It’s that time of year again.
The time where people enjoy the festivities with all the gift giving and feasting to your heart’s content.
Unfortunately, that also comes with a more casual adherence to you fitness plans and if we are not careful, it can bring about the dreaded result I like to call the ‘holiday belly bulge.’
This is more likely to happen with the myriad of events going on and the large amounts of high caloric drinks available.
The holiday belly bulge can be caused by a number of factors but here we list the 3 most common mistakes people make that cause weight gain.
1.You fall off track.
Due to it being the holidays, people act like they are on vacation. They may say, ”I can just relax now. I don’t have to workout, I’m excused.”
Unfortunately, this type of thinking can cause us to neglect the fitness plan in general and cause your momentum to take a nosedive, making it even more difficult to get back to working out once the holidays are over.
What do we do to combat this? Well, just do something.
Even if it is something small, like a 5 minute walk or taking on that extra flight of stairs, it still counts. It is a lot better than doing nothing at all and all those little actions add up. Plus, it will be easier to get back into the groove of consistency once the holiday chaos has passed.
Check out this blogpost to find more ways to fit fitness in.
2. You Overdo it.
Holiday events are everywhere this time of the year. From the office parties to happy hour specials at the bar, there is no escaping the holiday cheer. They are also filled with the most delicious (but also unhealthy) foods that make it easy achieve the ‘holiday belly bulge.’
While I am all for you guys having fun this season, it is important to have a bit of discipline and self control to maintain the progress you have been making the entire year.
You can achieve this by setting limits to how many drinks you can have (1 to 3 at most) or how much food you can consume before putting the plate down for the final time that night.
3.Unrealistic expectations.
The holidays are such a busy time of year that people sometimes underestimate the how hectic it can be. This can cause some derailment in your fitness plans if you don’t plan ahead.
For example, I spent Thanksgiving with my family where we interacted with each other and ate the holiday fest together. Towards the end, we had a surplus of food that ended up going home with me to my cupboard. And this food is the stuff cravings are made from (apple pie, brownies, cookies).
This surplus of good food creates temptation that can certainly cause a dent in my fitness progress. In order to not be caught off guard and give in to it, I am going to do a cupboard check and see which foods I can keep and which ones I can give away. When I do consume it, I will pace myself and have it on days where I can afford to do so (mostly on workout days).
So these are the 3 common mistakes people make around the holidays and hopefully ones’ you can now better avoid.
One thing to help avoid these 3 mistakes is the practice of affirmations where you train your unconscious mind you want something by constantly telling yourself about it..
If you focus on the affirmation, the mind starts to bring ideas in order to make the desire happen. You can say something like, “I will maintain my fitness level this holiday season” and eventually, your mind will find ways to make it happen.
One thing that can help achieve this is the Motion Traxx app.
Good luck with maintaining your fitness level. Hope you have an amazing holiday season and keep making strides towards your fitness goals!