Unwrapping The Holidays

“The image and model of a crash test dummy hasn't changed much throughout the decades, but now Humanetics is forced to develop a heftier crash test dummy to better represent growing obesity trends in the U.S.”

For an illustration of this current weight trend, Humanetics' obese dummy will now weigh in at 273 pounds with a body mass index of 35. This in response to studies that have shown obese individuals are much more likely to die in car accidents, as the heavy middle weight disbursement (ie: middle bulge) causes them to get out of position in typical seats. The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, has classified obese individuals as those with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or more. According to the CDC, over one-third of Americans are obese. So, are we proud of ourselves yet?

Holiday Complexities and Caloric Catastrophes

Listen, let’s just state the obvious and get it out of the way once and for all. Most of us, regardless of our starting weight before the Holiday Season, have gotten fatter over the holidays.  I could have said ‘we all gained a few pounds’ to soften the blow, but with over 33% of us already statistically OBESE, maybe nice isn’t working anymore. It might be time to be frank for once and call a spade, a spade.

At the same time, we’re not here to simply pile on and be part of the existing problem, but perhaps to offer solutions for dancing around some of the seasonal weight-inducing land mines common to most of our Holiday experiences. If we are to succeed against historically daunting weight-gain trending during the Holidays, perhaps we need to consider a method of personal operation that isn’t the norm. If we abide by a common definition of insanity, that being ‘doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting something to change’, then it is clear we need to do something different to stop the national waistline expansion movement.

It has been claimed that the average American gains 5 lbs. or more during the Holiday Season. These claims have not been substantiated, and one study found the gain to be less. That’s the good news. The bad news is that even if its 2-3 lbs., the same study found that we don’t usually take that weight gain off, so if we add it up over 10, 20, or 30 years, obesity can be potentially visible in all of our futures if we are not careful.

As we celebrate, food and drink are always in the forefront of our Holiday gatherings. So what to do now? For next year, my first suggestion is a preemptive strike. How about a 10 day cleanse, a full month of everyday workouts or anything else that might actually take a few off before Holiday time? Two years ago I lost 14 lbs. BETWEEN Thanksgiving and Christmas with something called the 24 Day Challenge and I’ve been at my target weight ever since. Whatever health related weight loss/management tools you employ, get on it now so that you might guiltlessly indulge within limits for 2015's Holidays.

       “Most things in life are easy to lose, and hard to gain. Unfortunately, this isn't in the case for weight...”

                                                                        ~ Unknown

PS: We @ UP Beauty wish you a healthy and prosperous 2015!