Tips for Preventing Colds, Flu and Other Viral Infections

It is cold and flu time again along with another round of Covid circulating. Dry, cold air promotes the spread of viruses. People are also spending time cooped up inside and this creates a fertile environment for the spread of viral illness.

Here are some steps you can take to help protect you and your family:

Using a humidifier will help reduce the survival of many viruses including most strains of the flu. Increased humidity lowers the survival of viruses in the air –and improves your response to viral infection. Remember to add a few drops of essential oil like 
eucalyptus to help prevent any mold growth.

Wash your hands – yes, this simple step can prevent many infections! We contract viruses through our mouth, eyes, and nose, and the most common transmissions occur when we touch our unwashed hands to one or more of these areas. So frequent hand washing with soap for at least 20 seconds is the single best protection to avoid viral infection. Always have alcohol sanitizer in your car and on your person and use it whenever you are not able to wash your hands with soap and water.

Maintain a Healthy Diet – with adequate protein and high in fruits and vegetables – at least ½ of a gram of protein per pound of bodyweight (about 80 grams for the average man and 65 for an average woman).

Stay Hydrated – particularly during plane travel. Dehydration lowers immunity and during dry winter months dehydration is common.

Vitamin C and Zinc – while there are many nutrients that support optimal immune function two that are critical are vitamin C and Zinc. Vitamin C can be obtained by a diet high in fruits and vegetables. Zinc is high in red meat, but also extremely high in oysters and pumpkin seeds. Supplementation is also an option. Either liposomal or buffered C with bioflavonoids are the most effective types of supplement for C. For zinc choose a high-quality chelated zinc supplement like zinc glycinate, picolinate, or acetate. For Zinc 30 mg per day is plenty and should be taken with food while for C 500 – 1,000 mg is more than enough on a daily basis.

During onset of sickness the body can tolerate much higher doses of C and this is beneficial in shortening the duration of viral illness.

Elderberry Extract – elderberry extract is a potent anti-viral compound and proven to help prevent and treat viral infections. High quality elderberry inhibits the early stages of viral infection by blocking key viral proteins responsible for both the viral attachment and entry into the host cells.

Sambucol brand elderberry extract is a research proven safe elderberry extract with no known contraindications. Sambucol is available in liquid form or gummies from Amazon, vitamin stores and pharmacies everywhere. It is best to keep Sambucol on hand and begin taking it immediately as soon as you feel any symptoms.

Quercetin – Quercetin Inhibits a virus’s ability to infect other cells (viruses literally infect your cells then take control of them and make them produce more virus!)

Quercetin also inhibits replication of already infected cells.

Quercetin Supplements

Like many polyphenols – quercetin has very poor bioavailability meaning it is hard to get enough where it needs to go to produce its many benefits. The great news is that there are research proven delivery systems that dramatically improve quercetin bioavailability. Look for “Quercetin Phytosome” which is quercetin bound to phytosomes. Quercetin Phytosome is a game changer when it comes to quercetin absorption and effectiveness. Some great products include:

Quercetin Phytosome by Thorne – 2 – 4 capsules per day

Now Quercertin Phytosome - 2 - 4 capsules per day

Dr. Mercola Quercetin and Pterostilbene Advanced – 2 - 4 capsules per day

Adequate Vitamin D Levels

Vitamin D levels are extremely important to maintaining a strong immune system among many other important benefits. Testing is ideal and then adjusting daily vitamin D intake to optimize levels. Check out this previous blogpost that goes into depth on testing and optimizing vitamin D levels: https://workoutanytime.blogspot.com/2025/01/preventing-colds-and-flu-through.html

As with all supplements, speak to your physician first and those taking any medication should search for drug nutrient interactions before supplementing. For example, quercetin may amplify the effects of blood thinning medication so people on this type of medication should NOT take quercetin at all without speaking to their physician.

Weight Loss Made simple - Prioritize Protein and Fiber!

Weight loss requires you to consume less calories than you use - but there are many factors that influence both calorie intake and calorie burn.  This complexity is why many weight loss interventions fail.  Regardless of how people lose weight most people regain all of it because they revert to old habits.

Another reason is that our fat cells have an epigenetic memory meaning that cells respond to dietary and movement patterns which activate specific genes (either good or bad depending on the patterns!).  In the case of poor eating and movement habits cells tend to become resistant to changing their genetic expression.  In other words, once you become overweight you become more susceptible to regaining weight.

