Chinese New Year is all about having gatherings with family members and friends. And when there are gatherings, there will surely be lots of splendid Chinese New Year dishes and once-in-a-year cookies and snacks. It is extremely difficult to stay away from these dishes and goodies. Bak kwa, kuih kapit, bee hive cookies, prawn crackers, Yee Sang with extra pok chui crackers, cookies and more cookies – who can resist these goodies? After all, you only get to eat them once a year.
Chinese New Year is also a time where you will find it hard to exercise. With overindulgence in high fat foods and lack of exercise, many people have a hard time battling the post-Chinese New Year bulge. But if you are determined and disciplined enough, it is possible to shed off those pounds that you piled up throughout the 15 days of Chinese New Year.
Here’s what you can do:
1. Watch Your Food Portion
Size matters – the smaller it is, the better it will be for weight loss. If you usually eat a plate of rice and two pieces of chicken, reduce the portion to a quarter plate of rice and one piece of chicken. Better yet, omit the rice altogether and eat more vegetables to fill your tummy up.
2. Wear a shapewear
Find the best affordable shapewear to help you in your battle of the bulge. Big meals will make you feel uncomfortable when your midsection is under compression. With a waist trainer or shapewear on your body, you’ll likely feel more comfortable eating smaller meals rather than large ones.
3. Be more active and move more
Battle the bulge by aiming for 10,000 steps a day. Walk the stairs, get off one bus stop earlier, do housework and exercise to burn more calories and keep the metabolic rate up. You’ll also get your heart rate up every day. For every half an hour of chair time, get up and move around. Time spent sedentary is related to excess weight and obesity, independent of physical activity level.
4. Drink lots of water
When you do not drink enough water, your body is not able to correctly tell the difference between hunger pangs and dehydration. Thirst can sometimes mask itself as hunger and lead to unwanted snacking when you could have simply done with a glass of plain water. Try drinking water, the next time hunger pangs strike.
5. Exercise
According to the Mayo Clinic, to lose weight or maintain weight loss, you’ll need up to 300 minutes of moderate physical activity a week, which averages to about 60 minutes, five days a week. Wear a waist trainer during your workout sessions as it will help you sweat more, especially around your waist area. With that extra sweat, you will lose some water weight and calories. Such waist trainers can be purchased from waist trainer manufacturers such as waistdear.com at affordable prices.
So go ahead and dig into all your favorite Chinese New Year goodies but in moderation.
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