Combating Food Comas and Weight Gain Over the Holidays

Highlands Ranch, CO, November 23, 2015 (Newswire.com) - ​​​​There is endless advice out there telling people how to maintain or lose weight over the holidays...too much to remember or decipher what is best for everyone. This Thanksgiving, the personal trainers and nutrition specialists at Fitness Together® (FT) are keeping it simple, offering basic tips on how to enjoy the holiday spread without adding holiday spread to hips, thighs and tummies.

Sitting down at the table without being famished is #1. Mike McAllister, owner of two Fitness Together® studios in South End Charlotte and Ballantyne, N.C., says, "before getting together with the family, drink a large glass of water, eat a small salad before turkey, and ask for a smaller plate to help reduce portion sizes of all the fixings."

Eat a high protein, fiber-filled bar with a large glass of water shortly before the main meal.

Steve Kopshaw, Owner, Fitness Together in Wyckoff, N.J.

Steve Kopshaw, an owner in Wyckoff, N.J., adds his own twist to curbing appetites. "Eat a high protein, fiber-filled bar with a large glass of water shortly before the main meal."  

Aaron Forinash, an FT owner in Matthews, N.C., recommends offering to bring a side dish that is a healthier alternative to classic recipes. Forinash’s studio has posted recipe ideas that are a delicious twist to holiday standards. Instead of mashed potatoes, consider making twice-baked sweet potatoes or maple roasted brussel sprouts instead of green bean casserole. Finish the meal with a healthier dessert option of baked apples, a perfect seasonal dish at this time of year.

If these appetite-curbing, healthy dish alternatives can't replace holiday traditions,  Holly Tamm, owner of the FTs in Whitefish Bay and Mequon, WI, suggests taking a 30-minute group walk, or signing up for a 5K before the meal to increase the heart rate, all while enjoying the fresh air outdoors.

The underlying message of these tips is that each person can still enjoy one of the great holidays of the year and be healthy in the process. If Thanksgiving becomes an unhealthy day, make sure to get workouts in on the days surrounding the big feast. Utilizing a personal trainer and the FT training and nutrition system will keep each person on track during the holidays. Find a local FT at FitnessTogether.com to get started.

ABOUT FITNESS TOGETHER® AND WELLBIZ BRANDS, INC.
WellBiz Brands, Inc. is headquartered in Highlands Ranch, Colo. and is one of the largest health and wellness companies in the United States.  The company owns three separate franchise entities: Fitness Together Franchise, LLC, which franchises one-on-one and semi-private group personal training studios, Fit 36, LLC, which franchises high intensity interval training studios, with workouts done as a group, and Elements Therapeutic Massage, LLC, which franchises massage studios, providing custom therapeutic massage to meet clients’ individual needs, and

Fitness Together Franchise, LLC began franchising in 1996 and has approximately 170 Fitness Together® locations across the United States. Elements Therapeutic Massage, LLC began franchising in 2006 and has over 215 Elements Massage™ locations in 36 states. Fit 36, LLC began franchising in 2014 and has a single FIT36® location in downtown Denver with four new studios set to open in the next several weeks.

For more information about Fitness Together®, visit FitnessTogether.com. For more information about FIT36® visit FIT36fitness.com. For more information about Elements Massage™ or The Elements Promise™, visit ElementsMassage.com.

Each Fitness Together® location is independently owned and operated by an individual franchise owner.