Staying healthy during the holidays
For many people, the holidays are synonymous with a season of feasting and parties with friends lasting all the way from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day. Unfortunately, there is a price to pay for all this merriment, and for very delicious bites or sips we take, our body pays the toll.
The cold weather and tasty holiday food often cause people to fall off their exercise plans or diets and pack on the pounds instead. Though many people try to make up for their winter indulgences by making fitness a new year’s resolution, a large majority eventually fall off the wagon.
According to Tchicaya Missamou, owner The Warrior Fitness and Wellness Camp, this is largely due to an absence of discipline and accountability.
“When a lot of people start to work out, they don’t have a purpose and are just following the newest trend,” said the fitness trainer and former Marine. “You shouldn’t have to wait until a certain time of year if you really want to lose weight.”
According to Missamou, stress is the biggest reason why people tend to put on weight during the holiday season, since many people turn to food as a way of coping.
“Stress is the number one killer and it can be triggered by the weather and the season social pressures,” he explained. “December’s weather is very cold and gloomy which causes people to feel more depressed, so they stay home to hide and eat more to feel warm and comfortable. During the holiday season, a lot of people are worried about buying each other gifts, so the financial strain plus the pressure of pleasing others adds stress.”
Missamou added that it’s not just the eating, but the lack of moderation and the amount of sugar traditionally consumed during this time of year in foods like cookies and soda that contribute to the decrease in overall health.
“Sugar is the number one drug in America, not cocaine or weed,” he said. “There is social pressure that can come when people go to parties and socialize and then they drink alcohol and eat a lot of candy. Sugar has the same effects as alcohol on the body and the liver, so as a parent if you wouldn’t give your child a can of beer, then why give them a can of soda?”
In addition to sugar, adults looking to watch their waistline may also want to avoid alcohol, which has no nutrients and prevents the liver from burning fat while it processes the alcohol.
“It can take three days for the the body to process alcohol, and anything that the liver is not able to digest or process during that time gets stored as fat,” he said. “Your health is your wealth, so people should prioritize their health over partying. The holiday season goes from November to January, but your health is not going to wait for you.”
Missamou offered some advice and tips to keep the pounds away during the holidays. Identify a fitness goals: Without a clear fitness goal, people are more likely to lose track of their fitness. “Your goal is like your GPS and is what you should always stay focused on,” he said. Create a source of accountability: While some people are able to work out by themselves or at home, Missamous said this is extremely difficult because human nature tends to avoid discipline. Having coaches or “accountability partners” to keep track of progress and a change of environment can help to maintain healthy habits. “Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and every successful person has had a coach or someone to follow up and maintain their discipline.” Avoid sugar and alcohol or at the very least consume them in moderation. Anything that the body is unable to digest is stored as fat, so consuming unhealthy substances in moderation will help cut down on weight gain. Instead, Missamou stressed the importance of eating as many fruits and vegetables as possible and drinking about a gallon of water per day. Detoxify the liver: If you do consume alcohol, Missamous said it is important to detoxify the liver to ensure that it continues to burn fat properly. He recommends drinking plenty of water or fresh fruit and vegetable smoothies the morning after drinking.
Sleep at least eight hours per day and exercise regularly to promote overall wellness.