Holiday Attack Plan: Putting It All Together

With the three pronged attack in place, you stand a much better chance than ever this year of avoiding holiday pounds. When the tree is back in the attic (or at the local dump) and we’ve all returned to work, wouldn’t it be nice to look at yourself in the mirror and congratulate yourself on not putting on a single pound? It can happen, as long as you stick to the plan.

First, there’s the exercise, which can be as simple as taking a walk each day, or even every other day. Set up your iPod with your favorite songs (holiday-themed or not) and get out into the great wide open. If the great wide open isn’t your bag, head to the gym or buy a treadmill to do your walking indoors. Studies have shown that walking for at least thirty minutes in your target heart rate is amazingly effective in the battle of the bulge. When you combine the walking with some resistance training, you’ve set up what amounts to a defensive army against the attacking calories.

Then there’s the control over your family activities. Whether it takes the form of outdoor sports, indoor movie watching, or game play, anything you can do to take the focus off of food is a good thing. Does this mean cancelling your special holiday dinner? Of course not! We’re simply talking about shifting the focus from food to the reason for the holidays in the first place: the camaraderie and love between friends and family. Food is just there as a garnishment. As long as it stays that way and doesn’t become the main reason for the gathering, the holidays (and your waistline) will be a lot better off.

Finally, if you have a tendency to get sad during the holidays, find some things to take your mind off food and put yourself in better spirits. This could be seeking out friends or even strangers in order to partake in holiday events. Or it could be as simple as going outside and breathing in some cool, fresh air and letting the glow of the sun shine on your face. Just try to avoid hitting the cookie jar too often. Remember that far from soothing your mind, food is only going to aggravate your health and mar your happiness.

When it all comes together, you’ve got yourself a winning plan for staying slim and trim through the holidays. Whenever it seems like it’s getting too hard, just think about the smile you’ll have on your face when everyone else is complaining that their pre-holiday dresses and pants don’t fit anymore. In the meantime, yours don’t either, but for the opposite reason (because you’ve lost weight). Come on, if that’s not a holiday miracle, what is?

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