Eat, Drink and Enjoy the Holidays

For many people the holidays mean overindulging in food and beverages. It can feel like the holiday eating starts at Thanksgiving and ends around January 2nd. This can make it difficult to stay on track with your nutrition and fitness goals. So many gatherings, so many cookies and pies, so much butter used in every recipe. Plus, between the holiday shopping, decorating the house, family gatherings, cooking, baking, cleaning…who has time to fit in a workout or food prep?

But you can do it! It’s all about planning ahead and enjoying the holidays without overindulging in the holidays. Here are some tips and tricks to help you navigate the most wonderful time of year:

1. Make a Schedule: This is good practice any time of year to plan when you will workout, but it’s even more important when life gets busy during the holidays. Look at your week (or even two weeks ahead) to see what your schedule looks like. If you have an especially busy day of shopping or gatherings, make that your rest day or plan to get up early to get that workout in. This works for food prep and self-care too. Adding them to your schedule as a priority will make you more likely to make it happen.
2. Bring Healthy Dishes to the Party: Hosting holidays can be a lot of work, but it also puts you in control of the menu, but even if you don’t host, it’s it’s good etiquette to bring a dish to a party so if you’re already planning to bring something, it might as well be a healthy option. That way, if you don’t know what else is going to be served, at least you know you have one good option. Here’s some favorite go-to ideas:
   1. Bring a healthy appetizer. A veggie tray with hummus is always a great option. It gives you something crunchy to snack on, guilt-free, before dinner.
   2. Bring a healthy side dish. Lots of holiday sides tend to have a lot of extras added in. You can almost always find a healthier alternative to a traditional favorite or basic roasted veggies make a great option.
   3. Bring a healthier dessert option. Dessert doesn’t have to be cookies and pies. Fruit cups and fruit salad can be a huge hit, especially after a heavy meal. Cups of berries with a dollop of Cool Whip are another great option!
3. Plan Your Treats: It’s the holidays. Don’t deprive yourself of holiday treats you love, just plan for them. If you go in with a plan, you’re less likely to go crazy and eat the whole plate of cookies and you’re less likely to feel guilty afterwards. It also helps to plan because if you know you’re going to indulge at a gathering on Saturday, maybe you are more diligent about making healthy choices leading up to Saturday. Life is about balance so plan that balance into your weekly plan.
4. Make a Plate and Walk Away: Okay, most people are probably guilty of this at one point or another. Who has found themselves sitting in front of the appetizers and before you know it, you’ve finished off half that bowl of dip and the chips to go along with it? Yep, been there. Don’t sit at the appetizer table. Make a plate and walk away! You are more likely to mindlessly eat when you’re conversing around the food.
5. Give Yourself Grace: Enjoy your holidays and give yourself grace. It can be so hard to navigate the holidays and all the holiday indulgences so don’t be hard on yourself if you don’t stick 100% to your plan. Don’t let an overindulgence at a holiday party derail you. Give yourself grace and move on. And when you do overindulge, getting up and getting my body moving the next day can help you focus and get into the mindset that yesterday is done and today you make healthier choices.