How to Stay Healthy During the Holidays

6 Tips for Success

We all know it is “normal” to splurge on holidays. But, let’s take a deeper look into how many chances you really get to splurge for an event.

There are ELEVEN major holidays: The big end of year celebrations (Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Diwali), Thanksgiving, Mother’s Day, Easter, Independence day (Fourth of July), Father’s Day, Halloween, Valentine’s Day, Saint Patrick’s Day, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.

It would be totally fine if you enjoyed a reasonable indulgence on just these days. But, let’s not forget the leftovers, the long weekends where you celebrate with more than one side of the family, the week you have your cousins over, the birthday parties, weddings, anniversary, office celebrations… must we go on?

Well, hopefully you’re starting to understand where we are headed with our tips on how to stay healthy during the holidays.

1      REMEMBER THE TRUE MEANING BEHIND THE HOLIDAY

In our American culture, it is easy to make holidays about food. We gather for breakfasts, lunches, and dinners to meet with the ones we love. We are the host or bring a dish with us to support the one who does host. And the majority of preparation is about the menu items.

But for you, this can be different. You can choose to focus more on the meaning of the holiday and the people with whom you spend it with. This is simply an intention shift that will help you overcome temptations, focusing your attention off of food.

2      NEVER FORGET YOUR NUTRITIONAL PRIORITIES

With any holiday or celebration near by, it’s sometimes hard to stick to our standards of fitness when others around us don’t necessarily have a standard at all. But either way, remember your approach to eating. Calories are king and Protein is power. Ensure that no matter what tactics you decide to use, you get your base nutrition of protein and veggies on your plate to fill you up first.

3      ENJOY WHAT YOU LOVE, SKIP WHAT YOU LIKE

There will be many opportunities to have that cookie from the grocery store again, but Aunt Pattie’s special penne vodka that you only get once a year, there’s only one opportunity for that and you KNOW it will be worth it. Portion it out, enjoy it, and log it

Skip the items you think you will just like and enjoy, with reason, the items you know will be worth it.

4      OVERESTIMATE WHEN YOU LOG

Simple. Log everything you eat. Log? Yes, even if you are not in a program right now, logging your food can truly keep you from overindulging, allowing you to maintain your weight and gym gains.

5      PREPARE IN ADVANCE

A lot of mastering a healthy way of living is being prepared and proactive, not being in a state of reaction.

TO PREPARE FOR AN EVENT:

1.    Always drink more water and eat more greens than usual the day before, day of, and day after. If you know you will budget in some treats and have some heavy calories, save up some calories the day before and lower your calories the day after to create an average calorie at your baseline. If your treat is low in nutrition, make sure to pile up the nutritiously dense food on these days too.

2.    Another way to prepare would be to eat before you go. We know it sounds silly because most events are about food, however, do you really think going to a holiday dinner hungry is a good idea?

3.    Figure out what you’ll eat in advance so you can log it to fit your calories or macros. Look up the menu of the restaurant or call Aunt Suzy to find out what’s on the menu.

6      BRING YOUR OWN FOOD

AS A DISH FOR ALL TO ENJOY:

A fresh salad or veggie tray to a barbeque can help give you something to nibble on while others are chomping on chips. Bringing a healthy dish, knowing all the ingredients gives you a solid option that’s in alignment with what you need, and offers everyone else an options that isn’t usual. You never know who will be inspired by your different ways of living.

OR JUST FOR YOURSELF:

Bringing berries and whip cream for a dessert can go a long way to satisfy that sweet tooth at a birthday party when everyone else is eating cake and candy. And nope. It usually isn’t perceived as rude as you might have initially thought, especially if you let the host know in advance.

Whether you bring something healthy to share with everyone or bring your planned meal just for yourself, this tactic is a solid go to.