Holiday health -- avoid seasonal weight gain

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Amanda McCarty
  • 89th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
ANDREWS AIR FORCE BASE, Md. (AFPN) --  Although cookies, pies and snacks are common items seen around the office and at parties during the holidays, there are ways to stay healthy throughout the season.

Maintaining a regular exercise program and eating a balanced diet, despite the cold weather and available sweet treats, are ways to go into the new year healthy, according to Capt. Melanie Dressler, the 89th Medical Group’s health promotion manager.

“Maintaining weight during the holidays should be the goal,” said Dressler. “The new year is a good time to revitalize weight and fitness goals.”

According to the National Institutes of Health, many people who put on weight over the holidays don’t lose the weight after the holiday season.

Try these simple tips to avoid weight gain:

-- Always eat a healthy meal before going to a party to keep from snacking on fattening food.

-- If you do eat at a get-together, choose fruits and vegetables if available and put them on a napkin instead of a plate, which is more likely to be filled up.

-- Limit yourself to one or two alcoholic beverages, but don’t indulge every night.

-- Eat a healthy breakfast, it will provide nutrition and help control cravings later in the day.

-- Keep plenty of healthy snacks stored in the front of the refrigerator or pantry so they are the first thing seen.

-- Plan to make quick and easy meals so that in a pinch, fast food is not the only resort.

People can overeat because they consume food too quickly. It takes 20 minutes for the brain to send a signal to the stomach to let it know it’s full. So just eating slower and taking more breaks to chat may help.

Watching food intake is important to health and weight management, but exercise also plays and important role, said Dressler.

Try winter sports as an alternative to working out to stay in shape and burn extra holiday calories. Skiing can serve as a cardio workout. It works the legs, arms, torso and back. Ice skating works muscle tone and improves balance. Even making snow angels can be aerobic, especially in deep snow. It can help increase range of motion.

For those who can’t find the time to hit the slopes or make it to the gym, everyday household activities can help burn calories. Shoveling snow, stacking firewood or raking leaves for 15 to 20 minutes can burn around 100 calories, according to studies by the Medical College of Wisconsin.

Regardless of the not-so-healthy foods the holiday may bring, stay fit and avoid packing on extra holiday pounds by snacking on sweets in moderation, incorporating healthy foods in meals and staying active.