Here's How You Can Lose the Holiday Season Foodbinge Bulges FAST!

B'SD

10 7 Tevet, 5775

I Can Believe that You Ate THAT Much! 

Slimmer you seems to be hiding under lots of fat, hmmm?

Holiday season coupled with weather that makes us want to remain indoors is a potent mix of calories and lack of movement. Excess calories are not burned up, muscles tighten and colds make you hibernate under the bed covers.

Fat accumulates. Fast.

Three years ago I shared a Whittle Your Waistline

 update about how to easily lower your weight, cholesterol and cardiac risks. The major point of the message was to move more than you already do and to eat less than you have been.

There's no need to buy expensive exercise equipment.

Invest in a pair of sturdy shoes because walking is free. It's increasingly fun as you allow yourself to interact with people outdoors. You'll even see lovely sights such as sunrises, sunsets, greenery and whoknowswhat. Give yourself that chance!

You can warm up your muscles to prepare them for intense exercise with simple shrugs and stretches while you're siting, or preferably standing.

Grab a pair of canned food containers of equal weight and swing them methodically at your sides. Raise your arms and bring the cans together, apart, together apart, for ten repetitions or so. Increase the number of repetitions daily, and the weight of the canned food items over time. March while you move those arms, and burn more calories in the same amount of time.

Learn how to do aerobics, isometrics and other movements for increased muscle tone and calorie-burning time.

Bustle around, looking for things you can clean, move or rearrange. Housework at home or in the office burns calories!

Take breaks from routines. Wriggle your feet and move your legs up-down-up-down while you're at your desk or sitting around reading. Keep your shoes on as you do leg-lifts while lying on the floor (use a thick towel or mat to prevent cold contact).

Use the stairs instead of elevators or escalators. WALK your errands instead of driving all the time. Spend the money saved on gas and car maintenance bills on some wrist and ankle weights you can wrap around your joints with already attached velcro (sporting shops sell such items). Weight-bearing movement burns more calories as you achieve other goals.

Bed-bound? Amputations? Ask your medical professionals for muscle-strengthening and calorie-burning guidance. Find solutions.

Most of all, stop being still too long.

Suck in your tummy and hold the pose several seconds to tone the muscles there. Repeat that effort several times daily.

Making a phone call? Stand up while you speak. Bounce on, then rise up/down with your heels and toes.

And replace the hi-cal food with lo-cal stuff you'd like to eat: a few handfuls of non-buttered  popcorn, veggie platters without dressings, fruit, nuts, seeds, and so on. Prepare those things in advance, before you're bored or in the the mood to snack. 

Leave the stuffings, meats and toppings off your menu. Those are for treats, not daily fare.

Reward yourself for sticking to your New Year's resolutions for getting into better shape. Make it something other than food (music, theater, art, hobbies, time with people important to you, etc.).

Brace for impact: DO NOT overindulge at any more parties. Smile when anyone tries to force feed you too much food, and visualize the slimmer you.




Buy the E-book or print edition of EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge.


 

Face Your Medical Problems with Dignity. Face Your Future with Optimism.

Fight weight gain with movement.