Today in my 31 Days of Clean Eating, Meal Planning, and Prep series I am sharing with you several tips on how to have a healthy holiday – without the bloat!
One of the key elements to having a healthy holiday is taking care of yourself in the fourth quarter of each year.
This is the time of year where it seems sickness abounds from every corner from colds, strep throat and flu. We are less active during the holidays and eat more sugary foods which feed into illness.
Let’s Eat and Be Merry!
The holiday food coma is about it hit us and I want you to enjoy your holiday season without blowing your diet and feeling bad about what you ate. My 10 healthy holiday eating tips will keep you from over indulging and waddling out of a party.
Time to Enjoy the Holidays, Not Stress Over Them!
Everything in moderation – when the holidays come we are thrown food at every direction, but the key to being healthy is to only eat until you are satisfied not stuffed. With so much good food it is time we savor the meals rather than scarf them down.
Be realistic – Trying to lose weight over the holidays is rough to do I know because I have tried. Rather than beat yourself up over the scale during this time of year try to maintain and not gain anymore.
Watch what you drink – Holiday drinks, especially those with alcohol can really rack up the calories and if you indulge in too many alcoholic beverages it can make you lose track of how much you have eaten as well. My rule is to only have no more than two holiday drinks and make the rest water so you don’t blow your diet in liquid.
Eat healthy most of the time – Eating healthy 90% of the time during the holiday season will allow you to enjoy those Christmas cookies or tall glass of Egg Nog.
Keep exercising – Diet might be 80%, but there is still that 20% which is exercise. Burning calories this time of year might seem like a waste of time, but in reality it is keeping your body in memory shape and one step ahead of all those putting on their running shoes January 2nd.
Watch your portions – Watching your portions is key to every meal you eat, but extremely important to holiday parties and family gatherings.
Don’t skip meals – I know I have skipped meals in the past, thinking if I skip a meal I would have more calories left to consume. The problem with this is your body goes into starvation mode and when you do get to that holiday party you tend to go crazy and eat more than your share of the good and the bad stuff.
The best plan is to eat a small meal or snack ahead of time like some veggies and a side of humus or a lettuce turkey wrap with avocado to keep your tummy satisfied.
Bring your own healthy holiday meal – Make some healthy meatballs, holiday cookies, or even make a fruit cake. It does not have to be unhealthy to be delicious.
Take the focus off of food – Holidays and gatherings do not always have to revolve around food. Make sure you enjoy some non-food festivities like Christmas parades, caroling, or the 12th annual wreath making party at your favorite aunt’s house. Make memories that won’t make you take your belt out a notch.
Stop the guilt – There are so many of us that feel guilty anytime we eat a cookie or have that piece of pie. STOP IT! It does you no good and is a big mood killer for the holidays.
If you plan ahead and do all the steps above you should not feel guilty one bit. Enjoy this time of year because it only happens once.
Whatever you do around the holidays plan ahead and stop feeling guilty because it does no one any good.
Holidays should be the times you celebrate and relax and not feel bad about your choices. So make healthy ones and love on those around you.
Do you have any tips on how to have a healthy holiday season?
