The holiday season is a time for giving thanks, being merry, and spending time with our friends and family, but let’s face it, it’s also a time of great temptation and stress. We’ve been talking a lot about ways to battle the pounds between holiday parties and family feasts. There’s lots of interest today in fad diets like cleanses and juice diets. There’s no blanket solution to fighting the inevitable holiday weight gain, but we explored some of the latest crazes and gathered our findings here to help determine what solution is best for you:
- Cleansing: Cleanse diets gained a lot of attention when Beyonce used the Master Cleanse to drop pounds for the filming of Dream Girls. The Master Cleanse is just one of many cleanses on the market but here are a few important things to keep in mind:
- While a cleanse is not a long-term diet solution, it is a great way to reboot your normal workout and diet regimen, especially after a period of social eating and added stress like the holidays.
- Look for cleanses that have the best nutritional make-up; cleanses made up of pressed juices versus pasteurized are best. The Zobha Team found Blue Print and Evolution to be good options.
- Juicing: Juice diets vary from being structured like cleanses, to a lifestyle change where healthy juice blends are substituted for meals. When doing a juice diet the first question is whether to juice or to blend. If you’re a novice to juicing, here are some tips for figuring out which is best for you:
- Smoothies are pulverized fruit and vegetables into liquid form, which maintains the nutrients and vitamins. Juice is made by separating the liquid and most of the nutrients from the pulp, which fanatics of juicing claim speeds up the process of getting vitamins and nutrients to your body.
These are a few ways to keep your system clean and functioning at its best, but holiday weight gain isn’t just about over eating, stress is a big factor for many people. It’s important to take time, even if its just 20 minutes a day, to do something for yourself. A brisk walk or run, a yoga class, or a good hike are a few ways to free your mind and distress. A little bit goes a long way!
Before making any drastic changes to your diet you should consult your doctor. This information is what we found helpful, but there is a plethora of information out there and in the end you and your physician can determine what’s best for you and your body.
Cheers to a happy & healthy new year!
The Zobha Team
