Best Time to Drink a Protein Shake

What’s The Best Time to Drink Protein Shakes? Ask The Fitness Nerd

October 27, 2008 on 11:19 pm | By Matt | In Ask The Fitness Nerd |

When should you drink a protein shake? Today we tackle the question of what’s the best time to reach for that protein shake.

Dear Fitness Nerd:

I’ve read a lot about the benefits of protein shakes, especially when it comes to building muscle and becoming leaner. But I’ve seen conflicting advice on when the best time is to drink protein shakes, and how often I should be consuming them. Some people say right before you workout, others say immediately following your workout, and some people seem to drink them 3-4 times a day or more. I’m confused. Can you help clear this up? Thanks. Sarah M. (Albany, NY)

Sarah,

This is a great question.

The first thing to realize is that protein shakes are intended to be supplemental to your regular whole meals — not replacements for whole meals. So if you view it that way, you should typically be consuming no more than 2-3 shakes a day on your workout days, and 1-2 (if any) protein shakes on your non-workout days.

In general, the two most critical times for drinking a protein shake are:

1. First thing in the morning
2. Immediately following your resistance or weight training workout.

Why first thing in the morning?

Well, when you wake up, you have essentially been in a fasted state for the past seven to eight hours. That means you’ve had no protein during this time and you are at risk for becoming catabolic (meaning you’ll start to break down muscle for fuel.) By drinking a protein shake with some simple carbs (like orange juice or a banana blended in) as soon as you wake up, you can stop this muscle breakdown dead in its tracks and put yourself back in “positive nitrogen balance” — a fancy term that simply means you have more protein available for your body than what it is using for fuel or excreting.

The second key window of opportunity for drinking a protein shake is immediately following your resistance or weight training workout.

During this 30-60 minute post-workout window, your muscles are like sponges and take up nutrients — including protein — very quickly as part of the repair and recovery process. Your body also utilizes carbohydrates more efficiently during this period, due to increased insulin sensitivity, so drinking your protein shake with some simple carbs can help the body more efficient absorb amino acids and utilize them for ongoing tissue repair and growth.

What Kind of Protein Should I Be Using In These Shakes?

In both cases, a shake containing whey protein is your best bet. Whey is one of the most easily digested proteins available and is rapidly made available to the body — often in as little as 20-30 minutes after being ingested.

Remember, time is of the essence in both of these scenarios, so if you are relying on forms of protein that take longer to digest — for example casein (milk proteins) or soy protein — by the time the amino acids become available to the body, you’ll have missed your window of opportunity.

It is, however, fine to combine the whey protein with a secondary form of protein like soy protein isolate, casein (milk protein) or even egg protein (albumin).

One of my favorite post workout protein shakes is skim milk combined with a scoop of chocolate whey protein and soy protein isolate and a high glycemic carb (usually something like Rice Chex which are very portable.) By combining these three forms of protein together, you basically ensure a “amino drip” for 2-6 hours since they digest at different rates.

Soy, whey and milk proteins also have different amino acid balances, with soy containing more glutamine, for example, which can help with recovery and lessening the symptoms of delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). Soy also has documented cholesterol-lowering properties and may reduce the risk of certain types of cancers. So when you combine these different forms of protein together in your shake, you maximize the nutritional and recovery benefits of the shake.

What About Drinking a Protein Shake Before Working Out?

Protein shakes are also popular as a pre-workout meal.

In these cases, they are typically consumed about an hour before your workout and usually are mixed with either water, soy milk or skim milk and sometimes a slower-burning, low-glycemic carb like oatmeal.

While pre-workout protein shakes can help ensure that you have plenty of amino acids available during your training, they are not always necessary. You could also eat a whole food source of protein 1-2 hours in advance of your workout and do just fine. The protein shakes are primarily there for the sake of convenience, and not always for necessity.

Do I Have To Drink Protein Shakes To Be Successful in the Gym?

No. While carefully-timed protein shakes can help you fill in some of the gaps in your diet, they shouldn’t be a substitute for healthy, clean, whole foods. It’s possible to build a great physique and stay in fantastic shape without ever touching a protein shake — but they can help, especially if you have a busy schedule that makes eating five to six times a day difficult.

If I could only drink one protein shake a day, I probably would reserve it for after my workout.

