As we all know, the holiday season brings plenty of opportunity to loosen the belt and indulge in lavish treats and libations. You might be thinking, how much weight does one gain during this feeding frenzy of sweets and alcohol? Well here’s the good news: the amount of weight gain during the American holiday season (from Thanksgiving until New Year’s), is an average of less than one pound. However, the weight gain over the holiday season is typically not lost during the course of the year (New England Journal of Medicine).
Gaining 1-2 pounds during the holiday doesn't seem significant unless it keeps happening year after year, getting added to your body over a 10-20 year period. Meaning you don’t have to pass on the cheesecake your sister made for Christmas Eve dessert, but what you should do is get out and move a little more the next morning. This holiday season, enjoy your festivities while aiming to keep up with exercise, so you’re ready to enter 2016 full of energy and well-being!
Here are 3 exercises that are both quick and easy and are simple to incorporate throughout your holiday no matter where you spend it.
Chair Squats- This helps to strengthen your legs and glutes. With your legs hip-width apart, weight on your heels, chest up, slowly lower your butt until it makes contact with your chair. Your butt should only touch the chair for a second before you start coming back up to the starting position. (Hint: Perform 3-5 repetitions in front of your chair before sitting down for dinner, then 5-10 more repetitions before dessert).
Bruggers Exercise- This helps to strengthen your postural muscles, including your rhomboids and your middle and lower trap muscles. Take a deep breath in and as you exhale squeeze your shoulder blades back and down and hold for the duration of the exhale. Make sure you keep your head inline with your shoulders. This exercise can also be done standing and lying down (Hint: Doing Bruggers Exercise during dinner is a great way to turn boring conversation into productive posture strengthening conversation).
Pelvic Tilt- This exercise helps to strengthen the core. While you’re on your back with your knees bent take a deep breath in and as you exhale tuck the pelvis and flatten the back against the floor as you contract the abdominal and pelvic floor muscles (kegel). Like the Bruggers exercise, the Pelvic Tilt exercise can also be done sitting, standing, and lying down. (Hint: Doing Pelvic Tilts while driving is a great way to make the most out of your commute).