This Holiday Season, Challenge Yourself to Maintain, Not Gain

The holiday season is here! And while ‘tis the season to be jolly, for many of us it is also a season of busy schedules, crowded stores, and yes – unhealthy eating habits. With a series of feasts and celebrations just around the corner, now is the time to challenge yourself to maintain your weight this holiday season.

The fact that many people tend to put on a few pounds during the holiday should come as no surprise. The big holiday feasts, the tempting sweets around the office and less free time to be active, all conspire to cause a shock when we finally step onto the scale in January. And while the amount of weight gained during the holidays varies from person to person, what is consistent is that holiday weight gained rarely is ever lost. This seasonal weight gain accumulates throughout the years and can be a major contributor to obesity later in life.

With this in mind, resist the temptation to indulge over the holidays because you promise yourself you’ll make up for it in next year. As most of us know from experience, New Year’s resolutions were made to be broken and it’s harder than we think to burn off those holiday pounds. Start now and start the new year off on the right track, rather than in the hole and feeling pressured to dig yourself out.

The Eat Smart, Move More – Maintain, Don’t Gain Holiday Challenge is for everyone. If you are at a healthy weight right now, challenge yourself to stay there. Each pound you don’t gain is one you won’t be struggling with come January.

If you are among the two-thirds of Americans who have a few pounds to lose, the Holiday Challenge is a great place to start. The holidays are stressful enough for most people without the pressure of trying to lose weight added on top of everything else. So focus on maintaining your weight by developing healthy behaviors. This way, even if the numbers on the scale don’t move backwards, you’ll have a happy holiday season and be well on your way to continuing your lifestyle changes in the new year when life has settled back down!

If you’ve recently lost weight, use the Holiday Challenge as motivation to stay the course. Don’t let the next month and a half of temptation derail all the progress you’ve made!

Sign up for the challenge at www.MyEatSmartMoveMore.com
To help you successfully complete the challenge you will receive:

• A weekly newsletter with tips, ideas, recipes and more.
• The chance to win a Eat Smart, Move More gift bag each week
• Access to discussion boards to chat with others completing the challenge
• The opportunity to ask the experts your questions
• Downloadable tools to help you monitor your progress
  

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Last Modified: November 20, 2006