A growing body of research has demonstrated that people who drink post-workout recovery drinks that combine whey, casein and a source of simple carbohydrates put on more lean tissue than people who drink whey-only or carbohydrate-only recovery drinks. Also, because protein shakes can be very portable, they are easily mixed with water or even milk kept in a cooler in your car — making them extremely convenient.

What Women Should Never do (but often do) While Trying to Get in Shape.

What Women Should Never do (but often do) While Trying to Get in Shape; Part 1 of 6

By

Juliet Deane

Published: March 11, 2011

This was originally intended to be a single article. I realized several pages deep that it was impossible to give you enough to help yourself or the important people in your life in one article. With the best intentions, I’ll give it to you straight. Over empathizing or hand-holding never helped, motivated or aspired anyone to change.

Mistake Number 1: Deciding to lose weight FIRST before beginning to weight train.

This thought process is 90% personal theory to avoid “bulking up” and 10% excuses to not step outside a comfort zone. Ask anyone with this mindset enough of the right questions and I guarantee it will boil down to the fear of bulking up or getting too big. I’ll get into some of the 10-percenters, but let’s tackle the majority first.

Many women (and even men these days) feel that shedding weight through cardio and diet before resistance training will lead to a leaner looking body in a faster time. The thought is to lose all the excess pounds on the scale and then “tone up” the leftovers for a sleeker, sexier, firm body.

Is it possible to lose fat exclusively through diet and conditioning? Yes – but it’s not faster, nor is it more efficient in the long run. Weight training in conjunction with improved eating habits and conditioning has major advantages over cardio and diet alone. But this information and the list of supporting facts are worthless until a woman actually believes that she is NOT an exception to the bulk factor.

It’s one thing to acknowledge information and another thing entirely to accept that it applies to you. Many women will give excuses.

“But I’m different.”

“It’s my genetics.”

“I put on muscle and size overnight!”

Though most of us know there’s a lot more to it- the concern needs to be addressed. So before you sigh, roll your eyes and begin futilely to convert skeptics to the iron side, I recommend you do the following;

• Acknowledge the concern. Nobody cares or wants to listen to a word you have to say if they don’t first believe you are listening and understanding their situation.
• Listen. Or should I say listen to their answers to the right questions. Collect diet and training history about the program(s) they did (or lack there of) that turned them off or had a negative result.
• Drop the bomb. Every body type and genetic background has the ability to have a beautiful, fit shape. There is a proven way to achieve it if they are willing. I emphasize – if they are willing. The ball is in their court.

So you listened or have been listened to, but you are still wondering if you have an exceptional situation. Perhaps you still just don’t know where or how things went wrong in the past. Why do women have this fear of muscle and bulk?

It’s actually the body fat over the muscle that’s making you look big. It’s not all muscle on a female body. It rarely ever is. Even if you have an athletic background or a naturally more muscular build, if you can pinch an inch on your quad or calves while standing – don’t blame it all on leg day. You just have more work to do. Now if you’re a cheap pincher or you flexed the whole time and still think you’re super lean, get naked and shake or jump up and down in front of the mirror. If it’s still jiggling when you stop wiggling, it’s body fat.

*Personal Side Note: Ladies, every time I’ve ever done a figure show or dieted down for one reason or another, I have been surprised by how much muscle I DIDN’T have – regardless of my perceived reflection at a higher weight (pictures help). Fat hides and fills in everywhere and the arms and back are a good example. You may get freaked out when you see a bicep curve in your arm as it starts to take shape because you think your arm looks too big and hate the way it looks in pictures. It’s likely the fat over the bicep and the notorious fat holding triceps that make the arm as a whole look bigger. Unless that arm is carved and lean with muscles that flicker when you move, you’re not jacked.

To also support this point, in the picture below some might say I’m TOO big. I’ll note that being very lean creates an illusion of size. This happens to work great in competition. But in all actuality, I wore a size extra small in clothes once I got that lean…that’s how much muscle I didn’t have under my usual medium tops and small bottom sizes. Don’t want to get so lean that you look bigger? Believe me, it doesn’t happen by accident and it’s quite easy to soften your look if need be – let me know if you get there.

The point is that it’s possible you are not over muscularly developed. You may just need to shed a bit more fat. No biggie.

Moving on…

• Crappy nutrition. Hand in hand with number one, if you’re not doing your part at the dinner table, you have yourself to blame. Not seeing inches come off? If you feel that you are staying the same or getting bulkier, this is an area you should take a second look.

