During the holiday season, Americans pack on an average of  8 whopping pounds per person. Then, come New Year’s, many of those people make the resolution to drop that excess weight and attempt to eat healthier. However, knowing how to enjoy the onslaught of Thanksgiving foods and still stay fit  ispossible by following a few simple guidelines.

Watch Your Intake

People have a tendency to let their taste buds take over during the holidays—especially Thanksgiving. One way to enjoy the onslaught of Thanksgiving eats and still stay fit is to watch how much you’re eating and exercise some portion control. You can do this by counting calories or simply by sticking with small portions of the high-calorie treats that everyone else is enjoying in large doses. You can also decrease your caloric consumption by avoiding alcohol and excess desserts, both items chock full of sugar and empty calories.

Stick with Your Exercise Program or Start One

If you already work out, stick with your existing program. If you aren’t exercising, begin doing some light to moderate exercise, such as walking, bicycling or easy weightlifting. For those who already have a workout routine, it can help keep the extra pounds away if you can manage to sneak in an extra workout or two. Burning those extra calories can help to make up for any Thanksgiving overindulgences.

Work with a Trainer

People who work with personal trainers often make greater health and fitness gains than those who don’t. A trainer will hold you accountable for your eating habits as well as your exercise habits. Rather than being accountable only to yourself, you’ll have to explain to your trainer why you overate at a holiday feast or why you haven’t been showing up for exercise sessions. In most cases, a trainer will also push you harder than you will push yourself, challenging you to do one more rep or one more mile. Over time, those extra reps and miles add up to fitness gains. A personal trainer can also help you define realistic fitness and weight loss goals, and he or she will have the knowledge and expertise to help you meet those goals.

If you would like to find a quality personal trainer or exercise specialist, search TalkLocal to find a fitness professional you can trust.

This entry was originally posted on Monday, November 19th, 2012 at 2:00 pm and is filed under Personal Trainers. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.