Your Guide to Not Packing on Those Holiday Pounds

The holiday season has arrived, bringing with it copious amounts of food, drink, and likely extra pounds for your waistline. It’s a hectic time of year, and it can be tempting to throw your diet and exercise plans out the window with the intention of picking them up again in the new year.

Instead of starting the new year on a downer when you step on the scales and see how many pounds you’ve packed on, practice some simple steps now to avoid an unhealthy weight gain. Here are some expert tips from the caring health specialists at Refresh Rx Hawaii in Honolulu.

Stay active throughout the holiday season

Those dark mornings can really make you want to stay in bed, but getting up to work out is a great way to prevent weight gain and get the morning off to a great start. A good workout will help your metabolism cope with the excess food and drink you have in store for it.

You’ll burn off glycogen that’s stored in your muscles, freeing up space for the carbohydrates you’ll eat later. Working out will also encourage your body to use the calories you take in rather than turn them into excess fat.

If you can’t go to the gym, try taking a run or even a brisk walk to get your metabolism moving.

Stay hydrated by drinking lots of water

Drinking lots of water will not only boost your immune system to help keep you from getting sick, it will also help prevent pounds from packing on.

Water aids your digestion by breaking down what you eat so it can be used by your body. It can also assist your liver in metabolizing fat, help you store excess sugar as glycogen, and help you feel more satiated so you don’t eat too much.

Choose what you eat and drink wisely

There’s a lot of excess food and drink this time of year, but when you’re trying to avoid getting extra pounds, make good choices about what you eat and drink.

Alcoholic beverages and carbonated drinks are full of empty calories. There’s little to no nutritious value in these drinks, so there’s no way for your body to use them. Instead, they get stored and turned into fat. The worst thing about drinking too much alcohol or soda is that they don’t affect your satiety level. So while your drinks might have hundreds of calories, your brain won’t register this. Consequently, your brain will tell you you’re still hungry.

That doesn’t mean you should avoid drinking alcohol or soda altogether, but you should stick to a maximum of three drinks a day. By cutting down on beverages that are high in calories, you can be more free with what you eat.

If you’re concerned by excess weight gain and stubborn fat, book an appointment online or over the phone with Refresh Rx Hawaii to rediscover a slimmer and healthier you.