Pretending to be on top of your health and nutrition during the holidays is a lot easier said than done, especially when you have a feast of stuffing, gravy, and warm buttered rolls waiting for you as soon as they come out of the oven. While it’s true that the holidays are a time for celebration, it’s also vital to keep in mind the trade-offs associated with putting off your regular exercise program and indulging in a few extra helpings of holiday favorites like mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie.
It has been estimated that an average representative of Western culture consumes 4,500 calories in honor of the winter and summer holidays, such as Thanksgiving, office parties, Friendsgiving, Christmas, and Hanukkah. Those additional calories can pile up, putting a significant burden on your inner organs and most likely turning into fat. Of course, unless you “float like a butterfly, sting like a bee” in the gym”. So if you’ve got lots of plans for the festive season, you might end up starting the new year with a few extra kilos. Yet, this doesn’t mean that you should deny yourself the joys of holiday treats, as we have prepared a list of easy but effective exercises. We’ll go over some exercises and diet strategies that will help you lose weight while keeping your muscle mass intact.
No, we’re not suggesting you skip the annual family potluck, but do remember that every extra treat has a price. Don’t bring your bad eating habits into the cooler months with you. These extra kilos won’t simply melt away as ice does in the spring. However, there are means by which one may reduce their weight before the time comes to take off the winter coat.
In order to maximize fat reduction and muscle maintenance, you need to lose weight in a sustainable manner. Keeping up with this is crucial if you value physical health, motivation, and general functionality. Gaining lean muscle mass and decreasing body fat is doable with an appropriate training strategy. Regular exercise is an effective means of fat loss, but it’s more likely that you’ll lose muscle along with fat if you slim down without working out. So take it easy and aim for results in the long-run. Losing a moderate amount of weight weekly over a longer period of time is preferable.
Exercise Plans
How to lose fat while retaining muscle mass? Follow our suggestions provided below to achieve the desired results in a healthy manner.
Cardio Plan
● At least 150 minutes per week of moderate-to-vigorous cardio exercise is recommended for those who want to shed weight while gaining or preserving muscle mass. Aerobic exercises include cycling, jogging, boxing, soccer, basketball, and volleyball.
The following five exercises should be integrated into your workout routine:
1. Squats are a great all-around exercise that targets multiple muscular groups (glutes, quads, and even the abs) at once. Squats can be done with a barbell, dumbbells, a kettlebell, some TRX straps, or even just your body weight.
2. Deadlifts are a fantastic way to increase your range of motion. In addition to strengthening your core and reducing strain on your lower back, these will strengthen your hamstrings and glutes. Workouts like these can be done with a barbell, dumbbells, or even just your body weight. To bend down and grip the weight, push your butt back and hinge at the hips. Pull the weight up without slouching by engaging your abs.
3. The standard workout known as the “push press” calls for you to use your core for stabilization. Consolidate your abs and press barbells or dumbbells above. Near the end of your set, when the weight starts to feel cumbersome, you can use a small squat to gain momentum and continue lifting the weight overhead.
4. The dumbbell snatch is a great total-body workout, but it’s important to start with a lower weight until you’re completely comfortable with the motion and your form. Adding extra weight presents a progressive challenge. Keep your feet shoulder-width apart and your back straight. Squat down with your hips pushed back and your knees bent. As you come up from a squat, hold the dumbbell with a straight arm and raise it in a straight line above your head.
5. Pull-through with a kettlebell are another great way to strengthen your back and other posterior muscles like your glutes and hamstrings. Assume a plank stance with your arms outstretched overhead. Take the dumbbell or kettlebell and bring it across your body from one side to the other in front of you. As an illustration, you may begin with the kettlebell on your left side and then transfer it to your right side using your right hand.
Increase intensity
If you want to challenge yourself and go accomplish greater results, up the intensity of your routine. Working out to the absolute limit is the most efficient way to gain strength, endurance, and grow muscle mass. Take part in strength training sessions two to three times per week. Weight loss training, bodyweight routines, and resistance band workouts are all viable options. Yoga, pilates, and tai chi lessons are also feasible alternatives.
When beginning a new workout routine, it’s best to use light weights and perform fewer reps. Lift bigger weights or perform more reps only after you’ve worked up to it safely. Muscle tissue and joint damage can be avoided in this way. Resistance training has shown to reduce muscle loss and increase muscle mass. After working out it’s best let your muscles rest to let them heal (this is a vital step in growing muscle tissue). Aim for one training per muscle group a week. Interval training is another effective method of fat loss. After working out take the next day off entirely, or engage in low-impact physical activity like walking, swimming, or dancing.
The holiday season can be a time of weight gain, but here are some simple diet tips that may help you avoid gaining extra pounds after the holidays are over:
● The First Step is to take A Warm Drink of Water before having a meal. Despite its apparent simplicity, this is an efffective way to evade overeating. Drinking warm water 15 minutes before a having a meal fills up your stomach making you feal less hungry. Keep in mind that you should be drinking at least 1.5 liters of water per day (eight glasses), which is not difficult if you keep track of it. Adding lemon juice is your water drinking it on empty stomach first thing in the morning helps detoxify the body. In addition to being calorie-free and soothing for the throat, warm water may also help speed up metabolism. On the contrary – cold water slows metabolism down.
● Resist the urge to indulge in rich, enticing hot chocolate during the winter. Cinnamon and warm water, saffron and milk, or black pepper and turmeric milk are all low-calorie alternatives.
● Do not pamper into alcohol, spare your liver from booze and give it a rest. In addition to causing one to make unhealthy eating decisions, alcohol consumption is a potential cause of weight gain. Many mixed drinks also have high-calorie additives and syrups. There’s no way we’re going to tell you to give up alcohol altogether (though it’s smart to do so in January), though we can recommend some minor adjustments. Instead of reaching for the red wine, why not try a Gin & Tonic? You can even swap out the regular tonic water for a lighter alternative.
● In the next few days, whenever your feet seem to magically lead you to yet another box of Christmas chocolate, resist the urge and reach instead for a bag of unsalted, unshelled pistachios or even oranges. Eating foods that are a little more difficult to chew or break apart makes you more mindful of the calories you’re consuming, as obvious as that may sound.
● People tend to sleep more during holidays, which can cause mealtimes to be all over the place. However, if you want to trim down after the holidays, you should consume your calories and carbohydrates early in the day and not at night. If you find yourself feeling hungry in the middle of the night, try eating a handful of almonds or a bowl of low-calorie soup and calling it a night.
● Try to eat a wide variety of fruits and vegetables every day, as fiber is vital for digestion. Eat a variety of low-calorie vegetables such as celery and pineapple. This will make you feel full longer and get more of the nutrients and vitamins you need.
● Nowadays most people spend between eight and ten hours a day seated. A lack of exercise and an increase in body fat are inevitable consequences of a sedentary lifestyle. Be sure to make some small adjustments over the next few days, such as leaving the subway a few stops earlier or taking a walk during your lunch break, whether you’re back at work or still on vacation.
● It may sound strange, but since most food congregates in the middle of the table, make sure to place yourself at the end instead, where you are less likely to eat sides or start picking after the wine has started to flow. This is especially true if you have many more dinner parties to attend in the remaining days of December.
