Maintaining Your Weight Over The Holidays (Part 1)
Posted: December 02, 2015
Week Four is now in the books for Biggest Loser “26” and things went a little better than last week. What’s interesting is that it kind of flipped. Most of those that did well last week, didn’t do so well this week, and vice-versa. Once again, we’re trying to come up with reasons why.
While we can’t be certain, there are a couple of indicators. The Thanksgiving holiday undoubtedly took its toll. Some experts say the average adult gains five pounds between Thanksgiving and New Years.
Most people eat more over the holidays, but exercise less. That’s a double whammy, with weight gain just waiting to happen. If nothing else, the goal should be to not gain any weight, even if you don’t lose any.
What’s called for is a holiday eating and workout strategy. Today we’ll look at the workout side of the equation. If you know you’re going to over-eat, you simply can’t skip your workouts too. You’ve got to make sure you get to the gym, or at least get out for a walk. That’ll at least keep you even.
Some people like to participate in special holiday races like the REC Reindeer Run and various Turkey Trot runs held last week in different communities. There were several in the area. These are great events because they give you something to train for. They also show you where you stand. For many, they’re just plain fun.
While some are truly competitive with the others, the majority of people are simply competing with themselves. We even had a couple people get personal bests (PB) last week. There’s something about working out with others that brings out the best in you, even if you don’t know them.
Of course, that’s the same thing that makes Boot Camp style workouts so successful, like I’ve written about before. People tend to push themselves harder when others are doing it too. They do it in the 5K’s too.
There will be more opportunities coming up, like “Christmas in the Park” this weekend in Terre Haute. If you don’t mind a little colder weather, this is a good one! You can still go online and register. Our local Paris Pacers runners will likely be well represented there. No doubt, we’ll have some runners there too.
Now if you’ve never even run a mile, don’t think you can’t do a 5K. Most people can easily walk the 3.1 miles in around an hour. That’s just 3.0 mph, which is a pretty comfortable pace, even for beginners. So that would be your first goal. Just get started!
This week’s Biggest Loser was Kaylee Peterson, who won Week Four by losing 2.6 lbs and 2.0% of her body weight. Jaylee Wilson was second, losing 3.2 lbs and 1.7%. Debbie Eveland finished third, losing 2.2 lbs and 1.5%.
Next week, we’ll look at the other side of the equation, and “How to eat right over the holidays.” Right now, I’ve got to get ready for a workout!