Trim Your Waistline While You Trim The Tree

Managing your weight and sticking to an exercise program can easily slip down your priority wish list during the holiday season. Purchasing gifts, trimming the tree, sampling sweets and finding the perfect fuzzy sweater often trumps the treadmill, elliptical trainer and calorie counting. Follow these tips from the exercise experts at Life Fitness to take control of your holiday eating and keep those extra pounds away.

Don’t eat to please. Eating round two of Aunt Linda’s homemade gravy or ordering second helpings of Uncle Jim’s prime rib (35 to 45 percent fat!) may pay compliment to your family’s cooking abilities, but it can be detrimental on your waistline. To be sure family members know how much you appreciate their yummy contributions this holiday, praise their dishes rather than going back for seconds – the kind words will go a long way and may help prevent you from eating to please. Try taking a few minutes to consider whether eating that second serving of homemade mashed potatoes is worth the amount of exercise it will take to burn those calories. Keep that in mind the next time Grandma Sally asks if you want a second serving.

Plan accordingly. It’s important to try and step up your time management skills over the holiday season as your normal fitness routine is often sabotaged during this time of year. Now is a great time to hit the gym because you can still avoid the January post-holiday rush. Plan a few targeted workouts on your favorite machines and stick to your fitness commitments – when you’re crunched for time, focused workouts don’t need to be long to be effective.

Escape the couch. Step away from the living room and invite family and friends to get active. Try giving gifts that encourage venturing outdoors, like ice skates or snow sleds. If getting everyone outdoors proves hopeless, suggest an active family game of charades or an old-fashioned pushup contest.

Reduce stress. Stress levels run high during the holiday season. Cardio exercise is proven to increase feel-good hormones, which can help reduce holiday anxiety and may prevent using food to cope with stress. When you need a break from your family and the holiday commotion, exercise is an ideal reason to take a moment for yourself.

However you handle the holidays, take these steps to make this the year that you don’t gain weight. Avoid deprivation, stay active and be realistic. Happy holidays!

 Fit Tips are provided by Life Fitness, the leader in designing and manufacturing high-quality exercise equipment for fitness facilities and homes worldwide. For more information on Fit Tips and other fitness advice and expertise visit www.lifefitness.com or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/lifefitness or join our Facebook fan page at www.facebook.com/lifefitness

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