BAJAN SUN MAGAZINE
DEC 2014
MANAGING YOUR DIET DURING THE
HOLIDAY SEASON
by Jerome Greenidge
E
very January when I weigh my clients 95% of
them put on at least 7 to 10 lbs of fat. Now it is
quite obvious where this gain came from and during
the course of 4 to 6 weeks I push my clients to get it
off. Now what I want to talk about in this article is
how you can enjoy xmas foods and not put on weight
and look great for the parties that happen around that
time. The foods that put on the most weight are any
fried foods, cakes and pastries, rice, pies, puddings,
alcohol and the fact that portion size and activity are
non-existent.
I have a solution that has worked over the years and
the clients who continue to follow my advice actually
lose weight over the holidays and still have lots of fun
with food by simply following different methods. The
first method involves training just prior or after eating
and this only takes five minutes. An example of such a
routine is by doing Burpees, Mountain Jumpers,
Vertical Jumps, and Mountain climbers as well as
Jumping Jacks all for one minute. Although it is only
for five minutes it is quite intense and can be done at
any fitness level so you don't have to be worried that
this is too advanced for you. Check online to see how
to execute the movements which will only take a few
minutes and do as many as you can for one min each.
The great thing about this routine is once you know
how much Burpees you can do in one min, simply
write down the reps, that way you just have to do the
reps for each exercise instead of watching the clock. I
have found this is quite effective as it forces the body
to use a lot of glycogen which is an energy source
stored in the liver and muscles. Once you can utilize
that for the workouts you wouldn't store any fat from
your meals. Please bear in mind that you still have to
adhere to portion sizes; but this method works and
works well. So you would do your routine either just
before or after the meal, or in the morning and evening
especially if you want to look great for the holidays.
The other method which also works great is by only
eating those xmas foods on the days you do a workout.
So if you aren't training don't over eat or eat high
caloric foods which would make you gain pounds
quickly. The workouts I recommend are done with no
weights which means you have absolutely no excuse
not to do them. Try this workout on days you are
really indulging....jumping jacks 50, running on the
spot with a high knee Lift 50, pushups 50 and these
can be partial or man pushups depending on your
fitness level, reverse crunches 50, reach for your toes
50, Squats 50 and plank for 30 to 60 seconds. If you
are not sure how to do these exercises contact me or
google it please. I know that it seems like a lot of work
but it really isn't. Try to do it all in 20 minutes max,
that way you burn a lot more calories and you don't
waste time. If you can't execute all at once which is
usually the case keep going until you complete the
entire workout, if need be you can cut back on the reps
by 10 if it is to hard but no more than 10 reps.
Now there are a couple more techniques that work but
for now the stick to the ones mentioned that has given
me the most success over the years. You have the five
minute routine which