The number one most common New Year resolution is to lose weight, since most people from Thanksgiving up to New Year have gained at least a few extra pounds. Most people fail to keep their resolution because the extra effort and time required for them to lose that weight isn’t so freely available. There’s that pressing need to tackle unfinished jobs and overtime work after the holidays. People end up not being able to eat right and healthy. There’s not much time to get into a regular exercise routine with all the work backlogs that need to be accomplished. These just add up to an already progressing increased weight challenge.
So what’s the real reason why people are more likely to gain weight during the holidays than any other period of the year? Aside from all the eating, drinking and partying that comes with the holiday festivities, a variety of factors such as stress levels, irregular sleep and smoking patterns contribute to a higher tendency to put on weight during the holidays. Having to meet year end deadlines at work, all the shopping, party planning and attending to guests can cause the body’s metabolism to go haywire. Sleep patterns are upset and you lose a lot during the holidays, which slows down metabolism or cause you to eat more. Researchers found that there are only two key factors that cause holiday weight gain: hunger levels and activity levels.
The first thing you can do once the festivities are over and the guests have left is to return to your normal sleep schedule the soonest. A lack of sleep disrupts your hormones that control the appetite and is the biggest contributor to weight gain aside from high-calorie food intake. Put effort in getting to bed at the same time each night so you can work your metabolism back to its normal level. Take a warm bath and refrain from any activity at least an hour before bedtime so you can accustom your body to resting and getting a good night’s sleep.
Begin to cut your calorie intake by replacing holiday food with lots of fruits and vegetables. Refuse the sweets and left-overs from the holidays. Never fall for those fad diets, as most of these get your body into starvation mode which can cause cravings that confuse your metabolism. It is important to choose the right food that help in efficient calorie burning. If you do not get the right nutrition, metabolism slows down and the whole weight loss process goes out the window.
It helps to take several small meals throughout the day in place of the three main meals to shrink stomach capacity. You may also start on a regular exercise routine, but if you can’t, take other options available that allow you to burn some calories. Take the stairs instead of the lift. Go for a 15 to 30 minute stride around the neighborhood just before dinner. Take your dog for a walk.
Another rather critical piece of advice is to drink lots of water. Water fills you up too, causing you to eat less. A lack of it dehydrates your system and slows the metabolism which can affect weight gain. Water also acts as an appetite suppressant. Above all, water is a good detoxifier which flushes out harmful toxins from holiday partying.
Your efforts at weight loss can also be useless if you first don’t get rid of toxins that slow down your metabolism. Therefore, it is recommended that you take on an internal cleansing or detoxification program to boost your weight loss efforts.
One such effective cleansing regimen is the Clean-9 Nutritional Cleansing Program. It consists of aloe vera gel and garcinia that act as natural toxin eliminators. Garcinia and aloe have long been known to aid the weight loss process by cleansing the body of toxins and harmful elements that slow down the metabolic process. The Clean-9 Program also includes meal replacements in the form of protein shakes in vanilla or chocolate flavors. Bee Pollen is also part of the program as it is considered to be the most complete food there is.
A meal planner, exercise guide and journal come together with the Clean-9 Nutritional Cleansing Program along with comprehensive literature to guide you through the process. By taking this step to detoxify, you jump start weight loss efforts by conditioning your body to shed that excess holiday weight naturally and in a healthy way.
Tags: cleansing, detox, detoxification, Diet, holiday weight gain, new year resolution, Weight Loss
