We all know the destruction overindulging can do to our bodies, both visibly and silently. However, the holidays can be challenging. Bay Life’s Fitness and Wellness Coach, Lisa Leath Turpin, offers tips on how to not over-indulge too much, but instead being able to enjoy the fun, holiday season. It doesn’t have to be all or nothing—there are ways to boost your ability to become a more efficient calorie-burning machine:
• Keep portions smaller. Spread them out throughout the day so that your body has enough time to “catch up” with the amounts you put in. The higher the calories, the smaller the portion should be. Your body can only process only so much at a time. If it can’t process the amount of calories you consume, it will have no choice but to store them. Sugars process fast, while fats and protein process slowly. You will absorb and burn sugars almost immediately, which will raise your blood sugar, and leave your fat cells vulnerable to suck up the excess calories—predominantly from fats. Therefore, if you eat sugary, fatty foods, you’re most likely going to max out how much you can burn at that one meal–and the rest will be stored! If this cycle happens over and over again for several meals, you will gain weight like lightning.
• Move! Exercise requires your body to use energy. Anything you can do to get yourself moving will help use those extra calories your body can’t burn on its own. Walk after a meal to keep blood sugar balanced and utilize some calories before they get stored. Do intense workouts, such as interval training, before a meal, as you’ll continue to burn calories for hours after you stop exercising.
• Keep your muscle tone. Use it or lose it! Having and keeping muscle will raise your resting metabolism which will burn more calories at rest. Even daily activities such as shopping, cooking, playing with the kids are beneficial anytime—just move. The more muscle you have the more calories you burn.
