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Healthy Ways to Recover From Holiday Meals

The holidays are ushered in with food and tons of it. From Halloween candy, to Thanksgiving side dishes, to Christmas desserts, there are too many temptations to resist this time of year. We enjoy these once a year foods in astronomic proportions which leads to an average of several pounds of weight gain per person. Here are a few steps to help you recover from holiday overeating.

The healthiest way to get back on track after the overindulgence is to start eating frequent and healthy meals throughout the day. You are less likely to eat non-nutritious foods if your body is full. Keeping your body full with healthy fuels including high protein foods like nuts, lean meats, vegetables, and fruit in moderation will help you to achieve your goal. Again, all of this hinges on the fact that you will eat small portion sizes many times a day and fill up on healthy fuel.

Foods that include unhealthy sugars and carbohydrates as the first few ingredients in the label should be given or thrown away. Self-control starts at the grocery store. Limit food purchases to foods that are unprocessed. One simple way to gauge how healthy a food is location in the store. Foods that are located on the perimeter of the store are more healthy in general than the processed foods found down each aisle.

Drink plenty of water. Being dehydrated can produce physical reactions that mimic hunger pangs. Moreover, a very high percentage of the population remains dehydrated due in large part to choosing other beverage options. Sugar and alcohol laden drinks are not going to help you achieve your goal of recovery. Sip on water before every small meal to ensure that your body experiences fullness without any calories at all!

Get back into the routine of regular exercise. It will be preferable to find an hour or so in your day to keep your activity level up. Interval training is especially effective in burning a maximal amount of calories. Always start slow and consult your health care provider before starting an exercise program especially if you have any unique conditions. In addition to devoted exercise time, it would be good to add as much activity to your daily routine as well. Whether this is parking far away from work or the store and walking that little bit further, or cleaning your house vigorously at night, all of these add calorie burning activity that will help you achieve your goal.

Finally, find someone to hold you accountable. People in general do better sticking to a diet and exercise program when they find an honest accountability partner. There is nothing like meeting a friend at the gym as a motivation to go daily. Friends and family support systems are large determinants in a person’s success with weight loss. Find someone who will help you to achieve your goal. It can be as simple as emailing them a daily report as to what you have eaten daily or getting together for a yoga class. This makes weight loss more enjoyable and increases the chances of you sticking with it.

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