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How to Avoid Gaining Weight During the Holiday Season

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at USFCA chapter.

It’s beginning to look a lot like the holidays. Before you get too excited, think about what this means. Holiday cheerfulness, spending time with loved ones, and loads and loads of food!

Now, every girl has to face the dreaded “Freshman Fifteen” once in their lifetime, but there is another challenge every female will have to face every single year. Yes, we’re talking about the food during the holidays and it’s sinful acts. Wherever you are, these dangerous goodies are there. Don’t bust out the slim shakes just yet; we got a couple of tips to ensure your fitness during the holiday season!

Get Creative with Your Workouts

San Francisco is made for the average girl to shed a couple of pounds. Although walking up Cardiac hill on campus can raise your heartbeat, I suggest you don’t substitute that “hike” for your daily exercise. Fortunately, Golden Gate Park is right next to campus and is the perfect spot for nature lovers to go walking, running, etc. Now if you feel this workout is too elementary for you then you should try running or walking up to the top of Twin Peaks. Then you can reward yourself with one of the nicest views of the city.

If going off campus to exercise is not your thing then you’re still in luck. The Koret Health and Recreation Center offers free classes to USF students. The classes vary from Zumba to Spin to Bodysculpting, to accommodate all students’ interests. While you could search online for the schedule of the classes, I suggest you start exercising with the easy walk to Koret to pick up a schedule at the front desk. Make sure to bring your USF ID card or else you will be unable to enter the center.

Hidden Workouts in Your Every Day Routine   Your sister has been eyeing that coat from JCrew.  Instead of taking the Muni down to Union Square, try walking! The hills of San Francisco have been notorious to shape out those calves, so take a more scenic route with your tennis shoes. Walking all the way to Union Square may be a little extreme.  To compromise, try parking farther away from the mall entrance or getting off at the bus stop a couple blocks early. That way, you can add a little physical exercise!

The holidays only come once a year and for some of us that means mama’s homemade cornbread and sweet potatoes are a special treat. Before you stuff your face try to keep the portions balanced so that you don’t end up in a food coma with an extra double chin when you wake up.

Finally, enjoy the festivities the holidays bring and possibly skip the 10-pound turkey leg.

Coming across Her Campus as a senior in high school and then leading her very own branch, Emily proudly calls herself the co-president and editor-in-chief of Her Campus University of San Francisco. While Emily has a guilty addiction to shopping, celebrities, and all things "girly" she hopes that she can integrate this into a relatable magazine to the women of her campus. Emily has a slight infatuation for John Krasinski and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. When she's not day dreaming about her future husbands, Emily is participating in many extra curricular activities such as her sorority, Kappa Alpha Theta. Emily enjoys good company, good FOOD, and a good ole' television. One of the most recent television series Emily has become a fan of is ABC's Pan Am. If only Pan Am continued to exist, Emily would have seriously considered becoming a stewardess. The success of the branch has yet to blossom. Emily hopes that she can bring Her Campus University of San Francisco to its full potential. In the future, Emily plans studying abroad all over the European continent and pursue her passion of social justice through fashion.
Her Campus USFCA contributors are all exemplery young women at the University of San Francisco in San Francisco, California! Founded in 2020, Her Campus USFCA has grown rapidly to represent our diverse campus community through the unique expression that Her Campus allows. Here readers will find communally contributed articles as well as anonymous articles written by our chapter. We hope that you enjoy these pieces!