In order to lose weight and keep it off we need to make sustainable dietary and movement pattern changes.  According to a new study this change may be as simple as eating more protein and fiber!

Participants who ate more protein and fiber lost significantly more weight over 12 months compared to those with lower intake and this did not involve counting calories - just a focus on eating more protein and fiber rich foods.

Satiety = Protein + Fiber

Satiety refers to feeling satisfied and not hungry.   Protein and fiber both promote satiety through distinct mechanisms.   Fiber promotes healthy guy bacteria, improves bowel regularity, helps maintain blood sugar in the optimal range, and reduces cholesterol.  Consuming fiber rich foods such as vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds, and whole grains is also linked to lower all cause mortality.  Fiber also promotes satiety after meals.

Protein also increases satiety compared to sugar and fat.  Protein causes the release of specific peptides that interact with receptors in our gut to control appetite.   Protein also provides two other important benefits related to weight loss and maintaining weight loss:

Protein increases post-meal thermogenesis (technically called post-prandial thermogenesis) meaning that it takes more energy to digest protein so that you actually have to burn more calories to digest protein.  This means you get fewer usable calories from protein.  When you consistently prioritize protein this adds up to a lot of extra calories burned over the long haul!

Protein also builds and preserves lean mass including muscle and bone!  Muscle and other lean mass are the big calorie burners in your body so building more muscle and minimizing muscle loss during weight loss is key to successful weight loss that you maintain!  Studies suggest that high-protein diets cause almost twice as much fat loss as moderate-protein diets.

Participants in this study were taught how to choose foods with high levels of protein and fiber.  Participants aimed for 7 - 11 grams of protein per 100 calories of food and 1.8 - 3.2 grams of fiber per 100 calories of food eaten.   

For maintaining weight participants aimed for 4 - 8 grams of protein per 100 calories and 1.4 - 2.8 grams of fiber per 100 calories of food eaten.  

This equated to 140 - 210 grams of protein per day and 28 - 56 grams of fiber daily.  Participants did NOT count calories!

An Easy Nutrition Program

To make this even easier shoot for a minimum of 1 gram of protein per lbs. of lean mass every day (ask club staff to have your body composition measured which will give you your lean mass and fat mass).  To make it even simpler - just focus on 1 gram of protein per lbs. of body weight.

Here is a link to a free downloadable list of high protein foods: https://reallifenutritionist.com/high-protein-foods/

When it comes to fiber focus on getting at least 25 grams of fiber per day.   Here is a list of High Fiber Foods:  https://reallifenutritionist.com/high-fiber-foods-chart/

The Many Benefits of Regular Sauna Use!

 

Like exercise, heat is a stressor and has a strong effect on many body systems.   The key to obtaining the benefits is to understand that properly applied stress stimulates a positive adaptive response to the stressor.   Traditional Hot Finnish Saunas have a long history of use and an incredible body of scientific research supporting their benefits. For example:

Did you know that sauna use 4 – 7 times per week decreases risk of dying from cardiovascular disease by 50 percent?

Did you know that sauna use 4 – 7 times per week reduces the risk of premature death from preventable diseases by 40 percent?

Did you know that a study showed that people were 66% less likely to develop dementia, 67% less likely to develop Alzheimer’s and 77 percent less likely to develop psychotic disorders, regardless of what they ate, how much they exercised, and their social standing?

Read on to learn more about different types of saunas – their benefits and how they produce such amazing results!

Different Types of Saunas

The most popular type of sauna is traditional Finnish Hot Saunas (temperature 180 – 200 degrees Fahrenheit.   These saunas heat your body by increasing the air temperature and heating your body from the outside.

The other type of sauna rapidly gaining popularity is an infrared sauna which works by projecting infrared rays into your body and heating it from the inside out.   These saunas are preferred by many because the air temperature is much more comfortable and quality units produce heat deep within the body tissues.

Which type of sauna you choose to use depends on how well you can tolerate heat and if you prefer the lower temperature of an infrared sauna vs a traditional hot sauna.

There is more and more science supporting the benefits of infrared saunas, but there is a massive body of science supporting the benefits of traditional hot saunas often called Finnish Saunas.

Cardiovascular adaptations to traditional hot Finnish Saunas include:

Increased plasma volume and blood flow to heart with increased stroke volume (stroke volume is the amount of blood your heart can pump with each contraction – when it increases heart rate can slow down)

Increased red blood cell count resulting in increased oxygen delivery to muscles.

Increased blood flow to muscles and other tissues resulting in increased delivery of nutrients and disposal of cellular waste products.

