There’s nothing quite like Fall. With the bright sun shining down on Fall foliage, this is the best weather for all sorts of fun, parties, holidays, and drinking. Nonetheless, while these activities afford every reason to get loose, it makes it quite challenging to maintain the fit Summer body you spent all year working so hard for. It is essential to ensure that all the festivities are not detrimental to your health.
Although it is not an easy feat, you can take good care of yourself and still have fun during the Holiday Season. By adopting a few habits to keep your body healthy, fit, and happy, it is possible to have a fit body even during the Holiday season. How?
Check out these seven tips:
Proper Dieting
Eating right is an integral part of building and maintaining a fit body. Your Fall diet should comprise plenty of vegetables and fruits. In fact, looking at Harvard’s Public Health School, your everyday meals should contain about nine daily servings of vegetables and fruits or 2 ½ cups of vegetables and 2 cups of fruit. Using this as a guideline, you should be aware that this is a minimum estimation, and that you can take in as many vegetables and fruits as you please.
Additionally, you need to pursue eating the proper amounts of good carbohydrates, fats, and protein. Usually, brown rice, quinoa, rye, barley, and whole wheat are among the right (healthy) carbohydrates. Conversely, bad carbohydrates can be found in processed foods such as French fries as well as refined (white) bread. The necessary amount of consumption depends on various factors including weight, height, level of activity, and age among others.
Generally, the best idea is to refrain from fast foods as they contain added sugar and trans fats. For burger lovers, you can pick up turkey dogs and turkey burgers as alternatives to typical hotdogs and hamburgers.
What’s more, you can also try grilling shrimp and salmon as opposed to bratwursts. Grilled peppers, salad or onion, and zucchini are also grilled vegetable alternatives to potato chips and French fries. Finally, for your dessert, you can always go for fruit salads which make excellent alternatives to cake and ice cream.
Proper dieting is more often than not misunderstood. This is why it calls for awareness and discipline. Contrary to popular opinions, proper dieting does not restrict you from consuming potato chips, or hamburgers or cookies. It means that you consume healthy foods on a regular basis while understanding you can treat yourself every once in a while.
By strictly following a proper diet, it will only be a matter of time before you notice how much better it feels to eat clean and healthy. In fact, don’t be surprised to see yourself shunning processed foods such as hot dogs.
Keep it Light
Don’t make yourself upset over the holidays by starving yourself. Eat until you are full! When you feel hungry, go ahead and eat. However, monitor how much you are eating, but don’t overdo it. Usually, after eating to a certain point, we start to feel full and satisfied. It is this point which we should strive to not go beyond.
Try taking several small meals throughout the day. You can start out by eating a heavy breakfast and then consuming smaller quantities throughout the day. This way of eating is excellent, especially if your goal is to lose some pounds or get yourself more toned. However, even with the smaller portions in place, you should remember ONLY to eat right by consuming healthy foods. Proper dieting and keeping it light go simultaneously.
Stay Hydrated
Water is essential to our health, hence the need to drink an adequate amount. The significance of staying hydrated cannot be understated. The American Heart Association underpins the importance of staying hydrated to maintain good health. According to the association, staying hydrated allows the heart to efficiently pump blood through your blood vessels and down to the muscles. This, in turn, ensures your muscles work effectively. More importantly, enough water is essential for the proper functioning of your heart.
The adequate amount of water varies depending on many different factors. One way you can determine if your body gets enough water is to assess your urine. Typically, if you are drinking enough water, your urine will assume a light color. Conversely, the darker it is, the lesser amount of water you are taking. Additionally, you can also look at how constantly you visit the washrooms to evaluate if you indeed take enough water. And while this is not to push you to drown yourself, the idea is to ensure your body remains appropriately hydrated.
Staying out in the sun for some time can lead to dehydration. However, you can counter these effects by taking in a lot of water. What’s more, it is also a practice you should adopt if your itinerary includes drinking alcohol or other liquids which result in dehydration. Ultimately, you need to have an adequate water supply in your body during the Fall, notwithstanding what your activity is.
Exercise, Exercise, Exercise
Our bodies are not meant to remain sedentary. As such, stay active by exercising. Even in the Fall months, there are numerous ways that you can exercise effectively. Whether you choose to walk, to run, or hike, there are multiple forms of exercise that suit the Fall weather. However, only do such if you have no health restrictions.
Remarkably, Fall presents the ideal time to take your exercise routines seriously. Why? Exercising needs perfect weather conditions and it can usually get challenging to follow an exercise routine during frigid winters and scorching summers since they have otherwise unfavorable and cold weather conditions.
Exercise is not only about strength training and cardio. In fact, you can play skate at your local park, swim in an indoor pool, or even take some long walks along a trail. Take full advantage of the crisp Fall weather and give your body the best treatment.
Finally, set up a goal. What type of body are you looking to achieve? Is your objective to lose excess body fat or it to remain more active and fit? Align your exercise routine to suit your personal needs.
Work on Your Core
Every stable and strong house is centered on a firm foundation. Similarly, your body remains stable and strong by courtesy of your core. Whatever your ideal body goal, whether it is to get a six pack or get stronger; your activities should always take your core into consideration as it is the section that holds everything together. Your body is only as healthy as your core is strong as.
In your usual exercise routine, incorporate a few exercises that work on your core and do them 3-4 times a week. And just like your regular routine, it does not need to be extreme. Treat your core with as much importance as your overall body shape and health.
There is much more to a strong core than just getting a toned body. Mayo Clinic outlines that with strong core muscles, you can engage in any physical activity. Generally, weak (core) muscles result in muscle injury, lower back pain, as well as poor posture.
Building a strong core is essential since it helps your body remain healthy. And luckily, it is suitable for any age group.
Reduce Your Alcohol Intake
Nothing beats the delight of drinking with friends and family you may have not seen all year to celebrate the holidays. However, take alcohol in moderation. While it can be tough to take lesser amounts of alcohol, especially during the holidays, it is nonetheless for your good. Work on limiting how much alcohol you consume as well as keeping track of what you drink.
If you are looking to get or maintain a fit body, then limiting the amount of beer you take is a definite MUST. While beer is, of course, a refreshing drink, it still contains numerous empty calories that can be dangerous to your body. Also, go slow with liquors such as rum and whiskey because they usually include added sugar (and in large amounts). Alternatively, you can go for light liquors like vodka and gin if part of your Holiday excitement is frequent drinking through the season.
Get Adequate Rest
Lastly, our bodies need rest. As such, it is essential that we afford them ample rest. Although staying up all night partying sounds like quite an adventure, it is, however, necessary to ensure that we get plenty of sleep. Similarly, this applies to exercises too. Don’t go so hard and incessantly. It is vital for the body to recuperate and of course strengthen, hence it is necessary to make downtime for rest. Manage your time such that all your activities, including exercising, having a good time, as well as relaxing fit within your program. This way, you can not only have as much fun as you expect, but you also maintain your body all year long.
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