Guest post by Lindsey Wright

The holiday season is a time for relaxation, family and delectably-tasty treats. From the special turkey dinner at Thanksgiving to the finger foods at holiday parties, it is hard to avoid putting on a little holiday weight. Though staying fit, healthy and slim through the holiday season will require restraint and dedication, it is possible to get the most out of the season without giving into the sweets cravings and lazy temptations.

Plan Workout Times:

For many who gain weight during the holidays, the lack of a plan and the mindset that it is impossible to give up those special treats leads to failure. However, according to Women Fitness, taking the time to plan ahead for holiday workouts make it easier to maintain the schedule when it is tempting to sit on the couch and watch that silly holiday movie with the family. Thus, it is important to work out when an appropriate time to exercise is and what will lead to the best success in terms of sticking to your plan.

Eat Every Meal:

During the holidays, it is easy to anticipate that special dinner or party and try skipping out on meals to save extra calories. Unfortunately, Peter Walsh from Oprah.com points out that skipping meals can actually result in extra weight gain. The hunger from avoiding necessary meals results in overeating at the special occasion and taking in more calories than you would have otherwise. This can be particularly true for stressed individuals, such those who have put in a lot of the time at office (or the malls) as well as students who have been hitting the books extra hard for their online classes, as stress can also cause people to overindulge.

Spend Time on Muscle Building:

When devising an exercise plan, always remember to include some muscle building exercises. While it might not be possible to get to a gym and use the lifting equipment, taking a few minutes for exercises such as pushups, squats, and lunges can maintain muscle mass and improve your metabolism.

Muscle building is just as important for the holiday months as it is for any other time of the year. More muscle mass results in a higher overall metabolism that works more efficiently even when the body is at rest. Trying to spend every other day on simple exercises that build muscle can help maintain or lose weight.

Plan a Day for Cheating:

Sticking to a strict diet during the holidays is challenging, particularly when it comes to the special treats that are only around in the winter. Fortunately, staying fit through the holidays doesn’t necessarily mean giving up every treat. Instead, you can plan ahead for a couple days a month to indulge yourself during the holidays. The key to the day of indulging on a diet plan is to keep the amount of treats you eat to a moderate level. Enjoy a slice of pie or extra-buttery mashed potatoes, but avoid overeating.

Eat Slowly:

With so many tasty foods set on the table, eating quickly is a common part of the holidays. Unfortunately, the body requires a little time to process when the stomach is full. By the time the brain acknowledges that it is full, fast eaters often find that they’ve eaten too much and now feel like the stuffing-filled turkey.

Taking the time to savor the meal and chew food thoroughly will not only make the experience more enjoyable but also allows the mind to recognize your body’s signals for when you are actually full.

Pay Attention to the Foods:

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggests that diabetic individuals should pay attention to the foods they are eating and avoid or limit foods that have heavy sauces, glazes or gravies. Although the CDC is providing advice to men and women who must watch their blood sugar, the fact that it can help reduce excessive calories and sugars without giving up good food applies to anyone looking to stay healthy during the holiday season.

Avoid turkey that is covered in gravy or the part of the ham with the honey glaze. Instead, opt for pieces without the gravy-heavy, sugar-filled honey or other sauces. This will reduce your caloric intake at the meal without forcing you to eat less.

The holiday season is a tough time for anyone trying to stay fit and healthy. Fortunately, continuing to exercise and working out a plan to avoid eating extra calories is the key to staying healthy and maintaining your weight.
 

This stuff could be liquid dynamite. It could be your ticket out of "fat pants." Check it out at the jump–it's called Prograde Fusion.

Here's an excerpt from the article I got from the creators of Fusion.

The Shocking Truth About “Hydration” Sports Drinks
And How They Prevent You From Losing Weight!

So-called “hydration sports drinks” are mostly sugar-only beverages that do little else than make you fatter and unhealthier.

All that sugar you drink simply gets converted to body fat and does nothing to sustain your energy levels.  

It also wreaks havoc on your blood sugar levels and insulin production, which can set the stage for pre-diabetes or full-blown diabetes.

What you need instead is a beverage higher in protein (to sustain your energy levels) and fiber (to fill you up and keep you hunger-free for longer).

More…

One of my boyhood idols growing up was none other than Jack LaLanne. I remember watching Jack's TV show with my grandmother. She followed right along with him and so did I!

Jack LaLanne died yesterday from complications from pneumonia. It's a wicked death. Same way my grandfather died.

But let's not be sad. Let's celebrate LaLanne and all he stood for!

In that light, here's a great video from the old Jack LaLanne television show about always being tired. This one is timeless; the 3 causes of being "pooped out" are laid out by the immortal one, simply and perfectly.

The Best Way To Beat Cellulite

By Cassandra Forsythe-Pribanic, PhD, RD

Cottage cheese                           Orange Peel                             Rice Pudding

Even though this sounds like it, I’m not talking about food here.  These are just some of the names given to an undesirable skin condition known as cellulite that plagues the backsides and tummies of women all over the world.

Sure, some men are affected by it, but for the most part, women’s biggest fear about wearing a bikini in the summer is the dimply appearance of her butt and thighs or mid-section. And, women don’t even have to be considered “chubby” or “fat” to have cellulite in the most awkward of places. Even our beloved, so-called perfectly thin actresses have cellulite that they work incredibly hard to hide.

But why is it that women are mostly stricken with mattress-like backsides and how do we prevent it or minimize its appearance?

What is cellulite?

Cellulite consists of several alterations in your skins normal structure, coupled with circulation issues (fatty areas of cellulite tend to have low blood flow and are cold to the touch), and changes with the fat cells themselves.

Click here to read more about the Best Way to Beat Cellulite.

It’s a scary thought, but well over half of the people in the US are walking around with pre-diabetes, chronic inflammation, hypertension, fatty livers and plaque in their arteries. And, most of them don’t even know it.  All they know is that their belly’s have gotten bigger than they should be, and their cholesterol is probably high.

These poor health markers are a cluster of symptoms classically known as Syndrome X, or Metabolic Syndrome.

Read more about Metabolic Syndrome here.