Reduced rate of glycogen depletion which significantly improves endurance exercise performance.

Lower core body temperature during workouts and heat exposure.

A study showed that a 30-minute sauna session two times a week for three weeks post-workout increased the time that it took for study participants to run until exhaustion by 32% compared to baseline!

Sauna and the Brain

Heat stress has been shown to increase the expression of brain -derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)

Increased BDNF causes the growth of new brain cells, improves the ability for you to learn new information and retain it, and ameliorates certain types of depression and anxiety

Increases the storage and release of norepinephrine which improves attention and focus.

Increases prolactin which enhances myelination and helps repair damaged neurons.

Causes a robust increase in dynorphin which results in increased sensitivity to endorphins.

Heat stress from heat exposure in a dry sauna has been demonstrated to cause a potent increase in beta - endorphin levels, even more than exercise alone.

The bottom line is that Finnish Saunas provide a powerful mood boosting effect that persists for hours after a sauna by increasing the creation of endorphins while also increasing the brain and body’s sensitivity to endorphins.

Sauna and Muscle Hypertrophy and Growth Hormone

Sauna use triggers a massive secretion of growth hormone along with improved insulin sensitivity.

Growth hormone has many beneficial effects including decreased body fat, increased lean mass, improved energy levels, improved skin texture, thickness and elasticity and better overall quality of life.  

Studies have shown that traditional hot sauna use can increase growth hormone up to 16 times base levels.

Saunas also activate the MTOR pathway which is responsible for protein synthesis

Saunas reduce protein breakdown through inhibition of FOXO activation

Saunas trigger the release of heat shock proteins (HSP’s) which reduce muscle breakdown

HSPs prevent cellular damage by directly scavenging free radicals and by supporting cellular antioxidant capacity through their effects on maintaining the body’s primary endogenous antioxidant glutathione.

HSP’s repair misfolded, damaged proteins thereby ensuring proteins have their proper structure and function.

HSPs persist for up to 48 hours after a sauna.

Saunas and Detoxification

Like exercise - saunas increase sweating and dramatically increase metabolic rate.   Sweating helps clean pores, expels toxins, and kills viruses and bacteria that cannot survive high temperatures.

There have been studies showing the value of sweating to increase the excretion of toxic heavy metals. 

Sauna Use and Covid-19 Risk

Covid 19 is destroyed at a temperature above 158 degrees Fahrenheit for 5 minutes or longer.

A study published in The Lancet Microbe looked at how temperature affected high amounts of SARS-CoV-2 in laboratory media. The researchers found that the virus was killed after 5 minutes at 70°C (158°F).

One study in Applied Physics Letters used mathematical modeling to predict the effect of different temperatures on SARS-CoV-2. The model estimated that the virus would be killed after an average of 2.5 minutes at 70°C (158°F).

Saunas and Pain Reduction

Saunas have shown tremendous benefit for those suffering from Fibromyalgia and Lyme Disease by reducing pain and discomfort.   Similar benefits have been shown with arthritis.

Safe Sauna Use

It is critical to drink plenty of water before, during and after sauna use and excessive use can cause heat stroke. A good rule of thumb is to drink 1 quart of water for every 20 minutes of sauna use. 

Do NOT drink alcohol or use any sauna when drinking alcohol.

Sauna use is contraindicated for any pregnant female and for both sexes if trying to induce pregnancy.   Increased temperature can severely damage a developing fetus.

Sauna use is also contraindicated for those who have recently had a heart attack or stroke!

For maximum benefits based on the research slowly build up to 20 minutes 4 times per week of Traditional Finnish Sauna use with an air temperature of 180 – 200 degrees Fahrenheit.   This specific dosage has been proven by multiple long-term studies to maximize the life extension and health benefits of sauna use.

Keep in mind that saunas are supposed to relax you NOT be a teeth-gritting experience!   Start with short exposures and gradually build time.  If you start to feel dizzy at all – time to get out!

The Importance of Winter Light Exposure!

 

Bright light exposure in winter is important because it helps stabilize circadian rhythms, supports mood and energy and can significantly reduce the risk and severity of winter depression symptoms.

Bright light - particularly in the morning - helps set or reset the brains master clock each day, which tends to drift later in winter due to lower levels of light.

Reduced daylight in winter is linked to lower serotonin levels and disrupted melatonin contributing to seasonal affective disorder and low mood in winter.

Clinical trials show that bright light therapy (10,000 lux in the morning) can bring about remission in 50 -60% of people with seasonal affective disorder.

