Thanksgiving has come and gone, but some students have a few souvenir pounds of extra weight to show for their holiday indulgences.
Certified personal trainer and Cal State Long Beach alumna Melina Christidis said its not too late to get back on track with diets and exercise. She offered the Daily 49er a few tips for getting back in shape.
Make a plan. “Accountability is everything,” Christidis said. It’s important to plan everything from workouts to snacks and it will be much easier to keep up with personal goals, Christidis said. Christidis especially recommends having a plan during the holidays. Even when eating big meals, one should pace eating and still make room for breakfast, lunch and dinner, Christidis said.
Get enough H2O. Make sure to drink water frequently throughout the day. “People often confuse dehydration with hunger,” Christidis said. She recommends drinking water before reaching for a snack.
Eat every three to four hours. “Planning ahead goes with your workouts as well as your food,” Christidis said. The body goes into starvation mode and hangs on to whatever fat is in the body and slows the metabolism if a person goes more than four hours without eating.
Make breakfast a priority. According to Christidis, a person should eat breakfast no longer than one hour after he or she wakes up. Christidis said the best way to jump start the body is by eating breakfast; otherwise, the body will go into starvation mode
Find the workout that makes you want to move. “There’s not one right way to work out, do whatever motivates you,” Christidis said. After the holidays, it’s easy to feel unmotivated, but it’s important to find the workout that makes it exciting to hit the gym, whether that’s spin, yoga, weightlifting or running, Christidis said. She said not to get discouraged in the beginning because it takes a while to see results. “It can take four to eight weeks to see results,” Christidis said. “People want results right away and that’s not what happens. It’s very hard to change habits, but you can change.”
Christidis is a certified personal trainer who teaches spin, buts n’ guts and fit camp at the Student Recreation and Wellness Center at CSULB. She also does personal and group fitness training.
To learn more about Christidis’ health and fitness tips, visit melinafitness.com.
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