Happy Thanksgiving to you! This week, most of us will sit down to a feast; we’ll have turkey and dressing and all the trimmings…and many of us will gain a few pounds between now (well…since Halloween for some of us), and the first of the coming year. (I know the holidays are near when eggnog appears on the shelves at the market; eggnog- one personal weakness of mine…and this year there was eggnog even for Halloween! But, I digress…)
On average, Americans will gain between 1 and 10 pounds during the holiday season including Thanksgiving and Christmas/New Year. If you’re already overweight, you’re more likely to gain more weight (closer to 10 pounds than 1 pound), during the holidays than if you’re a healthy weight. So what is it? Is it the eggnog? Is it the turkey? The pecan pie? A combination of all of the above and more? Holidays and calories…just calories; we count them when we take them into our bodies and we count them when we expend them during exercise.
During the holiday season, many of us will consume exponentially more calories than we usually do; we’ll consume calories from different sources than we usually do. We also, usually, don’t begin an exercise program to expend more calories during the holidays. Consequently, many of us will gain weight. Going into the holidays this year, keep in mind: not all calories are created equal. Calories that come from natural sources are generally less easily absorbed by the body than calories that come from sources of food that have been processed (taken apart and put back together in yummy combinations with preservatives and additives). Basically, if you eat 100 calories of raw pecans that you just shelled, your body will actually use fewer of them for fuel than the 100 calories you might eat that were in a bowl of cereal. When manufacturers break down the food and piece it back together, there is less work for your body to do in the digestive process. Not only do you break down processed food more easily into absorbable nutrients (before it passes through to the end of the line), but the converse is true for raw or more natural foods; your body has to work harder to break them down (burning more fuel in the process of digestion). Make sense?
Don’t wait until New Year’s resolutions; counter the effects of holiday calories by increasing your energy output (exercise). Put more healthy stuff in. Drink less eggnog (rats!). Enjoy this holiday season. Just be advised and be aware…and be well.
Sally Windham-Blackburn is an ACE Certified Personal Trainer and Fitness Instructor in Blanco, TX. Please send questions and comments to sally_blackburn@yahoo.com
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