How To ‘Holiday-Proof’ Your Metabolism

Dear Friends,

It’s hard to believe but once again that time of year is upon us: the holiday season. Just about three weeks to go until Christmas, and Raya and myself are looking forward to getting some much needed “r & r”. We’ll be heading to Ireland to spend the holidays with my family.

Every year, when December arrives, it also means lots of social gatherings, office parties, and holiday “treats”. Right now, bloggers, news reporters and basically everybody with an email newsletter is lining up to offer you inane and irrelevant “tips” on how to survive the holidays without developing an acute case of “Santa Belly”.

My take on it is slightly different.

Because, if you’re focusing on what you should be, which is improving your metabolism, then none of this other advice really matters. You’ll be sufficiently ‘Holiday-Proof’.

Rather than trying to find tricks, you should be working on your fundamentals. Fundamentals are fundamentals for a reason, because they come first. That means getting 5-6 smaller meals per day, getting a lean protein with each meal, avoiding simple sugars and saturated fats, drinking plenty of water, and exercising with weights to build lean muscle tissue.

If you’re doing all of that to the best of your ability, and trying to get a bit better each week, you’ll be fine. You may find your progress a bit slower this time of year, but you can make progress.

Here are three keys for making your metabolism work for you this holiday season:

1. You need to have a concern for building lean muscle tissue. This is not something that happens overnight, and is more a function of your efforts throughout the year, not just at Christmas. Even a modest 3-lb increase in muscle can represent a 7% boost to your metabolism. You will still need to be conscious of what you eat, but the bigger you can build that fat-burning engine, the less likely you are to suffer from the occasional calorie splurge.

2. Learn to eat slowly. The ideal state for optimal digestion and metabolism is one of relaxation. Ever eat really fast and feel the food sitting like a lump in your stomach? Help your body digest better and burn more calories by eating slowly. Try to savour every bite and be aware while you’re eating, you’ll also end up eating less, which is a good thing!

3. Don’t plan to diet after the holidays. First of all, overly restrictive diets are not effective for fat loss. Secondly, this plan actually encourages you to overeat, since knowing you’re going to restrict yourself later makes you want to enjoy yourself as much as you can now! It’s not much more than a way to rationalize your excesses and you will make things harder on yourself in the long-run. Stay consistent with eating frequent smaller meals, and don’t starve yourself to “make room” for a big dinner. This slows down your metabolism, and causes your body to store a lot more from those big meals.

Remember, start with a strong foundation, and watch your metabolism fight diet crimes like a superhero.

Live Strong And Healthy,

Conor Kelly
EVOLUTION FITNESS
(416) 220-7883

P.S. If you don’t know where to start, start with the basics. To learn more request your free Personal Trainers Toronto Holiday Season Busting Fitness Consultation! Visit us here:

www.PersonalTrainersToronto.com

P.P.S. Beat the rush! Everyone will be trying to make up for their holiday shortcomings with New Year’s resolutions. We’ll be busy in January! Call us now (416) 220-7883 to reserve your spot!