Healthy Happy Holidays: Plan to Stay Healthy During This Holiday Season

Ready, set, go! The holidays are upon us! This season, I will be sharing with you some tips and encouraging words to help you stay healthy, both physically and emotionally, as you enjoy this very special time of year. Needless to say, this year may look a little different, due to Covid 19 and we most certainly want to follow all the guidelines to help us stay healthy. Besides this, however, there are other ways to enjoy the holidays and not get off track toward your health and fitness goals, as well as manage the stress that can come with all the extra things added to your calendar. Today, I want to share how you can plan for a healthy, happy holiday!

I don’t know about you, but I always look forward to all the delicious goodies and special meals during Thanksgiving and Christmas. Unfortunately, this can lead to unwanted extra pounds. Sure, we can look forward to it, but we need to have a plan! One or two special meals, along with a extra treat or two won’t hurt anything. It is when that “one meal” or “one piece of cake” turns into a few days or weeks of overindulging, that we can get completely off track leaving us with those extra pounds. So, we need to decide ahead of time that we will limit the indulgence to just those special events and the rest of the time, stick with our normal routine of healthy eating. I like to call this the 90/10 Rule. That is 90% of the time, during the holiday season, stick to your normal healthy eating. Then allow yourself the other 10% to enjoy a sweet treat or special entrée you might not otherwise eat. Limit the sugary drinks, heavy sauces, and extra servings. Allow yourself to enjoy great food, but try not to over-do it and you will end up feeling satisfied and not stuffed and miserable! Be sure to stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water everyday as well. Staying hydrated will help keep you feeling your best! Remember, sometimes just a small serving of something special satisfies that craving but won’t get you off track. If you keep your splurge events to specific times, you will do damage control with waistline and those events will feel even more special!

If you are going to a dinner, offer to bring a dish that is somewhat healthy. This will help because you will know that this is something you can enjoy and it will also help your host! If you are the host, be sure to prepare a few lighter dishes to go with the traditionally heavier ones, such as vegetables, fruit, or a delicious salad! There are so many recipes out there for delicious ways to prepare your favorite vegetables! Be creative! And remember this…try not to center the holidays on food. Focus on family and fun instead. Sure, food is a big part of this time of year, but it doesn’t have to be the center of it all. Plan fun family activities that do not involve food. Play games, go see Christmas lights, watch holiday movies, or even go for a walk if the weather permits!

Lastly, stick to your normal exercise routine as much as possible. With all the shopping, wrapping, cooking and planning, we can get out of our normal routine and that can keep us from getting in our workouts. Now is when we need exercise the most! Keep it a priority! You know that feeling you have after a great workout? That feeling really is in your head! Exercise boosts endorphins and those feel-good neurotransmitters like serotonin, making it the perfect holiday stress buster. We will be talking more about holiday stress later, but prioritizing your workouts will not only help burn those extra calories, it will help manage the stress that can come with the holidays. Getting sidetracked and blowing off your workout can seem easy during the holidays, but don’t do it! Exercise boosts your immune system and your metabolism. Maybe try getting your workout in earlier in the day before the day gets away from you. Time isn’t an excuse …you can always do a short, high intensity workout. Making exercise a priority will help you physically and mentally!

With a little planning, you can enjoy your holidays and stay happy and healthy! You will be going into the New Year feeling better than ever!