The Holidays are here, and with the holidays comes food, parties and good times. Food temptation is around every corner, but doesn’t mean that you have to gain weight over the holidays. The best Healthy Holiday tip I can give you is to HAVE A PLAN. Yes, I know that Holiday parties, traveling and busy schedules can make it difficult to stay on track, but having a plan in place is the key to success.
There are a couple of key points to consider. Portion control, proper food choices, and exercise are the keys to getting through this holiday season without gaining any fat. So I wanted to share with you some of my Healthy Holiday Tips to help you get through this time of year.
1. Exercise! Seems pretty simple but it’s true. One of the reasons why people gain weight after these food filled holidays is because they skip their workout. You must making your workout and exercise a priority during this time of year. For example, Thank Giving morning you should get up and workout! That way you know that have you burned enough calories to enjoy some of your favorite foods. Pop in that P90X, Insanity, TurboFire or Asylum dvd and get to it! You can even do your workout close to your event so you can indulge and use the meal as a recovery meal after your intense workout.
2. Focus on protein. If you are currently doing P90X and want to keep your results coming then you can get through these holidays by focusing on protein first. Those of you who are currently in your 90 days will want to base your plates around the protein. Turkey on Thanksgiving is a great protein source. You can eat the veggies and protein and get a healthy meal.
3. Choose your carbs wisely. If you are looking to indulge, then pick and choose your carbs based on what you really want to consume and what you can do without. I am not a huge Mashed Potato fan so I will go after the dessert instead. Portion control is key. Make sure you aren’t having double portions of potatoes then having 3 slices of pie on top of your 3 holiday drinks. Watch those carbs and use portion control.
4. Watch out for those Liquid Calories. Alcoholic holiday drinks are notorious for being extremely high in calories…so watch out! Think of your beverages as part of your daily carb allotment. Again, if your going to indulge in drinks then cool it on the bread, potatoes and dessert. Are you seeing a trend here?
5. Drink your water people! We often tend to think we are hungry when we are actually just dehydrated. Drinking plenty of water will help you with the sodium laden foods and will also keep you feeling fairly full during the day so you don’t go crazy when you eat.
6. Get back to it! Just because it’s the holidays doesn’t mean that you can skip your workouts, healthy eating and fitness program. After you go to a holiday part or have a Thanksgiving meal then get right back to your program the next day. Healthy food choices, exercise and consistency will take you extremely far, even if you do happen to indulge a little too much the day before. So get right back on the horse and use those extra calories for a great workout the next day as well!
Those are a few healthy holiday tips for ya. I hope that helps you get through this holiday season without losing your health and fitness goals. But I also want to hear from you! Do you have any healthy holiday tips to share? Please comment and let me know and I will update this post with more tips!