Vital to stay away from sugar and keep properly hydrated during workouts

Published in the November 27, 2013 issue of Morgan Hill Life

By Dan Locsin

Dan Locsin

Dan Locsin

With the holiday season coming, most likely you’ll be consuming more carbs than usual. Between now and New Year’s Day, the average American gains up to 10 pounds because of the extra consumption.

In order to prevent weight gain but still enjoy the parties and the delicious food that comes with them, let me encourage you to do what average people most likely won’t do. The long term benefits of planning and executing good health habits during the holiday seasons will give you a head start on your New Year’s resolutions. The key is to sweat more, drink more water, and consume less sugar.

Nothing is more nourishing to your skin than good old fashioned perspiration. Sweating is the most effective way to purge impurities from the body. Sitting in a hot sauna is a healthy way to sweat which leads to improved skin tone, mental clarity and improved circulation. But if you want to have the most dramatic impact in sweating, I recommend exercise. If you can work out — such as walking, running, or other fitness exercises — long enough to work up a sweat, the benefits not only include better skin, but also a higher metabolic rate. This means you can burn calories more efficiently, which will help you enjoy more of the tasty snacks and delicious beverages the holidays bring.

Add drinking a lot of water to your regimen. Every cleanse-and-detox program requires a minimum of 10 glasses of water a day — that’s about half a gallon. Some of the benefits of drinking water are proper hydration, appetite reduction and more efficient perspiration. If you don’t like drinking water, add a lemon or lime slice to your glass. Remember, it is difficult to sweat out the toxins if you are not properly hydrated. Drinking a lot of water not only curbs your appetite but being properly hydrated allows your body to transfer the good nutrients in your body.

It’s hard during the holidays, but avoid eating too much sugar, a key contributor to a poor immune system. With the excess sugar available during the holidays, more of us are susceptible to the common cold as well the flu.

Avoiding sugar may seem impossible, especially after Halloween. Take action to control the food availability in your daily environment. If there is candy stashed in the office, eliminate these sweets. Better yet, curb your sugar appetite by eating whole fruit.

Pre-cut your fruit and they become easier and quicker to eat than opening a sticky wrapper of candy. And instead of indulging in Thanksgiving pumpkin pie or Christmas Day German chocolate cake, use self-discipline to develop good eating habits. Eat an apple before, then taste the desserts. You’ll find you won’t need to eat the whole piece of pie or cake to enjoy these treats.

Consider getting a membership at a health club to give you the tools to burn off those extra pounds that build up during the holidays. Ask the club manager for the same discount they will give customers in January. More likely than not, they’ll want you as a customer. Then start your exercise program immediately. You don’t want to start working out at the gym in January and be just an average member.

Enjoy the holiday season. With family, friends and tradition come an abundance of tasty foods and rich desserts. Stay ahead and follow these tips now so you don’t end up an average American after the holidays… 10 pounds heavier come Jan. 1.

Dan Locsin is a kinesiology and nutrition graduate from San Jose State University. He’s a consultant for the Olympic Training Centers and the owner of Hi 5 Produce and Yoke Training Systems. Dan and his wife Denise have four children.