Created: 10/23/2009 1:57:38 PM 
It's that time of year once again, where you can plan on finding yourself surrounded by Halloween candy, Thanksgiving pies, and Christmas parties. It's essentially the Bermuda Triangle of weight loss and healthy eating, both of which are generally nowhere to be found from October through December. And after the average of a 7 pound weight gain over the holiday season comes the New Year's Resolution, where we make promises to ourselves that we honestly had few intentions of keeping in the first place. So, it's time to arm yourself with a plan to put an end to the trend before the pounds find themselves moving from your plates and into your pants! Remember, the goal here isn't necessarily about losing weight, but maintaining where you are at now, so take advantage of these five things you can start doing immediately to prevent too much effort on the flip side of 01/01/10.
5) Eat clean whenever you can
You are going to find yourself with numerous opportunities during the coming months to throw a monkey wrench into your diet and exercise routines, so when you have the chance to skip the fries and order the fruit cup, go ahead and order the fruit cup. And, always drink plenty of water; it's decreases your appetite naturally.
4) Exercise first thing in the morning
When you make exercise your first priority of the day, you give yourself no room to weasel out of it later. No soccer practice, office party, or errands to run will get in the way of working out early in the morning, ensuring that even if your calorie count increased for the day, you did not skip out on burning those excess brownies before the sun came up. No excuses, only results. And, you may find that you develop a habit you will use throughout the rest of the year.
3) Skip the alcohol
'Tis the season for celebration, but toast the evening with some sparking water. Alcohol adds empty calories into the diet, including the "Ultra" beers and cocktails that claim to be low in sugar. One gram of alcohol is worth 7 calories, as opposed to protein and carbohydrates being worth 4 cal/gm and fat at 9 cal/gm. This time of year, wouldn't you rather eat your calories than drink them?
2) Do the extra things that burn calories
Take the stairs. Park as far away as you reasonably can from the door you want to go in. Take evening walks and enjoy the weather this time of year has to offer. Wash your car, clean your house, and mow your own grass. These are just a few of the daily activities that can increase your overall calorie expenditure.
1) If you fall off of the horse, brush yourself off and get right back on.
If you fall short of your daily goals, don't just quit. An occasional blown day doesn't mean that everything you've done up to this point is in completely in vain. Just pick up where you would have left off and move on. So what if you eat a brownie? Life is too short to avoid good food! Just use good sense and moderation, and save your indulgences for the particular gatherings that make this time of year full of fun, family, and memorable occasions.
Written by Roni Bailey, Director of Fitness Education
Bailey's Powerhouse Gym
www.baileysgym.com
©2009 . All rights reserved. This material may not be published, rewritten, or redistributed.
