A personal message from Brian…
Greetings! Make sure that your Thanksgiving celebration has all of the right ingredients, including a healthy dose of calorie burning activities. Don’t take chances that will sabotage all of your hard work that you've devoted to a healthy lifestyle. There is a reason you visit Winter Garden Yoga: to build strength, get lean, and get toned. You owe yourself an opportunity to keep those results. I’m going to share some simple strategies that will help you succeed.
1. Don’t do it! I know, “easier said than done”, but if you have the discipline and the desire to maintain your current level of fitness, don’t give in to the temptation of overeating during the Thanksgiving season. Instead, have a spoonful of each of your favorite offerings and bring home the leftovers. This way you can enjoy sharing food with friends and family without feeling guilty.
2. Create space. If you know that you will indulge during the festivities, try creating space first. This simple technique was shared in Tim Ferris’ book, “The Four Hour Body.” Ferris suggests vigorous activity just before a meal in order to create a caloric deficit… hence, creating space. Be sure to choose exercises that are related to strength (pushups, bodyweight squats, lift weights, etc.). Fitness experts agree that strength movements raise your metabolism and burn more calories (for a greater period of time) than cardio related choices.
Fitness experts agree, strength moves such as the kettlebell Get Up burn more calories than cardio.
3. Doubles. Fans of P90X ® will recognize this idea. Workout in the morning and again in the evening. You read that correctly, two workouts in a day. This will help melt away the extra pounds from the double servings of turkey and stuffing. Believe me, this is some heavy artillery against the battle of the bulge. Take a breath and think about it for a moment. Doesn’t it make sense? Of course it does. It works because you are creating space and adding some extra insurance to boot. It will be very difficult for that slice of pumpkin pie to compete for that space on your waist.
The good news is that all of the above happens only once a year. That means you can make plans to counterattack the extra calories before they take away your hard earned results.
I think you’ll agree that these simple strategies will help you stay on track during the holiday season and throughout the year.
All the best, Brian
*Always remember to consult with your doctor or health care provider before beginning this or any other fitness program.