Newer evidence shows that bright light therapy has significant antidepressant effects in non-seasonal major depression with remission rates substantially higher than controls.

Strategies for Increased Bright Light Exposure

Getting outside first thing in the morning is the best way to increase your bright light exposure - especially on sunny, clear days.  Brightness on a clear, sunny day are often 100,000 lux whereas well-lit indoor home light levels are somewhere between 100 - 500 lux.    Even on cloudy days outdoor light levels are typically close to 2,000 lux.   

Keep in mind that for hundreds of thousands of years humans where outside so bright morning light was a powerful stimulus and light exposure is key for optimal physiology!

For many this is not possible on a regular basis in which case purchasing a 10,000-lux light used for 20 - 30 minutes shortly after waking can be very helpful.   Ideally position the above the head and shining down.   Our eyes have special receptor in the lower eyelids that respond very quickly to overhead bright light.   It is literally like an on and off switch for the brain!   Here is a an excellent 10,000 lux unit:  https://www.amazon.com/Carex-Day-Light-Classic-Bright-Therapy/dp/B00PCN4UVU/ref=psdc_13053141_t4_B078KFCN1N

Benefits of Red and Near Infrared Light Exposure

Red and near infrared light are part of the sun's spectrum of light and have big benefits beyond just skin health!   In particular near infrared light directly stimulates increased energy production from the mitochondria in our cells which are responsible for energy production in our cells.   For a complete rundown on Red/Near Infrared Light Therapy check out this previous blogpost:  https://workoutanytime.blogspot.com/2025/01/the-many-benefits-of-redlight.html 

Winter is the perfect time to take advantage of red/near infrared exposure.   Many clubs now have red/near infrared beds and stand-up booths.   

High Intensity vs Low Intensity Exercise Benefits

New published research has shown that vigorous exercise – such as running – is much more effective than light to moderate exercise such as walking.    After assessing the data from 73,000 adults using wearables, researchers found that each minute of high intensity activity is equivalent to four to nine minutes of moderate intensity activity and 53 – 156 minutes of low intensity activity for reduction in all cause mortality and cardiovascular disease prevention and mitigation.   

Key Findings on High Intensity Exercise Benefits

High Potency: Research indicates that 1 minute of vigorous activity is equivalent to 4 - 9 minutes of moderate activity for reducing major disease risks.

Mortality Reduction and Minimal Time Required: As little at 1.1 minutes of daily high intensity activity can reduce the risk of dying from any cause by 38%, according to a New Scientist study.  

Cognitive Health: Regular, intense exercise (at least once a week) is linked to lower rates of dementia and mild cognitive impairment, particularly in adults under 75.

Weekend Warrior Effect: Concentrating exercise into one or two days a week provides similar cardiovascular and cardiometabolic benefits to spreading it out, as noted by the American Heart Association.

Brain Power:  Intense daily exercise can enhance memory and cognitive performance for up to 24 hours, according to studies published in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. 

High Intensity vs Moderate Intensity

While Guidelines often suggest that high intensity exercise is twice as effective as moderate intensity exercise, new evidence suggests it is far more potent - potentially up to 10 times more effective for specific health outcomes!

Cardiovascular Disease: 1 minute of high intensity activity = 7.8 minutes of moderate activity!

Type 2 Diabetes: 1 minute of high intensity activity = 9.4 minutes of moderate activity!

All-Cause Mortality: 1 minute of high intensity activity = 4.1 minutes of moderate activity!

The take home message is that while all activity is better than no activity - high intensity exercise has big benefits!

How to Make Your New Year's Resolution Come True!

If you want to make your New Year's Resolution come true - willpower alone will not get you there!

Commitment

Without true commitment you will not reach your goal!  Commitment involves being clear on why you want to achieve the goal then creating the conditions necessary to achieve it.   This involves:

Making it Public!    By sharing your goal with all around you - you create more support and accountability.

Setting a timeline consisting of small, measurable goals that lead to the overall goal!   

Creating forms of feedback and accountability and support

Removing things in your environment and life that oppose your commitment!

Once you truly commit - you will hit your goal!  Commitment involves building your life around your goal.

Create Conditions that Make Your Success Inevitable!

You will fail to achieve goals if you do not change your environment.

Example: an alcoholic who really wants to quit drinking needs to stop spending time at bars and with people who drink all the time.    This analogy applies to other goals as well.

Example - if you want to lose bodyfat you have to change your diet and that involves removing foods that you know you will overeat from your house and making changes in how you shop such as consciously avoiding shopping for food when you are hungry!

