Ah, the holidays! Merriment, jingle-jingle, ho-ho-ho and a barrel of foods you shouldn’t eat, but instead you give yourself temporary permission to be naughty.
This is a challenge we all face, as work, shopping, planning, socially-distanced parties, family celebrations and stress can combine to make it hard to resist a few traditional treats, which lead to a few more and soon you can’t tell where one cookie stops and the next one starts.
Why do we let this happen?
This year, you can battle temptation and win. You might find it difficult to lose a lot of weight over the holidays, but you can make it through with your weight-loss goals intact.
Let’s dig into a heaping helping of healthy holidays!
Starting New Traditions
- Eat a nutrient-dense breakfast every day, and continue eating balanced meals and snacks up to party time. Don’t “save up your hunger” knowing tempting treats await. Stable blood sugar helps prevent cravings.
- Sample party foods, but don’t give yourself permission to completely fall off the wagon.
- Drink lots of water all day long. Being dehydrated (drinking alcohol contributes to dehydration!) can cause you to eat foods that you shouldn’t and more than you should.
- During the rush, get your workouts in. You might work out one less day per week, or have to shorten workout times, but even 15 minutes is better than skipping exercise.
- Even with the time demands, try to get at least seven hours of sleep per night. At the least, don’t let late nights string together so you’re seriously sleep deprived.
Living healthy holidays is as much a mindset as anything else. Be careful when holiday colors come in sugar and fat and stuff like that.
Here’s to new traditions in your household—traditions that bring great tidings of health and happiness.
Jill Strand and Chris Radke are owners and certified trainers at UpLift Guided Fitness in Woodbury. 651.209.6778
