Tips on how to stay slim during festive season revealed

Nutrition experts have revealed how one can stick to their diet and still remain in shape.

Florida State University's Department of Food, Nutrition and Exercise Science faculty members said that during the holidays, it can get extremely busy and stressful, good and bad stress, and we tend to overindulge so it is important to keep active.

Associate Professor Lynn Panton said that if people know they have evening engagements, then can try exercising or walking in the morning or take a break during the day or during the lunch hour to walk and get outside if the weather is nice. Exercise can help expend extra calories that they may be taking in but more importantly it helps to reduce stress and increases energy.

Researchers said that a 30-minute walk or easy bike ride is indeed a great way to keep active and reduce stress, but, it doesn't cancel out a huge meal with several pieces of pumpkin pie at the end.

The nutritionists said that if someone has only 30 minutes to squeeze in a workout, they should aim for either high-intensity interval training or resistance training. This might include running fast for one minute, followed by two minutes of walking that they repeat 10-15 times or lifting weights to get stronger. These exercises have been shown to improve metabolism, fat loss and muscle gain.