5 Tips To Avoid Gaining Belly Fat Over Christmas

With Christmas just around the corner, your fitness and healthy eating program can go out of the window. It’s really easy to gain a pound or two over the festive period and while that doesn’t sound like much, what you put on now can stick around long into the new year. So how can you avoid gaining belly fat over Christmas?

Firstly,  it’s Christmas and everybody is entitled to a few treats, but you don’t want to start suddenly gaining belly fat when you’ve been working hard trying to lose it. Managing your weight and fitness over the Christmas period can be straightforward if you plan ahead and keep up with your workouts. Here are 5 tips to avoid gaining belly fat over Christmas.

5 Tips To Avoid Gaining Belly Fat Over Christmas

1. Quick Strength Training Workouts

Resistance training is one of the best ways to avoid gaining belly fat at any time of the year – not only at Christmas. But for many people, strength training stops when time is short. It doesn’t take much time or equipment to work your muscles and keep your metabolism going. If you are stuck for time, do your workout in the morning so it’s done before everything else gets in the way. Try combining exercises together to save time, such as squats with an overhead press or lunges with a bicep curl.

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2. Keep Up The Cardio

Another way to avoid gaining belly fat over Christmas is to get some cardio exercise into your day. If you’re going to be short on time and it’s going to be difficult to get to the gym, try to find at least 10 minutes each day for simple exercise. For example, use the stairs at work, park your car a bit further away from your destination so you have to walk further (and faster!) or get off one stop early if you’re using public transport. You can also plan activities during the Christmas break like a walk after lunch or some games in the park.

3. Watch Your Diet

One of the main reasons for gaining belly fat during the Christmas holidays is over-eating lots of high-calorie, non-nutritious foods. Everywhere you go somebody is offering you a mince pie, a chocolate or a sweetie treat. To avoid gaining belly fat, follow a rule of portion control. If you’re at a buffet, don’t eat next to the food table as you’ll eat more. Take what you want and then going sit somewhere else. Don’t starve yourself waiting for one big meal. Eating small, healthy meals or snacks throughout the day can keep your energy up and help you enjoy your main meal without feeling like you’re starving and then over-eating.

4. Watch What You Drink

Alcohol is a major cause of fat belly weight gain, so watch what you drink over Christmas. Being high in sugar means alcohol contains lots of calories – seven calories a gram in fact, almost as many as pure fat! Two bottles of beer can have more calories than a large slice of pizza. To avoid gaining belly fat when enjoying your favorite tipple over Christmas, opt for a low calorie mixer or soda. Also drinking water between alcoholic drinks is a good way to reduce your calorie intake and also helps to keep you hydrated.

5. Manage Your Stress

Christmas can be a stressful time and stress is a one of the reasons for gaining belly fat. When you’re very stressed, your body releases cortisol, which can increase fat storage in the abdominal area. Also many people turn to comfort foods, like chocolate to cope with stress. The key is to be aware your stress and try different strategies before turning to food for comfort and relief. One easy stress reliever is, of course, exercise. Another is to simply slow down your breathing. Deep breathing can help slow your heart rate and blood pressure while relaxing the muscles and calming the mind.

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Excess belly fat makes it difficult to find flattering clothes, and it can affect flexibility and mobility. It’s also unhealthy and significantly raises your chances of having health problems such as diabetes and heart disease. That’s the bad news. The good news is that it’s possible to lose belly fat even though you’re not having success right now. For more information, download my free report, Why You Can’t Shift Your Belly Fat.