Women have less muscle mass and more fat-storing hormones than men-period. So, we have to put a little more effort into our nutritional planning just to keep up with the results that men can get through training alone.

That might upset a lot of people but I’ll boldly walk out on that limb. I’ve seen men get great fitness and fat loss results with minimal to basic health changes to their diet. Not the same for females. In fact, I’ve seen women bust their ass three to four times a week and only make improvements in strength, mobility, balance etc…rather than jean size. They were not ready or willing to make any changes nutritionally. There are always exceptions, but the sooner you accept this fact and stop sulking, the quicker you can move forward.

*Another side note: If your man is losing fat and kicking butt in the gym, don’t rain on his parade. His 12-pound loss to your 3 is not his fault. It can be frustrating but be as supportive to him as you would like him to be for you. You’ll both be much happier.

So where should you start? Simple. I mean, actually start simple and small. Nutritionally speaking, consistency of your commitment trumps the intensity of your commitment hands down. Making gradual changes gets better results with less stress than crash dieting, always re-gaining, and feeling bulky and miserable.

I suggest you eat out less. Pack healthy snacks to prevent overeating later. Increase your fruit and veggie intake. Choose a lean protein at every meal unless you’re a victim of that awful Skinny Bitch book (in which case find vegetarian sources.) You might be saying “yeah, yeah, yeah…I heard that,” but have you ever actually committed to changes like this for a significant period of time and made it more of a lifestyle as opposed to a phase?

Diet Summary

• If you consistently eat like crap you will consistently look like crap.
• If you make a so-so effort you will get so-so results.
• If you crash diet half the time and overeat the other half of the time you will look be miserable ALL of the time.
• If you want to look exceptional you will need to do what most others are not willing to do.

There will be more in the future on this topic but for now, on to the next…

• Poor program design. Walking into the gym and doing whatever machines are open or copying what you see a trainer or other member doing is not a good idea. If you don’t know what to do, find out. Read, research, or hire a qualified trainer preferably by referral. If you don’t have a plan, you cannot predict quality results. That’s like getting in a car to drive cross-country without a map. It’s a commitment and a journey that you just can’t wing if you ever hope to get there and have a positive experience along the way.

Not only does poor or no programming make results unpredictable, it opens the door for even bigger issues. You can too easily avoid or forget to train certain areas while overtraining others simply because you know more of those exercises or enjoy them. The finished product can be an overall disproportionate look that can make one area look bulky compared to others. This is a bummer, but don’t worry it’s fixable and guess what? You’re not a genetic freak that is destined to be bulky.

More on training but lastly…

• Not enough training and healthy eating history. Obvious results in what you might consider “genetic trouble areas” take time. You might see change and definition in areas you hadn’t but are beginning to think those areas will never go away. You’re body type might prefer to hold fat in a particular area making you feel that it’s bulky or gaining MORE muscle as the rest of you gets leaner. I hate to break it to you but that area will always feel like the last to go and quite possibly the first to gain. Many women can relate so you aren’t alone in this frustration. You just need to be consistent and stay the course. In the meantime, showcase and enjoy the areas of your body that you like the most and don’t dwell on the areas that simply need more time.

• Be Consistent. Flip-flopping from one type of diet to the next- South Beach, Atkins, Weight Watchers, the Grapefruit Diet, the Mediterranean Diet, that awful diet where you massage the beads behind your ear… it’s a set up for metabolic and emotional disaster. This is also notoriously referred to as Yo-Yo dieting; a sure fire way to always feel like you’re deprived, never getting results, and always gaining back lost pounds and more. There’s no quicker way to feel you are a “bulker” than to actually gain weight while you’re trying to lose it.

The same concept can be applied to your training. It does you no good to do a random workout every time you go to the gym and get frustrated that you don’t see results. You need to give a progressive program real effort for several months to let it work for you. Patience and consistency can be tough disciplines to acquire. In an age of convenience and immediate gratification it’s no wonder so many people are still out of shape with a gym and a grocery store on every corner. We actually live in a society where they put the peanut butter AND the jelly in the same jar to save a whopping 10 seconds. Really?

To wrap it up…

Patience and consistency are muscles you will need to strengthen if you ever want to break the mold and move forward with your goals (training or otherwise).

About the other 10%

Here are a few other reasons that a woman might want to lose weight first before beginning to weight train.

