Let’s face it, maintaining your weight during the holidays is tough. Between the once a year holiday treats, family gatherings, holiday parties and traveling it’s easy to pack on a few pounds without realizing it. Most fighters will begin to feel the effects of less than stellar eating habits within a few days. Avoid the bloated and sluggish feeling with these tips to help keep you in fighting shape throughout the holiday season. Who offers the best Brazilian jiu jitsu in Raleigh? Gracie Raleigh! Call or come by the gym today to learn more!

Don’t Skip Training
Around Halloween, every year gym attendance begins to decline. As the holiday season draws even closer, the number of people who are working out continues to decline. The resurgence after the holidays is insane, and the gym is so crowded that it is hard to get in an effective workout. The reason people gain weight during the holiday season is that they are increasing their caloric intake without increasing their activity. Having a holiday party to attend and drinking too much so that you don’t feel like working out the next day isn’t a good excuse — instead, everything in moderation, including missed workouts. There will be enough time spent traveling where you legitimately can’t work out, don’t find lame reasons to skip your workout at other times throughout the season.

If you can’t make it to class, substitute your full workout with a mini session comprised of the following moves:

Five rounds of 30 seconds on and 30 seconds of rest of judo push ups
Two-minute rest
In a row perform 25 reverse lunges – each leg, 25 forward lunges – each leg, 25 Hindu squats, and 50 bodyweight squats
Two-minute rest
Five minutes of rolling planks rotating between the side and front planks every 30 seconds.

Manage Your Food the Rest of the Day
When you are at a party, and you want to indulge a little, do so. However, manage your eating choices the rest of the day and the day after. If you are heading to a dinner where there will be lots of tempting options, don’t skip meals during the day to save calories for the meal. Instead, eat small, protein-rich meals which will keep you from feeling overly hungry and will lead you to overindulge. Choose to eat small portions of foods that you don’t usually get throughout the year and skip those foods that you can have at any time. Once you have indulged, set your alarm and wake up ready to train the next day. Go back to your healthy eating habits with a slightly lower calorie intake. Choose proteins, leafy greens, vegetables, and good fats to help keep your blood sugar stable during the carb crash that may follow.

Join us next time for more tips on how to maintain your fighting weight during the holiday season.

Best 2019 Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in Raleigh

Ready to take your training to the next level? Call or come by the gym at Gracie Raleigh and see why more fighters are making the switch to our Brazilian jiu jitsu in Raleigh. Our expert staff knows that it’s not enough just to train hard, you have to have the right nutrition and environment around you to be successful. Make 2019 your best year yet. Come experience the difference at Gracie Raleigh.