Enjoy The Season And Still Eat Healthy
Holidays can be such a hard time when it comes to eating healthy and exercising. It’s busy and very stressful – hosting parties, gatherings, shopping and so on. It is so easy to say that we will just wait until the New Year to start our health kick. Of course, by then you feel lousy and have gained a few unwanted pounds. So how about this year you enjoy the holidays and kick start the New Year feeling great! Believe it or not it is doable. Follow some of the tips below to have a healthy and happy holiday.
You know there are going to be lots of treats everywhere so start by pacing yourself and save your calories whenever you can.
If you are going shopping by yourself make your coffee at home and take it to go.
Pack a few healthy snacks in your purse. This can be as easy as unsalted nuts or seeds, a healthy granola bar, a smoothie to go, an apple, cheese and so forth. This will keep you out of coffee shops or food courts where you can be tempted to indulge.
This will also help you avoid that one extra line you don’t have to stand in.
The hardest and probably the most effective one is to listen to your mind and know when you are full. Not stuffed but full. Start practicing this right away and keep this one for life. It’s funny we are told that when little ones are full they will tell you and you don’t need to force them to finish everything on their plate. However, somewhere along the way we lose this natural instinct and stop listening to our body. So, if you are at a buffet take bit sizes of everything you want and when you are full, leave it. This way you have had a taste of everything you like and wanted. It’s better waste in the garbage than in your stomach.
When it comes to high calorie treats only eat what you like and not everything that is sitting around. Often because something is sweet and it is right in front of us we reach for it or if it’s the last piece of something you eat it because you don’t want to put it in the fridge.
Don’t go grocery shopping or to a party starving. Have a healthy snack before you head out the door. If you are taking something to someone’s house, make it healthy. Believe it or not people will love it and they will be grateful that you made something healthy. If you don’t have time to cook, there are plenty of healthy options at the grocery store.
Exercise when you can and for whatever time you have. Don’t complicate it and don’t over think it. Pick 4 exercises and perform them for 30 seconds each. Cycle through this as many times as you wish. Even if it means going through it twice; it’s better than nothing. If you know you are going to be around a lot of treats then exercise can help with those extra calories you will be consuming.
Remember to not think about it so much, just relax and enjoy the people you are with. That’s what the holidays are about; your relationship with people and not food. Come out of this holiday season with no weight gain but a full heart.