Strategies for Fighting the Holiday Bulge (Part 1)

Most people gain at least a few pounds leadingup to Christmas and New Years. The bad news is weight gained over the holidays usually isn't lost during the rest of the year. The cause of course is too much food and too little exercise. Over the next few weeks I'm going to share with you a few strategies that will help you enjoy the holidays and not have any regrets come January 1.

1) Eat before you party

Do you really think you will be able to resist your favourite delicacies when you're starving?Having a protein shake or maybe some low-fat yogurt and berries before heading out to a big holiday dinner or party should help you fight your temptation to binge.

2) Ramp up your Cardio

With all the parties, decorating, shopping and other festivities, this is when people typically cut back on their workouts. Make it a priority not to let this slide. You'll burn max calories by increasing your cardio workouts during this time; and it's especially effective to go for a hard workout right before a holiday meal. For the next few hours your metabolism is on fire and is much more effective at burning off high-calorie, high-fat food, which will otherwise lead to unwanted pounds.

3) Last will Come First

When it comes to eating, SLOW DOWN. Pretend you're in a race where being the last to finish is the target. It takes 20 minutes for our brains to tell us we're full, so the slower you eat the less calories you will likely consume.