressure?  ...
Read more

How to eat for better sleep

Image
Having trouble sleeping?   Are there foods you can eat that would help you sleep?   My husband sent me an interesting article, 8 Eating Habits That Actually Improve Your Sleep . According to CDC , “about 1 in 3 adults in the United States reported not getting enough rest or sleep every day.”   A lot of Americans have problems sleeping, about 50-70 million Americans.   You probably heard that drinking warm milk before bed helps one sleep?   Is this true?   What eating habits really do help you get to sleep and stay asleep? Sleep and hunger Did you know that getting a good night’s sleep affects hunger hormones in your body?   A good night’s sleep can lead to less snacking the next day as it keeps hunger at bay.   A professor of nutrition at Columbia University, Marie-Pierre St-Onge, says, “If you eat better, you sleep better and be more refreshed.   And that helps you make better decision for your diet.”      Some tips to ea...
Read more