PERRY BUCHANAN: Planning for your fitness resolution

Merry Christmas! This time next week resolution time begins. It’s that time when a lot of us will be making our resolutions to drop those pounds gained over the previous couple months of parties, gluttony and inactivity. If you are one of those that fear the inevitable holiday weight gain, I have good news for you.

Contrary to the popular belief that we gain 5 to 10 pounds between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, studies show that people actually gain quite a bit less. According to the National institutes of Health, even though Americans gain 80 percent of their excess weight during this period, it equates to a mere one to two pounds. The bad news is that the weight isn’t lost during the rest of the year and can lead to future obesity.

There are many tips that you hear every year about controlling the holiday bulge. These include staying active, making healthier choices, limiting alcohol consumption, not arriving at a party hungry, and learning to politely just say no. All of these tips are good advice, but the advice I’m going to give may surprise you. I advise allowing for a few pleasures this time of year and don’t feel guilty. It’s best not to go completely out of control, but this isn’t the best time of year to start a diet. The toughest part of a diet isn’t watching what you eat. It’s watching what other people eat!

So enjoy time with friends and family and your break from the daily grind. If you gain that one or two extra pounds this holiday season, this can easily be dropped just by returning to your normal active lifestyle and way of eating. A week of hard work and a slight calorie deficit will get you back on track. It’s the rest of the year we need to be concerned about. Just an extra 100 calories a day above our energy needs will equal an extra 10 pounds of fat a year. Stay in shape through the year and you can afford to indulge over the holidays. Instead of worrying about counting calories, you can spend the time posting your Instagram photo of your puppy’s new Christmas pajamas. Then, when this last week of the year passes, you can get serious by following these four tips to achieve your New Year’s fitness resolutions.

1) Write out your fitness resolution, and your feelings about why that resolution is important to you. The why is the most important part of your goal. Perhaps your goal is to quit smoking. Naturally you realize smoking isn’t good for you, but the why (your real reason) may be so you will be around longer for those who love you. Anytime you feel as if you might jeopardize following through with your goal, remember your ‘why’.

2) Don’t set unrealistic goals. Set small goals. Start by dividing your overall fitness goal into a series of smaller steps. For example, if you resolved to lose 50 pounds, your goal might be to lose 5 pounds. Once you have achieved that, your next goal might be to lose another 5 pounds. Keep going until you reach your master goal.

3) Plan your actions. Once you’ve resolved to become fit, how are you going to do it? We all know that the key to fitness and a healthier lifestyle is exercising and eating a good diet. To get started, it helps to make a written exercise plan outlining fitness activities such as 30-minute daily walks, strength training every other day, or visiting the gym 3 to 5 days a week. Next, make a list of unhealthy foods you plan to avoid, for example greasy fast food burgers, and French fries, or whatever you deem your weaknesses to be. And finally, strive to follow through each and every day. By having a well written plan it will be easier to stay on track.

4) Don’t beat yourself up over minor setbacks. Occasionally life will get in the way and you will be forced to skip a workout or eat something not on your diet. That doesn’t mean that you’ve lost everything that you’ve been working for. Return to your fitness plan and keep working at it! Just get back on plan, and progress forward.

All of these tips will help keep you on track, but as advised, allow for a few pleasures and enjoy the down time with friends and family. Happy New Year!

Perry Buchanan, owner of PT Gym, is certified as an Exercise Physiologist through the American College of Sports Medicine, and Fitness Nutrition Specialist through the National Academy of Sports Medicine. Email him at [email protected]. Follow @ptgym on Twitter.