OK, I admit it. I overate during the Thanksgiving Holidays. Who doesn’t? All that great tasting food sitting around at every turn. It’s just too hard to resist!

So now what? Well, now it’s time to get back on the wagon but make sure that you do so in a way that doesn’t create injuries or other problems.

When we overeat, we tend to do so on binges, eating a large amount of food over a short period of time, like a 4-day weekend. The result is a couple of extra pounds around the hips or waist the following week. Many people try to take it back off the same way — too much in too short a period of time — and they end up hurting themselves.

Here’s the regimen I’m following:

1. Get your resolve back into shape. The first thing you have to do is to decide to reverse your overeating and inactivity before it becomes a set habit. Don’t beat yourself up over it, just resolve to get yourself back on track.

2. Don’t try for instant results. You’ve slacked off for a couple of weeks, it’s going to take at least as long to get trim again. Oh and by the way, if you’re in the 50+ range like I am, you should already know that it takes much longer to get the weight off than it does to pack it on. Just one of life’s little ironies.

3. Build core strength first. Do not put on a pair of jogging shorts and decide to go “run it off.” If you haven’t exercised in a couple of weeks, your muscles have lost some of their strength and flexibility. If you immediately jump back into an intense workout, you’re going to sprain or tear something. Delay the cardio workouts for a while and work on building back the strength in your lower body (legs, lower back, and abdomen). Lift weights or do squats followed by some stretching exercises in order to lay a foundation you can build on later.

4. Add in a little cardio. Cardio is an important part of a weight loss routine but you’ve got to have the physical strength first, especially since cardio routines tend to be mid to high impact putting a lot of stress on your knees, legs, and feet. Make sure to build up some strength in those parts before you start running, jumping, or jogging.

5. Reduce the calories. You should be running out of turkey left overs by now anyway so begin to make a conscious effort to reduce your portion sizes as well as the number of times you snack in between meals. Also, begin to add more and more green vegetables and salads to your meals.

6. Re-balance your health. Continue to increase your activity level at the same time that you reduce your caloric intake and improve the types of foods you eat. As you begin to move your body back into balance, you’ll start to feel your energy increase.

The key is to take small, but consistent, actions in the right direction. You didn’t put on the extra weight overnight and you can’t work it off overnight either. Slow and steady wins the race, and it will get your body back into a healthy state as well!

Hiram

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