During the Christmas holiday period, unhealthy eating habits and lack of exercise contribute substantially to overweight and the trend towards obesity in developed countries.
The reasons behind these weight changes are very clear. Holidays are not a time of total relaxation, compared to our normal working life, we spend more time sleeping, eating out, partying and drinking with family and friends, which leaves little time or often desire for exercise. and the maintenance of a controlled diet.
During these times, excess calorie intake from food and alcohol inevitably leads to weight gain and the negative health outcomes associated with these excesses. We all know that during adulthood we tend to gain weight. While slight weight gain is natural, excessive weight gain can have serious health consequences and should be avoided.
Statistically, the weight gained during the holidays increases significantly with age. Adults gain up to 500% more weight during the holidays than during the normal working period.
Additionally, there is research that has identified certain categories of people and times of the year when holiday weight gain is more likely. People who are already overweight, or have been overweight in the past, are more vulnerable to holiday weight gain than those in the healthy weight range.
Even the climate seems to be important in weight gain, in fact, when the holidays are taken in colder environments or during the winter, there is a greater prevalence of weight gain.
Furthermore, with the harsh climate, during training, after a break from exercise, the body deconditions itself naturally. Regardless of the intensity of our past training regimes, we need to remember that it will take a certain period of readjustment to get back to training at a certain intensity.
There is absolutely no need to exaggerate during the recovery period because the risk, in addition to not obtaining desired or hoped-for results, is above all that of getting hurt. On the contrary, having a slower and more progressive approach will give our body time to readjust to the workloads to improve workout after workout. We should start with shorter exercises with light loads, increasing the work time and intensity with small progressive steps by setting a series of easily achievable intermediate goals, this also represents a great help from a psychological point of view to maintain momentum and motivation. upon reaching the desired physical shape.
When we reach a goal, we should reward ourselves with a day of rest or a meal free from the diet set, these small rewards are fundamental to adhering to the program and therefore to achieving our goals.
Another fundamental point is that of preventing any accidents, especially when returning from a period of inactivity. We should take 10 to 15 minutes before training to work on a series of pre-activation exercises that will work both on activating our nervous system and on the vascularization and lubrication of our musculoskeletal structures.
After periods of inactivity, the muscles are often tighter than usual, and our habit of moving properly is reduced so adding mobility-focused sessions is strongly recommended. Despite these preventive strategies, there may be the possibility of experiencing minor injuries, strains or sprains or stress fractures: in such circumstances it is always advisable to contact a physiotherapist or osteopath to minimize these possibilities. Inappropriate management or evaluation of minor injuries that can occur during training sessions can lead to more serious injuries, and to longer recovery and future problems.
Training promotes a calorie deficit and helps maintain muscle mass and growth. Just a calorie restriction strategy isn't enough. Not all weight loss can be attributed to fat loss and therefore without proper training, weight loss can actually be caused by muscle loss.
When trying to lose some weight it's also important to be realistic about how much you can lose. It is recommended to lose no more than 0.5 kg per week and this can be achieved through a deficit of 500 calories per day.
Any reduction in food intake should be done throughout the day on individual meals, and by no means avoiding or skipping a meal. Some people attempt a crash diet that induces large calorie deficits with the goal of losing weight quickly. While this may work for the minority, it is not the best weight loss solution particularly for medium to long term results as often what happens is that the body stores energy in the form of fat deposits, thus slowing down the metabolism. that in the case of a natural caloric increase after a restriction regime it can lead to an oscillating weight trend.
After your training sessions, you need to make sure you have an adequate recovery meal. Skipping this meal may seem like an easy way to cut calories from your diet, but providing your body with recovery fuel is very important. As we have said several times there are no secrets and miraculous methods to obtain results but only the application of principles demonstrated by scientific research in order to obtain the desired results , this is even more true if possible in those periods in which due to food excesses and lack of training we have strayed further from our goals.
References
- Yanovski JA, Yanovski SZ, Sovik KN, et al. A prospective study of holiday weight gain. N Engl J Med. 2000;342(12):861-7
- Baker RC, Kirschenbaum DS. Weight control during the holidays: Highly consistent self-monitoring as a potentially useful coping mechanism. Health Psychol. 1998;17(4):367-70.
- Phelan S, Wing RR, Raynor HA, et al. Holiday weight management by successful weight losers and normal weight individuals. J Consult Clin Psychol. 2008;76(3):442-8.
- Kobayashi M, Kobayashi M. The relationship between obesity and seasonal variation in body weight among elementary school children in Tokyo. Econ Hum Biol. 2006;4(2):253-61.
- Faulhaber M, Flatz M, Gatterer H, et al. Prevalence of cardiovascular diseases among alpine skiers and hikers in the Austrian Alps. High Alt Med Biol. 2007;8(3):245-52.
- Strauss-Blasche G, Riedmann B, Schobersberger W, et al. Vacation at moderate and low altitude improves perceived health in individuals with metabolic syndrome. J Travel Med. 2004;11(5):300-4.
- Hoffman J. Physiological Aspects of Sport Training and Performance. New Jersey: Human Kinetics; 2002.]
- McArdle WD, Katch FI, Katch VL. Exercise Physiology: Energy, Nutrition, and Human Performance (5th edition). Baltimore: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2001.
