Quick ways to prevent weight gain during the holidays… and every other day.

Q: How do I keep from gaining weight during the holidays?

A: The holiday season tends to be one of indulgence - lots of get togethers and parties, sweets and treats. However, it doesn’t have to be at the expense of your waistline and overall health. Here are a few tricks to staying the course fitness wise during the holidays or any other time you’re going be short on healthy options.

Pre-eat

Eating a small healthy meal prior to attending a party where you know there is going to be a plethora of junk food is a great way to limit cravings and over-eating. Showing up semi-full allows you to take part in the get together and even enjoy some of the treats while you spend time with loved ones, however, it will help limit intake of less than healthy foods.

This before...

 

...this.

Exercise

Similar to pre-eating, getting a good workout in before you eat a large meal or attend a party will help keep overindulgence to a minimum because, I don’t know about you, but I don’t crave junk food after a good workout. Exercise also stokes your metabolism, making calories taken in more productive and less likely to end up in fat storage.

 

This before...

... this.

Stop at 80%

Being conscious about how full you are can make a big difference in whether you over eat or not. A great strategy is to stop eating when you’re 80% full. For most, stopping at 80% will be enough food. You might think you want more, but after waiting a few minutes you’ll realize you’re actually satiated.

Stop eating at 80% full

- KO

Q and A

I get asked a lot of questions on a daily basis so I figured I’d start answering some of the more common ones here.

Q. What is the best diet for losing weight?

A. Obviously nutrition is a vast topic and I’m sorry to say that there is no one size fits all diet. However, I’m currently finishing up the Precision Nutrition Level 1 certification and really like the way they try and simplify things. Below is a link to a nice infographic that outlines a starting point based on your body type (somatotype). Here are the three main body types as described by precision nutrition:

Endomorphs - individuals characterized by a larger bone structure with higher amounts of total body mass. Endomorphs are not as efficient at burning off excess calories as other somatotypes. This profile leads to a greater propensity to store energy - both in lean as well as fat compartments. It also leads to a lower carbohydrate tolerance (and need).

Mesomorphs - individuals characterized by a medium sized bone structure and athletic build holding a significant amount of lean mass. This profile leads to a propensity for muscle gain and the maintenance of a low body fat.

Ectomorphs - individuals characterized by smaller bone structures and typically thinner limbs. This profile is linked to a fast metabolic rate and a higher carbohydrate tolerance (and need).

You can see by these basic descriptions that the trend toward a "low carb" diet isn't going to work for everyone and in fact may hinder certain people from performing and feeling their best. Below is the infographic outlining an eating strategy for each somatotype. A couple of things; first, remember that this is just a starting point and that you should adjust your intake from here based on personal results. Second, ignore any supplement or nutrient timing information since we're discussing general eating habits here.

You'll notice that endomorphic types tend to do better on a lower carbohydrate diet, which is popular now, while ectomorphic types actually do better on a higher carb, lower fat type diet more popular a few decades ago. A prime example of why you shouldn't follow the latest "thing" because nothing is truly one size fits all.

Lastly, to reiterate something most have heard plenty by now but worth repeating, try and stay away from highly processed carbs which tend to be full of preservatives and sugars while also being low in nutritional value.

-KO

Core - part deux

 

 

I’ve written about the “core” or “trunk” or whatever else you like to call the area between the shoulders and hips before. I’ve discussed the many muscles that crisscross this area and how many contribute to our ability to stabilize ourselves against gravity and external loads.

While it’s fun to get all geeky and talk about the interconnectedness of our bodies or how the fascia weaves continuously through and around our muscles it may be more helpful to just simplify what is needed. Because back pain is such a common affliction and the core can play a huge role in alleviating this issue let’s cut to the chase.

To protect against injury we need to be able to create adequate “stiffness” around the spine. Because we are three-dimensional beings this means the front, sides and back have to all be up to the task. While it’s almost too simplified, a very basic way to see where you’re at is to do a few plank varieties for time. Starting with the side plank, which many find the most difficult, you should be able to hold this position for at least 40 seconds. 

 

Side Plank

In the standard front plank you are shooting for at least 60 seconds. 

 

Plank

Additionally, for beginners, I will often administer a glute bridge test as well to see where the posterior chain is at. With the glute bridge I am also looking for 60 seconds and hoping it’s the easiest of the bunch.

 

Glute Bridge

The reason the aforementioned tests are almost too simple is because they leave out other stabilizing abilities our core has, namely: anti-rotation. In addition to leaving this plane of motion out I am also a big fan of chops, lifts and loaded carries, which will tax the core musculature as well. However, because these are done in a vertical position they tax the core in a different and arguably more functional way. This is because vertical is where we spend a lot of our time especially when we’re under load, i.e. carrying and moving stuff around.

 

Pallof Press - great for anti-rotation training

Chopping exercise

Cable lift

 

Farmer Carry - all around great exercise

So in closing; definitely get good at doing planks and such, which is basically learning how to create stiffness around the spine. However, don’t forget we are (hopefully) active beings and expanding our stabilizing abilities to the vertical position including chopping, carrying and the rotational plane is ideal. 

-KO