The holidays are here… and along with the yule-tide greetings and gifts come those extra, unwanted pounds. With this in mind, we asked the trainers at Norm Waitt Sr. YMCA in South Sioux City to share some tips and words of encouragement:
How can people avoid extra weight gain during the holidays?
JACQUE PEREZ, wellness director: It is a hard thing to avoid. Studies show most people do gain a few pounds over the holiday season. I think the key is awareness: know what you are eating and hold yourself accountable. Don’t hide from it!! And have fun with physical activity! Turn on some tunes and move. Decorating the house is a great activity; shopping is a great way to get your steps in; and look at shoveling snow as something to keep you fit over the winter!
CARLOS SAENZ, Rx health coordinator: Portion control. During the holidays it is very difficult to say “no” to Mom’s or Grandma’s food because it’s delicious. But limiting the amount of food and moving more and being active during the holidays will avoid extra weight gain.
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DYLAN KRAMER, fitness coordinator: Don’t celebrate with food. You got an A on your test? Celebrate with something besides food.
MINDY WESTON, wellness coach: Keep active and stay on track with your food.
What tips or tricks do you have to help people stay on track?
JACQUE: Don’t do it alone. Find a friend or family member who will support you or wants to stay on track themselves. Set a visual reminder to eat healthy and stay active, like a sticky note on your computer screen. Or leave your tennis shoes in your car. Something that you will see everyday to help keep you on track.
CARLOS: Track everything you eat and the amount of time you spend doing physical activities. Smartphones now are a good resource to track this. Smartphones have some apps that tell you based on your biometrics how much food you should be consuming. This app will let you know if you are consuming too much food and if you are getting enough physical activity.
DYLAN: Track food. Don’t let food on your plate touch. Drink water in between bites. When you’re full -- but so is your plate -- just place a napkin over the remaining food. You don’t have to eat it!
MINDY: Pay attention to your stomach's "fullness gauge" and only eat until satisfied.
Which holiday food should be limited or avoided?
JACQUE: We never mention restricting or avoiding anything. Instead I would focus on portion sizes and making sure we are eating from all food groups. Don’t feel guilty and eat what you want. Especially if it is something you look forward to having. Just try taking a smaller portion, use a smaller plate or just practice reading nutrition info. This might help carve down the amount you have.
CARLOS: We do not tell people what to or not eat. It is more about portions than the kind of food they are eating. Of course always refer to and try to follow the guidelines from myplate.gov.
DYLAN: Only the food you don’t like!
MINDY: Any of the foods you can get all year round.
What’s the best way to get over the holiday bloat hangover?
JACQUE: Get moving. It’s as simple as taking a 10-minute walk a few times a week. Get that metabolism rolling again; find something you like to do and try and get active.
CARLOS: I will say drink a lot of water because it will help with digestion.
DYLAN: Walk after meals. Go for a walk, walk away from the food and avoid the bloat all together.
MINDY: Drink plenty of water and avoid sugar.
What is your favorite exercise routine?
JACQUE: You can’t go wrong with a simple walk or jog. To up the ante, increase your incline on the treadmill to get some extra calorie burn. And I also love classic bodyweight exercises that can be done anywhere, from a gym, to a park bench, to your living room. Things like lunges, squats, planks, push-ups, etc.
CARLOS: I like circuit training or tabata-style workouts. They are HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) where you perform an exercise for a short period of time (20, 30 or 45 seconds) with short breaks (10-15 seconds) at a high intensity.
DYLAN: Yoga or a heart-pounding HIIT circuit.
MINDY: My favorite workouts are probably anything with a friend or in a group.
