Seven Ways To Maximize Your Holiday Weight Gain
Most Holiday fitness articles are about avoiding weight gain. How boring is that? In all seriousness: negatives are like the parking break. Positives are like the gas pedal. Yes, pushing the pedal to the floor moves the car, but not far, nor for long until you remove the parking break.
1. Test yourself
Keep your most tempting foods on your kitchen counter. This maximizes the frequency of temptation. More importantly, if you weren’t overstocked with temptation, you might be too tired to go shopping or stay awake for a delivery after an exhausting day.
2. Bury your head
Avoid the scale and wear only the most forgiving clothes. This way you won’t know when to reign it in. If you’re lucky (and your pants are forgiving) you can gain 20+ pounds before you have to face facts.
3. Be secretive and independent
As we know, only children need life help. Don’t let important people know about your fitness goals, or that you need help staying away from trigger foods. If they don’t know you need help they won’t see you as weak, nor will you get any support that could offset any holiday weight gain. Bonus: helps build the resentment your relationship is lacking.
4. Skip the gym
Since you can’t out-train every possible calorie, why bother burning any? The reality of regular exercise on a tight schedule is it can only help improve health, fitness, immunity, and emotional wellbeing, but it can’t give you a blank check on calories.
5. Wait
If you’re not exercising consistently, don’t start now. The holidays, travels, etc make it impossible to be as consistent as you wish you were. Wishes are more likely to come true when we wait for more perfect timing.
6. Say “yes”
Commit yourself to every party you’re invited to, and to every favor asked of you. These “yeses” help ensure you run out of time to exercise, grocery shop, or even sleep.
7. Don’t sleep
Less than 6 hours would be best. This helps to sap your motivation and energy to do self-care like exercise, cooking, etc. Additionally, the longer you’re awake the more time you have to eat the temptation we discussed in #1.
You can have some cake and eat it too. Take off the breaks that are listed here (and do the opposite) to avoid unwanted holiday weight gain. Merry Christmas! Happy Chanukah! Happy New Year!
Josef Brandenburg is the co-owner and a coach at True 180 Personal Training, Charlotte’s most effective studio for women. We are changing the way fitness is done to get you the results you deserve and to help you avoid holiday weight gain.
Our family-owned, women’s-only personal training studio is conveniently located just across from the Ballantyne Bowl and close to your local Harris Teeter. If you’re searching for “personal trainer near me” in Charlotte, NC, you’ll find True 180 Personal Training for Women ready to support you. Our experienced trainers are dedicated to helping you reach your fitness goals, no matter your age or current fitness level.
We offer small group training sessions that combine personalized coaching with the support of a group, all at a more affordable price than traditional one-on-one personal training.
If you are ready to take the first step in your new fitness routine our 10 Day Trial is a great place to start.
What is the 10 Day Trial? There are no gimmicks and this is not a diet. This is a systematic combination of the 4 most important ingredients of your success:
- PROACTIVE ACCOUNTABILITY: We’ll help nudge and remind you to do your part.
- SUSTAINABLE NUTRITION: If you can’t keep it up, you can’t keep it off.
- INDIVIDUALIZED FITNESS PROGRAM: After your Initial Assessment Session we’ll design a program to meet you where you are today.
- SUPPORTIVE COMMUNITY: We are products of our social environment. Nobody succeeds or fails alone.