Smooth Fitness Blog

It is holiday time and the average holiday weight gain is claimed to be 5 pounds or more between Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years.

Is there anything that can be done to prevent holiday weight gain?

The most important thing to avoid holiday weight gain is educating yourself. You must know the impact of the foods you are eating. It is very dangerous to haphazardly eat anything in front of you and if you do, you should expect to gain weight. On the other hand, if you go into the holiday season armed with the knowledge of how many calories are in some of the most popular holiday foods as well as how long it will take to burn off those calories you can work to avoid gaining weight over the winter holidays.

Below are some of the most popular holiday foods and drinks. I have also provided the approximate calorie count for each food and how long it will take the average person to burn the holiday meal calories off. This is the information you need to keep your weight gain at a minimum this holiday season. You can use this information to deter you from eating these foods or you can counter act what you eat by exercising.

Let’s take a look at some of these foods and the corresponding exercise time to burn them off.

It’s important to note that working out on an elliptical machine with moderate intensity averages 500 calories per hour or 8.33 calories per minute. A very brisk walk on a treadmill averages 280 calories per hour or 4.66 calories per minute.

1. A slice of pie from a pie cut into eight slices carries 350-600 calories. Exercise time to burn off is 45 minutes to 75 minutes on elliptical machine or 75 minutes to 120 min on a treadmill. <!–[endif]–>
2. A 4 oz glass of wine carries 160 – 200 calories. Exercise time to burn off is 19 minutes to 24 minutes on elliptical machine or 34 minutes to 43 minutes on treadmill. <!–[endif]–>
3. Stuffing carries 180-260 calories per cup. Exercise time to burn off is 21 minutes to 31 minutes on elliptical machine or 38 minutes to 56 minutes on treadmill.
4. 5  ounces of Lasagna (size of a deck of cards maybe a little bigger) carries 400 calories. Exercise time to burn off is 48 minutes on elliptical machine or 85 minutes on a treadmill.
5. Pepperoni and cheese carries 230 calories per ounce. Exercise time to burn off is 31 minutes on elliptical machine or 56 minutes on treadmill.
6. 1/4 cup of nuts carries 200 calories. Exercise time to burn off is 24 minutes on elliptical machine or 43 minutes on treadmill.
7. ½ cup of eggnog caries 200 calories. Exercise time to burn off is 24 minutes on elliptical machine or 43 minutes on treadmill.
8. One average size homemade cookie carries about 200 calories. Exercise time to burn off is 24 minutes on elliptical machine or 43 minutes on treadmill.
9. 10 chips and 2 table spoons of dip carries about 250 calories combined. Exercise time to burn off is 30 minutes on elliptical machine or 55 minutes on treadmill.
10. Mashed Potatoes with Gravy can carry up to 400 calories. Exercise time to burn off is 48 minutes on elliptical machine or 90 minutes on treadmill.
11. Crescent shaped rolls carry 110 calories. Exercise time to burn off is 13.2 minutes on elliptical machine or 23 minutes on treadmill.

It is important to understand that I am not recommending to completely avoid your favorite foods during the holiday season. My intention is to supply the information necessary to make informed decisions. I would be dishonest if I said that I did not indulge over the holidays as I also have my favorite holiday treats. I do however go and burn it off. In addition, I eat right all year so that Thanksgiving and the Winter Holidays are not as devastating to my physical fitness level.

Now you know how many calories you are putting into your body and what you need to do to avoid the holiday weight gain.

Enjoy your holidays!

Jim Bompensa has been a health club owner and manager, personal trainer, group fitness instructor, and nutrition specialist for the nearly 15 years. He is currently the owner/operator of Body Physics Fitness Center in Haddonfield, NJ. Jim has appeared and contributed on ABC and NBC in Philadelphia, PA as well as Designing Spaces on TLC.

Your time is valuable.  If you think of your time as currency, currency that can never be replaced, you will certainly want to get the most bang for your buck.  If you value your time and take time management seriously while striving to get the most out of your workouts than you need to work as many muscles as possible at the same time.  This method of exercise will provide numerous benefits:

First, you will fatigue more muscles in less time.  In order to create a well rounded full body tone, you must work every muscle in the body to the point of fatigue.  I recommend doing this two times per week.  Since there are numerous muscle groups to be worked, you may find it hard to budget enough time to properly work all of them.  By utilizing multiple muscle groups in unison, you create a time efficient workout and effective workout routine.

Second, you will illicit positive changes to your cardiovascular system.  Because so many muscles are moving at the same time, a greater amount of blood flow is required.  This will raise your heart rate and provide a greater benefit to cardiovascular system.  Oxygen is required to fuel muscle movement.  When more muscles are moved more oxygen is required.  Blood delivers oxygen and since the heart pumps the blood, more cardiovascular involvement is required.  Hence, a more efficient cardiovascular system is the final product.

Finally, you will burn more calories.  By creating more muscle movement, more calories are required.  One of the biggest reasons people exercise is to loose weight or keep from gaining weight.  Calorie expenditure is critical in weight loss and weight management.  The more calories burned the more body fat is lost or the less body fat is retained.  When more muscles are moved more calories are burned in a shorter time frame.

Time efficient workouts are my specialty.  I create workouts for busy clients.  In order to create these time efficient workouts, I utilize three methods to create coordinated muscle movement.

First, I combine lower body exercises with upper body exercises.  An example of this type of exercise is the squat with lateral raise.  Follow the instructions below to complete this exercise.

1. Begin with arms extended at your side with slight bend in elbows. Your feet should be just a little wider than shoulder width.
2. Arms should not be touching the body.
3. The body should be lowered to a position where the thighs are parallel to the ground. Arms should stay steady while lowering the body.
4. With both feet firmly planted on the floor, the body should be lifted back to starting position. Both arms should be lifted laterally away from the body while pushing up with the legs.
5. In contrast to the original starting position, at this point the arms should be in a position parallel to the ground.
6. Return to position where thighs are parallel with the ground and arms are extended at the side and repeat.
7. A constant angle should be maintained at the elbow joint throughout this exercise.

Second, I combine upper body resistance exercises with cardio movements.  An example of this would be walking on the treadmill while curling hand weights.  Follow the instructions below to complete this exercise.

1. Attach safety harness and begin walking.
2. While walking start with arms extended down with palms facing forward.
3. The elbows should be slightly bent.
4. While keeping palms facing up, pull hands upward toward the shoulders.
5. It is very important to keep the elbows tight against the body to prevent using shoulder muscles.
6. Return arms to start position and repeat.

Finally, utilize cardio machines such as the Agile DMT elliptical trainer to work the entire body. The Agile dynamic motion trainer provides twelve levels of adjustable motion. Adjustable motion adds additional levels of movement to the existing motion. These additional levels of movement recruit more muscle groups to the workout, which creates a more rounded and productive workout instead of fatigue to certain muscles which would shorten a workout session. The agile adds additional muscle groups incorporating legs, abdominals and arms for a total body workout.

I wish you the best of luck in your fitness journey!

You should always consult your physician before undertaking any exercise routine and gain his or her approval.  A warm up and a cool down should be included with every workout routine.

Jim Bompensa has been a health club owner and manager, personal trainer, group fitness instructor, and nutrition specialist for the nearly 15 years. He is currently the owner/operator of Body Physics Fitness Center in Haddonfield, NJ. Jim has appeared and contributed on ABC and NBC in Philadelphia, PA as well as Designing Spaces on TLC.