Sepia Prime Woman Digital Magazine December 2013 | Page 10

Body Strong
- Tasha Odumuyi

Staying Fit Through The Holidays!
The holiday’s are fast approaching and it can be the
hardest time to continue with your fitness programs.
From the office parties to the pot luck this time of year
is all about indulging in not so healthy habits. I’m sure if
we were to walk into any office you would find the candy
bowl full of high calorie treats, lunch rooms stocked with
the latest pastries and a coworker in the festive mood
for baking and wanting to share the calories with her
wonderful coworkers.
So the question is how do we stay on track and not allow
this season to ruin all the hard work we’ve put in place all
year long? You’ve fine tuned your nutrition, work out on
a regular or are new in the process but don’t want to feel
deprived when everyone around you is celebrating. The
truth is you don’t have to sabotage your efforts.
Honestly speaking around this time your goal should be
how to fend off the unwanted holiday weight gain. Many
people can gain anywhere from 5 to 20 pounds between
Thanksgiving and New Year’s but you don’t have to be one
of them. It’s going to take some planning and will power.
Here are some simple tips to keep you moving
forward:
1 .NEVER go to a holiday party on an empty stomach!
2. Take time to eat a light meal prior to attending the
function.
3. Skip the high calorie eggnog. Depending on how it’s
prepared it can be a matter of 400 calories in one cup!
4. Drink plenty of water all day and prior to. Water will
suppress the appetite with less risk of over eating.
5. You know you’re attending the party so make sure you
get some extra cardio in that day -- early morning and
after the party.
6. If you know of people who are also on a weight loss
journey or are strongly health conscious try to mingle
with those people. Believe me you won’t be the only one
at the party not wanting to sabotage all your hard earned
efforts.
7. Eat slowly! This simple tip will reduce your calorie

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intake by at least 60%. If you’re eating fast the body doesn’t
have a chance to send the brain the “ok it’s enough” signal.
8. Keep an emergency snack bag in the car and your office.
Look for snacks that are 30 fat calories or lower. You
would be amazed at how great some of the 100 calorie
pack treats taste.
9. Everyone is bringing something. You prepare a healthy
dish to take. If all else fails you know exactly how the meal
was prepared.
10. The day of the party especially don’t skip meals.
Continue eating every 2 to 3 hours to keep the blood
sugar stable. Many people think that nibbling here and
there before the party is a good thing. Wrong. You’re
setting yourself up to over eat.
Below is a quick workout that you can do a couple times
a week even when short on time to keep those unwanted
pounds away.
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Warm up 5 min
Jog in place 1 min
Squats w bicep curl 1 min
Side to side hops 1 min
Burpees 1 min
Dips 1 min (can be done using a chair at home)
Jumping jacks 1 min
Step ups (can be done using your home stairs)
Full sit ups 1 min
Bicycles 1 min
Back ext 1 min

Here are ten exercises that, if done in a circuit fashion, will
boost your metabolism. Repeat up to 3 times.
So the truth is you don’t have to join people in ruining all
your efforts in the gym. Sit down
and put some systems in place
and you CAN enjoy this great
holiday season.
Tasha Odunuyi is a NASM,
NPTI, AFAA & Cross Fit Level
1 Instructor and owner of Circle
of Life Fitness. For more info
and tips to help you achieve
remarkable fitness results contact
Tasha at www.colfitness.com.