Wow! How can it be December already? The calorie-laden home stretch of 2012 is upon us. No need to panic. Holiday weight gain is not inevitable. In fact, with just some small changes to your regular Koko exercise routine and some holiday party survival tactics, you can easily keep it in check while protecting and BUILDING that lean muscle. We have even created some in-club holiday fitness challenges to help motivate you!

Much is written about holiday weight gain this time of year, so I’m not going to rehash it, but the scope of research suggests the average person only gains between 2 to 5 pounds.

What I find more interesting than simple weight gain statistics are the results of a study by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development that links much of the incremental weight gain we accumulate over the years to the weeks between Thanksgiving and New Years.

So, we may not gain a lot of weight over the holidays, but that weight has staying power. Alternatively, holding holiday weight gain at bay sets you up to maintain a healthy weight long term.

First and foremost, if your club is participating in the Holiday Hold’em Challenge, or the 12 Days of Koko, sign up! It will give you an extra nudge to stick to your Smartraining routine, 3 to 4 days a week. The hustle of the holiday season may be leaving you feeling time pressed but. I also like to add an extra cardio session or two to my weekly workout routine because I know I will be indulging in plenty of amazing home cooked Italian food all season. If you know you love to indulge in holiday fare, compensate by burning a few more calories. Thanks to Smartraining’s efficiency, that amounts to a mere 30 additional minutes at your local Koko FitClub each week.

Besides sticking to your Koko Smartraining routine to stay fit, it’s also a great idea to have strategies in place to handle holiday situations that tempt you to overindulge. Here are a few of my go-tos:

• Eat a healthy, high fiber snack before you head out to holiday festivities. (Something like fruit, veggies or oatmeal.) This will help you avoid overindulging in high calorie party food.
• Don’t waste calories on mindless munching. Skip the chips, pretzels and peanuts and spend calories on the holiday food you really love.