Healthy Holiday Eating

OK. Here we are again, approaching the holidays. Do you want to get fat like the rest of the country or do you want to enjoy holiday eating while getting into the best shape of your life? Many people decide that they will get in shape after New Years.

In fact, some health clubs will do twenty five percent of their annual revenue in the month of January. By February 1st the health clubs will look like they did in December. Why do these people fail to achieve their fitness goals?

The only reason they fail is because they don’t know the fitness truth. They are seeking physical change with some sort of quick fix in the form of calorie deprivation. The result of calorie deprivation in any form is always going to be rapid water loss, some fat loss, and most importantly muscle loss. This is crippling to long term health because the muscle loss leads to a slower metabolism. Now you are more efficient at storing body fat.

So what do you have to do to speed metabolism? You simply have to do the opposite. Eat supportive foods frequently, think of food as fuel (like gas to a car) and a heat producing effect is produced. Your body gets real good at burning through food. Now you are constantly burning more calories even while you are just sitting down and reading this.

You do have to eat supportive foods. Constant consumption of sugar, hydrogenated fats, and saturated fats will minimize your ability to burn fat. There is something called a cheat day that many people I work with enjoy. It is a way to enjoy your favorite foods while avoiding a binge. This is no different from a festive meal or holiday party. So, enjoy the holidays, eat, and drink in moderation. The rest of the time eat supportively, add some weight training or calisthenics and do some aerobics. Those few holiday meals will not make a difference.

Just remember that any attempt to get in shape where the focus is on the scale weight will result in failure. The scale is not very intelligent. It won’t tell you what the weight you are losing is composed of. Happy Holidays! Make 2004 the year that you get into optimal physical and mental health!!