7 Ways to Stay Healthy This Holiday Season
Have you ever woken up on January 1st a bit disappointed in how you treated your body during the holiday season?
Without a plan in hand, it’s tough to stick to your healthy living goals with all the eggnog and sugar cookies floating around, not to mention the food pushers and saboteurs lurking in the shadows.
Here are seven ways to stay healthy over the holidays:
1. Don’t Skip Meals.
It’s tempting to skip meals when you know you have a big party to go to or a holiday dinner to attend. But this is the worst thing you can do. Skipping meals always leads to overeating. Plus, you run the risk of getting really drunk if you head to the party hungry.
Instead of skipping meals, plan appropriately by adjusting your daily calories. Eat a lighter breakfast, lunch and snack to give yourself some room for a moderate splurge. Use these 400 calories wisely and make sure it’s worth it.
2. Bring a Healthy Dish.
If you’re headed to a house party, offer to bring a healthy dish. This will please the host who is probably over-stressed with all the preparation. And it will also guarantee that you have something healthy and enjoyable to eat.
Need a healthy recipe? Then be sure to check out my Pinterest page for ideas.
3. Pass on the “Good” Foods.
If you have read any of my blogs, you are familiar with my saying that indulgences must be mind-blowingly good. So if you take a bite of something and the reality of the taste doesn’t meet your expectations, stop eating it. There’s no reason to spend your precious calories on something that’s only “good”.
4. Drink Wisely
All those fancy cocktails and spiked egg nog contain a ton of calories. Any colourful drink with a floating holiday decoration sounds great – but could be in excess of 500 calories! Know what you’re drinking and work it into your plan.
A light beer, a glass of wine, a vodka soda, or tequila on the rocks would be a much better choice, calorically speaking. If you want more information, check out my How to Booze Guide.
5. Plan Seconds.
It’s perfectly okay to indulge moderately. In fact, I advise it. But you need to be very selective about what earns its way onto your second helping. If you’re going back for seconds, the food has to earn its way onto your plate. How? By being mind-blowingly good, of course.
Even then, it’s probably not worth it. Studies have shown that the “food orgasm” only lasts for approximately 3 minutes. Think about that second holiday treat. Is it worth feeling poorly for only 3 minutes of joy? Probably not.
6. Ignore the Guilt Servings.
At every party or food celebration, there is undoubtedly going to be one or more food pushers who make it their mission to get you to eat something off-plan. Just remember, nobody can guilt you into eating anything without your permission.
It’s NOT rude to politely say no. Your health, goals, and skinny jeans are way more important than the food pusher’s desires.
7. Move it, Love it, Rest it.
As the holiday season gets hectic, it’s easy to justify skipping your workouts, self-care, and even cutting down on your sleep. This is the danger zone. Lack of sleep will lead to poor choices. And I don’t have to tell you what happens when you give up your self-care routines -- goodbye skinny jeans!