Making the changes necessary to achieve weight loss goals is challenging - consider booking a complimentary Success Session with one of your club's personal trainers.    These team members have dedicated their lives to helping others achieve their health and fitness goals and they want to help you!

The Ideal Ski Conditioning Program

 

Skiing is a challenging activity that requires:

Strength

Balance/Stability/Kinesthetic Awareness

Speed

Muscular Endurance

Ski Specific Strength

Skiing requires strong lower body muscles combined with a strong core and upper body.   What is unique in skiing is a strong emphasis on eccentric (muscle lengthening for shock absorption) and isometric (static contraction to prevent movement) muscle contractions.

To properly prepare it is important to choose specific exercises which challenge the lower body and core for the unique demands of skiing.

The reACT Trainer - The Ultimate Ski Specific Training Tool!

The reACT Trainer is an amazingly effective tool for developing ski specific strength, endurance, power, balance and stability.   It emphasizes eccentric muscle contractions which are so critical for skiing while also demanding balance and core strength.   5 - 10 minutes twice a week for 3 - 6 weeks before ski season will make an incredible difference in your skiing performance.

To learn how to use the reACT Trainer check out this quick intro video:   https://youtu.be/b5LWiI19c1k?si=679_oyiqLw55g7dk 

Slideboard Exercise/Floor Sliders

Two other great tools for ski conditioning are slideboards and/or floor sliders.  Both place a strong emphasis on the eccentric aspect of key exercises like lunges and side lunges. 

A slideboard provides a ski specific challenge to the the lower body and core in a dynamic manner that demands strength, power and flexibility all while moving laterally which is another unique aspect of skiing.  This means the inner and outer thighs must be heavily conditioned to prevent premature fatigue on the slopes, and the slideboard is perfect for this!  Check out this video of the basic slide movement:  https://youtu.be/fpaFkIQx7FE For more ski specific slideboard exercises go to:  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL33FAB06632D708A6 

Floor sliders/gliders can mimic some of the benefits of slideboard exercise by allowing the foot/feet to slide on the floor during lunges, side lunges and core exercises.  To get a sense of all the exercises that can be done using these simple and inexpensive gliders check this out:  https://youtu.be/xdn9M4rXEtA 

The Incredible Mental Health Benefits of Exercise!

 

High levels of stress are being reported by most Americans!  About half of U.S. adults say that uncertainty about the future makes them feel that it is impossible to make plans for the future. About a third say their stress levels are so high that they sometimes struggle with even basic decisions.   It has been estimated that 75 – 90% of all visits to primary care physicians are for stress related problems. 

The great news is that exercise is extremely effective for reducing stress and relieving anxiety and depression! 

Exercise Drives Multiple Pathways to Reduce Anxiety and Depression

Exercise boosts BDNF (brain derived neurotropic factor) which improves learning and memory and literally acts like miracle grow for the brain.

Through a separate action exercise causes muscles to help detoxify a toxic chemical called Kynurenine.   Kynurenine is produced from the faulty metabolism of tryptophan.   Under conditions of acute or chronic inflammation Kynurenine forms Quinolinic Acid instead of serotonin.  Excess Quinolinic acid is directly linked to major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia – Kynurenine clearance in exercised muscle cells suppresses this build-up in the brain.

Overtime regular exercise remodels the brain’s reward system leading to higher levels of dopamine and more dopamine receptors. Through this action exercise can both relieve depression and increase your capacity for joy.

Exercise also boost levels of endocannabinoids (yep – the same ones that come from the cannabis plant!).  The “high” from exercise comes from a boost in endocannabinoids. These endogenously produced chemicals dock on brain receptors and reduce anxiety and induce a state of contentment. Studies have found that these brain changes help boost positive interactions with friends and family.

The latest research even shows that lactate – produced during intense exercise – travels to the brain from muscles where it is produced – and alters brain chemistry in ways that can reduce anxiety and protect against depression.  

The Evidence on Effectiveness of Exercise for Anxiety and Depression

A recent Metanalysis of 25 randomized controlled trials found that aerobic exercise
improved depression - particularly for moderate or intense aerobic activity.

In addition, this metanalysis found that previous studies underestimated the power of
exercise to control anxiety and depression.

Intense aerobic exercise has also been found to be very effective in treating anxiety - specifically the lactic acid produced during intense intervals has been shown to have a strong anti-depressant effect. Furthermore, lactic acid has been shown to be linked to improved REM/dream sleep. After lactate is release by muscles, it travels through the bloodstream to the brain, where it can reduce anxiety and protect against depression.