• Fear - intimidation of trying something new, not knowing what to do, how to do it, how much is too much or how little is too little.
• Self-Consciousness - not wanting to be looked at while performing exercises, embarrassed about current weight.
• Aching Joints and Muscles – thinking that getting all the weight off first will alleviate aching joints and muscles.
• Unwillingness - just plain unwilling to step outside a comfort zone or put forth a real effort.

The solutions for all of the above are to get educated, get support, hire a trainer if you need to, learn more about exercises for your fitness level and find out when the gym is at its slowest. You are capable and there are tons of resources to support your cause. Just be willing and make the move.

So there’s the good news! There are so many more reasons on why you might think you’re a natural bulker, but likely are not. This is a great thing! There’s not only hope for you yet, but a whole slew of reasons on why you can be totally excited to start a basic weight training program.

Benefits of Resistance Training for Women

• Fat loss and improved body composition – Muscle burns fat. Excess fat is useless and makes you feel like crap. One pound of muscle burns 35-75 calories a day where one pound of fat burns a measly 8 calories per day. More muscle and less fat equals a smaller, tighter body that can eat more without gaining as easily.

• Get stronger (and no bulk!) - Women have 10-30 times less of the hormones that affect muscle-building. If it were that easy to get huge every guy on the beach would have massive biceps. But you don’t see that. You see skinny dudes, fat guys and the men that you can tell lift hard, eat well and put in the years of hard work that goes into getting and maintaining a built physique. Getting stronger will make your life easier; picking up your children, putting heavy boxes in the attic, carrying your luggage, and even lugging laundry baskets up and down stairs. Life just gets easier when you’re stronger. Start opening pickle jars for him.

• Improved performance - You can use your imagination here. You are more ready willing and able for everything when you are stronger and in better overall shape. Whether you love to run with your dog, ski, surf, hike, golf, swim or have rowdy sex…performance increases relative with your strength and fitness.

Side note: Yes this means yoga too! I’m telling you this just for the sake of making a point that being stronger opens up doors to so many different areas of interest. I randomly did a trial membership at an “intense” yoga studio where they taught hot yoga, power yoga, etc. I did one of everything they offered and had the same or better strength, mobility and balance as those geeky front row students. It didn’t de-stress me at ALL to know that I could get the same results and more in less time and without gagging on lavender. If you like yoga- great. Strength training will improve your performance in that as well.

• Decreased risk of being a “Skinny Fat” victim - Did you know that anorexics and bulimics can, and many times are clinically obese? This is an extreme example of skinny fat but it just goes to show you. Sometimes it doesn’t matter what the scale says, or what size jeans you wear. You still could be very unhappy with the way you look because you don’t have muscle and your whole body looks soft and flabby. Cardio and extreme calorie cuts can cause you to burn up your muscle. Wasting your muscle away equals skinny fat and faster weight-gain next time around since you’ll have less metabolic tissue (as mentioned in reason 1). Don’t burn it, build it.

• Decreased risk of Osteoporosis - This bone disease increases your risk of fractures. Though it is no longer considered gender or age specific, women experience a more rapid decline in bone density in the years following menopause. This puts females at even higher risk for fractures. Prevention starts early and resistance training has shown to not only slow the disease but to rebuild density.

• Increased self-esteem and decreased depression - Studies show that women who engage in a regular resistance training program report feeling confident and capable as a result of their training. Additionally, a Harvard study found that 10 weeks of strength training reduced clinical depression symptoms more successfully than standard counseling.

• Decreased risk of…dying - Ok so now you think I’m a fanatic, but check it out for yourself if you don’t believe me and Google the CDC’s leading causes of death in females. It’s not morbid, just educational. Heart disease is #1 and diabetes is #7. Strength training is great exercise for your heart and has the added bonus of helping your body process sugars better. If you want fancy studies, there are a million out there but I’m moving on.

• Decreased risk of injury and chronic muscle aches - The best treatment for injury is prevention. Strength training not only builds lean muscle but also develops stronger connective tissue and increased joint stability. Get stronger throughout your whole body and enjoy the energy, balance and coordination that come with it. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve worked with women and men that described themselves as having bad backs, knees, shoulders etc…and chalked it up to old injuries, pregnancy, and new strains that just won’t go away. The differences were always dramatic and even life changing. Get mobile, get stronger and get back to me.

• Tight body tight mind - Don’t think for a second that the discipline, consistency, goal setting and the goal-achieving attitude doesn’t transfer into your everyday life. You will be a stronger person physically and mentally.

