December is usually synonymous with an abundance of eating and a lack of exercise. I want to encourage you to start this New Year on the right foot. The holidays are a time for celebration and family, not to put on weight. It’s almost as if we’ve come to accept that we are going to put on 10 pounds during each holiday season.
Celebration doesn’t have to mean gluttonous eating, or deprivation for that matter. It’s time to bring the focus back to the purpose of the holiday. Enjoy your friends and family, the time off and the traditions of the holidays.
The holiday season might not be a time to lose weight, but it doesn’t have to be a time to lose your health. The key is to go into the holidays with a plan. Here are five ways to keep your health over the holidays.
Tip #1: Shop Well For Yourself
It is more important than ever to stock your kitchen with healthy foods. Have healthy snacks handy. The more convenient they are, the more likely you are to eat them. Instead of thinking about what you shouldn’t eat, promise to eat your 3 to 5 servings of vegetables each day.
Tips #2: Schedule Your Exercise
Your schedule will be very hectic this holiday season. Schedule your workouts just as you would any other appointment. It’s ok if you can’t make it to class, but make sure that you get some activity in at least three days per week.
Tip #3: Just Say No
You probably aren’t aware how much extra food you consume just from people offering it to you. A sample at the market here, an extra cookie at an office party there and it all adds up. Just think twice before you take that food and decide if you really want it.
Tip #4: Skip the Baking
Do you make baked goods for giving? Chances are you eat much of what you bake. Who wouldn’t? Instead make non-food gifts, or prepare ingredients for baked goods and put them in pretty jars–let your gift recipient bake it up. That way, they can eat it when they want it and you don’t have to be tempted in the kitchen.
Tip #5: Hydrate
Keep your water bottle with you at all times. You should be drinking eight, 8-oz glasses of water each day. One handy trick is to buy a 64 ounce water jug. Fill it up in the morning and know that you need to finish it by the end of the day.