Keeping your health through the holidays. What does that even look like for you? Do you feel like that is attainable or do you go into the holiday’s knowing you will be gaining weight and bloat? If you are anything like me, then you go into Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years with good intentions to stay on track and stay healthy but then temptation after temptation start to show up. You allow yourself one cookie here and indulge in a holiday dinner there but then the sugar cravings start to set in and 1 cookie quickly turns into 5 or one plate of dinner turns into “F– it” let’s have seconds, and then dessert. I am all for you enjoying the holiday season but with unhealthy foods sitting at every corner how are you ever expected to stay on track? Here are a few of my top tips for keeping your health through the holidays:
- Eat a healthy meal for breakfast. Starting your day off on the right foot could set you up for a day of success. Just like if you had a sugary breakfast you would crave sugar all day, eating a whole, healthy meal of protein and carbs will surly help you want healthy meals too.
- Drink lots of water especially before a meal. Drinking at least 8 ounces of water before eating your meal will help you feel fuller quicker. Always shoot for your minimal water intake each day. Take your body weight and divide it in half to get your number in ounces. Always take into consideration if you are drinking alcohol to up your water intake as well.
- Speaking of alcohol, be mindful of your intake. Alcohol, especially those sugary holiday drinks, can add a lot of additional calories. Don’t let liquid calories keep you from staying healthy over the holidays.
- Load up on vegetables. When eating at a holiday function, be sure to load your plate up with all the vegetable options first then fill in the rest of those yummy foods you want to enjoy.
- It’s important not to skip meals. You may think that skipping lunch will be okay because you know you have a large meal coming up, but that just leads you to over consuming. Be sure to eat a light meal prior to a holiday party. You could even consider eating a meal at home if you know there won’t be healthy options available. This way you won’t be as tempted going in with a full belly.
- Ask yourself if you really need it? Possibly it’s an impulse. If you wait a few minutes the craving may pass. Try drinking a glass of water. If the craving is still there, allow yourself a small bite. Be mindful when you eat, making sure you acknowledge the taste, flavour, and texture, and then move on.
- If you’re anything like me, then you have no will power when it comes to foods in the house. Keeping those things out of sight and out of hand will make a big difference in keeping yourself on track. Don’t allow those tempting foods to stay in your house long.
- The holidays allow a ton of stress to come into your life whether you like it or not. Keeping your stress in check is very important for overall health. Being sure to take time for yourself is crucial. Yoga can give you that time to slow down, connect to your mind and body, de-stress, and overall feel good. Join one of my weekly classes for that time for yourself.
- Ditch the guilt. No matter what happens, don’t allow yourself to feel guilty about it. I like to pick one event that I allow myself to indulge in and don’t feel one bit of guilt. Life is about balance. It’s about enjoying those things that fill you up, being mindful of those moments, completely soaking it in, and then move on knowing that there will be another moment like that again in the future.
So I hope these tips help you get through the holiday’s feeling healthy and proud of your accomplishments but if you slip up don’t get down on yourself, tomorrows another day to try again. Happy Holiday’s and Happy Healthy for you.