An analysis of 15 different studies showed that aerobic exercise – especially high-intensity aerobic exercise – reduces symptoms of anxiety. These anti-anxiety effects persisted for several months after cessation of the exercise.

All the participants in the studies had some degree of anxiety, with their conditions falling on a spectrum that included anxiety disorders, raised anxiety levels, and raised anxiety sensitivity - a condition in which a person feels anxious about the physical symptoms that often accompany anxiety. People on waiting lists for anxiety treatment who did not exercise served as comparisons.

They found that participants who engaged in both low and high-intensity aerobic exercise experienced greater improvements in their anxiety than non-exercising people on treatment waiting lists. High-intensity exercise reduced anxiety symptoms more effectively than low-intensity exercise. The various interventions lasted between 10 weeks and 6 months, with participants exercising three times a week on average.

Multiple mechanisms are responsible for the anti-anxiety effects of exercise. One key mechanism mentioned above is the production of lactate. Lactate increases the levels of norepinepherine and serotonin. Low levels of these neurotransmitters can drive anxiety and the inability to handle stressful situations.

How to Handle Holiday Stress

 

Although the holidays are a fun time of year they are also a very stress time of year? 45% of Americans say they would prefer skipping the entire season because of financial pressure. Most Americans feel that the stress really starts to build around December 13th, grows worse through the 18th and peaks on Christmas Day.

This holiday stress can be highly detrimental to your health, and it is sad but true that many take their lives during this season. The physiological impact of this stress manifests as increased cortisol which boosts blood sugar levels, helps drive weight gain, and breaks down muscle.

Here are some tried and true ways to combat the holiday stress syndrome:

Get your workouts in! Now is not the time to skip workouts - even a short workout can have an immediate and lasting effect in reducing your mental and physiological stress response. A quick high intensity workout - just three 20 second sprints with one - four minutes of active recovery - is all it takes! Remember something is always better than nothing when it comes to workout out.

Get your Sleep! Easier said than done, but focusing on when you eat and when you go to bed and wake up can keep your body in a good rhythm. A simple way to do this is to get up and go to bed at the same time every single day regardless of the day of the week - do not change your schedule on weekends.

Time Your Food and Beverage Intake! Keep your food and beverage intake (except for water) in the 12-hour window so that you are not eating or drinking anything for 12 hours. For example, if you wake up at 6am and drink a cup of coffee at 7am - the clock has started at 7am.

That means you want to take in your last food or beverage no later than 7pm.

If you know you are gong to go out to parties try to take in your first food and non-water beverage later in the morning. If you start at 9am this give you until 9pm to finish all food and beverage intake. By keeping your sleep/wake cycle consistent along with your eating and not-eating schedule you allow your body to recovery better.

If you are going out to parties - start early and leave early or just start drinking water and nothing else once you hit the end of your 12-hour window.

Set an alcohol budget - and switch to water after you hit it. Doing this can prevent a lot of issues!

Do not overbook yourself or your family - plan on downtime and keep it simple. Less if often more in life, and the holidays are no exception!

How to Enjoy Thanksgiving without Gaining Weight!

 

It is very easy to eat upwards of 4,500 calories if you really go crazy and pay no attention to portion size, how many portions you are eating, and what you are eating. Given that the average person burns somewhere around 2,000 calories per day it means you would have to fast for more than two days to get rid of this holiday binge or do many hour of extra exercise!

The key to not ruining your waistline is to keep heavy calorie holiday meals to just 2 - 3 days and moderate your intake a bit. A few days of heavier than normal calories intake does not need to sabotage your progress in the gym.

For example let's take a look at a more restrained (yet enjoyable) Thanksgiving Day of Eating where you enjoy portions of everything in moderation over 3 - 4 hours and come in under 2,500 calories:

3 pigs in a blanket - 150 calories

1 ounce of Brie Cheese - 150 calories

4 ounce of Sweet Potato - 187 calories

1/2 cup of Green Bean Casserole - 227 calories

2 glasses of wine - 250 calories

1/4 cup cranberry sauce - 102 calories

7 oz white meat turkey with skin - 354 calories

1 cup gravy - 50 calories

1/2 cup stuffing - 195 calories

1 cup mashed potatoes - 237 calories

3 by 3 inch square cornbread - 198 calories

1 slice Apple Pie (1/8 of pie) - 300 calories