I’m hoping that I’ve stated a strong case for all the reasons strength training is worth stepping out of your comfort zone. It’d be a proud day for me if even I can inspire a life change in one of you.

How to Start Small

Any resistance training is better for your body than none. Two days a week with only four main exercises isn’t too much to ask of yourself. Just because it’s basic doesn’t mean it’s easy or you won’t see improvements.

Beginning strength training for women is big topic on its own. I’ll get more in depth another time but for now, check out the chart below and get started with minimal hassle and commitment.

Day 1	Day 2
Warm Up: 2-3 Rounds A1. Facing the Wall Squat x 15 A2. Jumping Jacks x 30 seconds A3. Prisoner Goodmorning x 15 A4. Plank Hold x 30 seconds	Warm Up: 2-3 Rounds A1. Prisoner Squat x 15 A2. Mountain Climbers x 30 seconds A3. Standing Stiff Kicks x 15 each A4. Hip Circles x 10 each way/each side
Main Lifts: 3-4 Rounds /10-15 reps B1. Barbell Squat B2. Incline Push Up C1. Hamstring Curl on a ball C2. Bent Over Row	Main Lifts: 3-4 Rounds/10-15 reps B1. Deadlift B2. Military Press C1. Split Squat C2. Pull Downs or Chin Ups
Conditioning: Sprint or interval variety	Conditioning: Sprint or interval variety

Vegan Corned Beef and Cabbage

Will be trying my hand at this recipe tonight :) Though I think I'm gonna cut out the "beef" and just do veggies....

Recipe courtesy of:
Fatfree Vegan Kitchen

Vegan Corned Beef and Cabbage

This dish is not only delicious, but it's remarkably low in fat and calories. Don't wait for a special occasion to serve it!

2 medium onions, cut into wedges
1/2 head cabbage, finely chopped or shredded (I used red cabbage this time)
4 carrots, cut into 2-inch lengths and quartered
2 ribs celery, thickly sliced
4 cups vegetable broth
1 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon rubbed sage
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon mild horseradish
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
6-8 ounces vegetarian "beef" or seitan or reconstituted TVP chunks (I used Lightlife Strips)
2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon red wine or cooking sherry (really adds great flavor)

Saute the onion in a large, non-stick pot until it starts to brown. Add the remaining vegetables, the broth, and the seasonings. Cover and cook over medium heat for 15 minutes. Add the "beef," cover, and cook for 15 more minutes, until vegetables are soft.

Use a slotted spoon to remove the vegetables and "beef" to a serving plate and keep warm. Return the broth to the heat. In a small cup, combine the flour, water, and wine. Gradually stir the flour mixture into the simmering broth. Cook and stir, scraping the bottom of the pan, until the broth has thickened, about 10 minutes. Pour the gravy over the "beef" and vegetables to serve.

Makes 4 servings. Each serving, using the Lightlife strips, contains 117 Calories (kcal); trace Total Fat; (3% calories from fat); 10g Protein; 20g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 336mg Sodium; 7g Fiber.

I served this with Roasted Red Potatoes with Dill (instructions below) and Horseradish Sauce. To make horseradish sauce, simply mix prepared horseradish with your favorite vegan mayo to taste until you reach the right spiciness level. (Vegan horseradish can be hard to find; always read ingredients to make sure there are no eggs or dairy products. Better still, prepare your own.)

Roasted Red Potatoes with Dill

Preheat oven to 400. Cut small red potatoes in half, larger red potatoes into quarters (all should be about the same size). Allow about 1 1/2 to 2 pounds of potatoes for 4 servings. Place into a non-metal baking dish and spray lightly with canola oil (optional). Bake until potatoes are lightly browned and tender, about 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with salt and dill weed, to taste.

Why do we gain weight in Winter, tips prevent the bulge!

This is my first winter at a "normal" weight range for my age, height, and sex. I hoovered between 120-130 in the summer, however it seems that this winter has been extra difficult for me to keep up the good habits I formed over the summer. Now when I weigh in, I'm 130-145 lbs, which is not where I want to be. I decided to start doing some research, to try to help explain this winter weight bulge, and help combat the pounds from piling on. Here's what I found:

There seems to be several contributing factors. First, it seems likely that we have a natural genetic inclination to store more fat as winter approaches. Many animals do this and it was probably vital to survival for our ancestors. Extra layers of adipose tissue on the body protect us against the cold. It is then used as fuel in the late winter and early spring when food stocks would historically be very low due to the now melting frost. Equally important we probably have a tendency to eat more in the fall, when food is plentiful after harvest time, to help this process along. An we may also unconsciously tend to choose fatty foods at this time.

