While some people were standing in line last month to scoop up the best deals of the season, others were at the gym working off the calories they consumed the day before.
With the holiday season in full swing many folks are being faced with a number of temptations like pumpkin pies, turkeys, glazed hams, mashed potatoes and butter, gingerbread cookies, eggnog ... the list is endless.
And because no one wants to avoid the holiday treats all together, hitting the gym after a holiday treat is a good way to keep off excess weight.
Robert Watkins, an employee at the Rockingham Fitness Center said some of the best exercises you can do during the holidays to keep off the extra poundage is the elliptical machine, stair master and lots of walking.
“The more aerobic exercise you can do, the better, because that’s the only way you can lose, it,” Watkins said.
He said a lot of the strength exercises people do will just add on weight because you’re adding muscle. But if you work with light weights in lots of repetitions you can add a nice calorie boost to your workout.
Henry Lee Jones, a member of the Rockingham Fitness Center said it’s also important to maintain your exercise routine throughout the holiday season.
Watkins said every year they notice a decline in the attendance of the female members in December because they’re all busy getting ready for the holidays.
It’s typical for gym attendance to slack off during the holidays because everyone is so busy, but it’s important to keep up the workouts if you don’t want to battle the bulge after the holidays are over.
“A lot of people came in the day before Thanksgiving and there’s been a few that Friday, sort of a pre and post workout,” Watkins said.
He said if everyone did about 45 minutes of cardio, enough time to build up a good heart rate, they’d be doing a good job of combating any holiday weight gain.
Watkins said he keeps the weight off by eating lots of small meals throughout the day, rather than one big one, with the exception of Thanksgiving and Christmas day.
“And don’t eat a heavy meal pre-bed,” he said. “Because if you go to bed with five pounds of food in your stomach, you’ll wake up five pounds heavier.”
Watkins and Jones also said it’s important to make your workouts fun.
“You’re more likely to come if you’ve got a partner to work out with,” Jones said.
“People just don’t like to work out, but if you make it a habit, it’s a lot more fun,” Watkins said.
Staff writer Eren Tataragasi can be reached at (910) 997-3111.
Obesity has surpassed being a condition and is currently proclaimed a disease. The younger generation is at high risk for dying before their parents due to obesity related diseases. Although education is important,it should start in the schools. Sociocultural and financial aspects impact obesity. Many people are trying to stretch their income and unfortunately that alone impacts the type of food purchases. The number of fast food establishments do not remove temptation. Perhaps following California's law restricting the number of fast food restaurants would help. Regardless, the most important education is to teach self-management,allow people to choose what they will change and avoid lecturing.