HAVE A HEALTHY, JOLLY CHRISTMAS:
6 TIPS TO STAY FIT DURING THE FESTIVE SEASON
Christmas is the season where many lose control — especially when it comes to food. The holiday season is packed with parties, get-togethers, and reunions offering a variety of meals for the guests. At the same time, Christmas is not the only special occasion Filipinos look forward to since Jan. 1 is just around the corner.
Since Filipinos love to eat, it’s a common thing for Filipino families to have a dinner table filled at Noche
Buena. From different varieties of pancit to hamon, many stuff themselves until they’re fully satisfied. As a result, many Filipinos gain weight, and then feel guilty after. Here are some tips to stay fit and healthy during the festive season, without depriving yourself from the fun.
DON’T STARVE YOURSELF
As much as you want to quickly lose weight, starving is not the ideal solution. Skipping meals to look cute for a Christmas party or get-together can make you look good from the outside, but uncomfortable inside. It makes you hungrier, making you crave more as a result. Without knowing, you might end up piling more food than you should have.
Continue having three meals a day, with occasional snacks, but be strict with your calorie intake. Instead of three cups of rice, eat one cup instead. If you end up eating beyond your limits, make sure to exercise the next day to shed off those extra calories.
CONTROL YOUR FOOD INTAKE
Since it’s the holiday season, many choose to make the most out of it — and it’s perfectly normal. Aside from it being the most wonderful time of the year, it’s also the most lamon time of the year. Who can hesitate the crispy lumpiang shanghai or the sweetness of a Christmas cake? No one. Once you finished your first round of dinner, take a five- to eight- minute break. This will give you the time to re-asses if you really want to get a second helping of food. If you really want another round, eat as you please but make sure to limit yourself. A couple of rounds are already more than enough.
DON’T RUSH EATING, TAKE IT SLOW
As soon as noche buena is being served, you immediately sit at the dinner table, take whatever food you like, and eat. It’s normal to get excited over food since it’s not every day that you’ll be blessed with an abundant meal. However, excitement can be overwhelming, making you eat faster. Instead of savoring the taste of the food, you end up finishing the food in a hurry. As a result, you trick your brain into thinking that you need more than you can handle.
Apply the same mind trick by eating slower. That way, you can enjoy the taste of what you’re eating and fill your stomach with the right amount of food. This can also work with the size of plate you use.
CHOOSE YOUR INDULGENCES WISELY
Since Christmas is also the time of indulgence, there are moments where you can’t help but eat another slice of cake or get another scoop of ice cream. To free yourself from the guilt, you tell yourself, “Ngayon lang naman eh (It’s only for today).” You repeat it, unaware that you’ve indulged even more.
There’s nothing wrong in spoiling yourself with cake, ice cream, or any dessert. Overindulging is what makes it wrong. Set strict rules whenever it’s time for dessert or snacks by sticking to a certain number of portions to get. For example, you can eat chocolate, but only three squares of it.
TAKE IT EASY ON THE ALCOHOL
The holiday season is the time where various parties and get-togethers take place. During this time, you can’t avoid drinking with friends and family as a way of catching up. And alcohol is great, especially when you’re having fun.
Like dessert, alcohol can get addicting. And it’s difficult when you’re surrounded with your loved ones who ask you to drink “one more” bottle. According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), 100 grams of beer contain 43 calories.
It doesn’t seem a lot, but it can have a drastic effect on your body. If you can’t resist even one can of beer, make sure to exercise the next day to burn the extra calories.
KEEP MOVING
During parties or get-togethers, we sometimes remain at the same place until it ends. The same routine follows until the end of the holiday season where you either lounge on the couch, or sleep the whole day. As relaxing as it sounds, the food you’ve eaten gets stuck in your abdomen — adding more fat as a result.
Even if Christmas is the time to relax, it doesn’t mean that you’ll be complacent in keeping yourself fit. Exercising doesn’t have to come with a crazy workout routine. Simple ways of burning the extra calories include standing for 10 to 20 minutes and taking a walk for 30 minutes the next day. You’d be surprised at how these simple steps can do wonders for your body.
While Christmas is the season of giving and happiness, it can be the season of indulgence as well. As cliché as it sounds, health is truly wealth, and it is the greatest present that you can give to yourself.