Staying Healthy During The Holidays
The holidays are officially upon us. This time of year it is especially easy to lose sight of your fitness goals, brushing them off and saying you will get in shape as your New Year’s resolution. There’s no reason you can’t enjoy the holiday treats AND stay on track. Our personal trainer is sharing some of her favorite tips for staying healthy during the holidays.
Healthy Holiday Tip #1: Get It Out Of The Way!
Schedule your exercise and schedule it early in the day. If you can just get it done, it will not be weighing on your mind when your spending time with your family or hold you back from a spontaneous trip downtown to see the holiday lights. Even if it is just a 30-minute sweat-sesh, squeeze it in in the morning so you won’t be inclined to skip it when you are enjoying yourself in the afternoon.
Healthy Holiday Tip #2: High Protein Is The Way To Go.
If your family’s holiday schedule puts your brain and blood sugar out of whack, keep some high protein snacks on hand. If you are an early riser, but your in-laws eat a late breakfast, grab a Greek yogurt to hold you over until the rest of your family is ready to eat. If a 3pm Thanksgiving dinner is tradition at your house, keep some nuts or fruit and veggies out with the rest of the holiday goodies, and snack on those between meals instead of cookies and candies. This way you stay full throughout the day and don’t feel the need to overeat during the main meals.
Healthy Holiday Tip #3: Treat Yourself.
Just because you are trying to stay on track doesn’t mean you can’t have a slice of pie or a serving of mashed potatoes and gravy. Allow yourself to have a little of all the things you love about the holidays, but do it all in moderation. A few carbs or a dessert after your meal isn’t going to immediately tack on ten pounds. Fill your plate with a balanced meal and your sweet tooth won’t cause your diet or your scale to take a hit.
Healthy Holiday Tip #4: Hop On The Scale.
Keeping your weight in mind is not meant to be an obsessive or negative task. The goal is to keep your regular fluctuation in mind and not throw the good habits to the wayside just because of the holiday season. There is nothing more frustrating that completely starting over come January, so keeping a grip on your regular routine will be beneficial long-term.
Healthy Holiday Tip #5: Don’t Mind A Slip Up.
When your schedule is extra packed and you are traveling every other weekend, you may have no other option than to swing through a drive-thru on your way out of town or skip your regular workout out. We are here to tell you “don’t sweat it!” Life happens, but don’t let it send you on a downhill, chocolate covered slide. Jump right back on track with a healthy next meal.
As a personal trainer, Boost 180 Fitness knows better than most that the holidays mean chaos and unrealistic resolutions. With these five healthy holiday tips, you can stay on track AND stay reasonable. You might miss a work out, find a late night slice of pie on your plate or be diving into an extra sugary breakfast one morning, but a little splurge here and there in your holiday routine is no big deal and will ultimately help you prevent dessert-laden overeating at the end of the day.
We wish you and your families a happy and healthy Thanksgiving and the best of holiday seasons.