Another likely reason for this seasonal weight gain is the influence of hormones in our body. The fluctuations of hormones and other chemicals in the brain can result to variations in appetite and cravings. Some neurotransmitters can also influence the way we eat.

Overweight individuals often have low levels of these neurotransmitters and the results can include excessive appetite, depression and sleep disorders. At the same time, the lack of daylight caused by the shortening days during late fall and winter can bring on seasonally affected disorder or winter depression. An effective way to give a boost to the energy levels and emotions is to eat high carbohydrate foods including sugar treats like chips, cookies and cereals that give us a fast blood sugar 'fix'.

Generally the people that feel low in the winter will tend to overeat or eat the wrong foods due to this seasonally induced depression, leading to weight gain. This weight gained may then lead to more depression starting a vicious cycle that is hard to break.

Evidently there are many reasons why we eat more high carbohydrate foods such as cookies, pies and chocolate in the winter. Not to mention that most of these foods also contain high levels of fats. The best way to handle this is generally to substitute the highly fattening foods with other similar foods that are also high in carbohydrate so that we get what our body craves, but which have low fat content and plenty of fiber. This means potatoes, wholegrain bread without butter, wholegrain rice, cereals, and fresh whole fruit.

And not to forget, we need to include exercises in spite of the chills. Often our physical activity levels drop in the winter and we have a tendency to want to stay home and rest. Though natural, we should realize we are not cavemen. We have heating in our homes and can be sure that there will still be plenty of food in the stores come February. So we do not need to build up body fat the way that they did. Get some exercises by signing up with a gym or get a stationary bicycle for optional inhouse training. Burn those carbs into energy now instead of keeping them on you until spring in preparation for your swimwear. You can easily avoid Winter weight gain this way.

Here's an excerpt from an article I found on bodybuilding.com.

Make Friends Again With Your Measuring Cups-Practice Portion Control:

If there is one rule to the holiday season, the rule would be: "All things in moderation." If you crave your Aunt Sue's famous pumpkin pie, than have a small slice that you savor. Make every bite count!

Click Image To Enlarge.
Make Every Bite Count!

I am not here to take all the fun out of the holidays for you, however if you want to maintain your physique you must work smarter not harder. Don't be like a "gerbil on a wheel," going nowhere fast by eating out of control and then going to the gym. Remember what is true: it's 20% exercise and 80% nutrition. If you keep this in mind, you won't go and blow your entire food plan by overeating this holiday season.

"> Be A Smarter Chef:

Learn how to make "concoctions" making sure you tweak all of your favorite recipes, and taking out all the unnecessary fat and calories. I love to take my moms old fashioned Italian recipes, and making them higher in protein and much leaner. You too can do the same with your recipes. Instead of shortening or oil, you can use applesauce when you bake. Take out all salt when it's not needed. And when you are cooking with eggs, take out the yolks. It's just that simple to be a smarter chef!

"> Don't Be A Perfectionist. Rather, Be Persistent:

By banishing the "all or nothing" mentally towards your fitness lifestyle, you will be able to reach your goals and maintain them much easier. Therefore focus on not being perfect, but rather being persistent. If you cant go to the gym for an entire hour and a half, then go for 30 minutes. At least you will be able to squeeze in abs and cardio. And your body will thank you for it!

"> Stay Active:

Yes, the holidays are about spending time with family and friends and not locking yourself up in the weight room. Therefore remember to keep moving and to open your mind for other ways to get your workout in with your family.

After dinner, go for a brisk walk to get fresh blood and oxygen circulating to all the cells in your body, or in the morning, pop in an exercise DVD that you can do while your family and friends are getting organized for the day. Make every minute of your day count by utilizing free moments to pick up a set of dumbbells and then pumping out a couple of sets. You will get energized and feel just that much better.

"Fitness Is Not A One Time
Event That You Do Once And Forget About."

And most importantly, don't give up! Fitness is not a one time event that you do once and forget about. Weight lifting, exercising, and fitness is a journey to be enjoyed. Make the process fun and enjoyable. By doing this you will be more likely to stick with it that much more. Remember, you too can have a healthy and happy holiday season without gaining all the weight!