How to Survive the Holidays

It's the holiday season! Yay! Such a joyous time of year, isn't it?

Time with family....

Great sales at the stores...

A few extra days off of work...

It's the best!

Unless you're trying to keep your waist trim, that is! The holidays are the devil when it comes to staying fit and healthy. There is food EVERYWHERE! Isn't there? You have get together's, holiday parties, the actual holidays themselves, gifts from your neighbors (usually cookies)....and the list goes on!

What if I could give you some amazing tips to help you keep your waistline trim during the next 3 weeks?

Here are 3 categories with tips that I've found to help me through these 5 weeks of holiday fitness stress:

1. SNACKS AT THE OFFICE

Who works somewhere where either your clients or your coworkers bring in cookies, cakes, cupcakes, chocolates, etc? I have ALWAYS worked somewhere where this is the case. Always. Can I let you in on a little secret? You don't have to eat something just because it's there. I know what you're thinking..... Quiana - it's NOT that easy just to say no to these things! I know! Trust me I know! But when you stop to think about it, why does it makes sense to waste all of your hard work for the year on 6 weeks of gluttony only to make a resolution that on January 1st you'll start it all over again? It doesn't! My husband always tells me to work smart not hard.

So what do I do to avoid eating all the treats?

*Keep yourself hydrated. You'd be surprised at how often you confuse hunger with thirst. Also, when your body is properly hydrated you'll find that you're not as tempted to eat the junk.
*Eat breakfast! One of the "treats" that always ends up in my office around the holidays is donuts. I don't know if it's just that blasé attitude that comes around this time of year or what, but people bring donuts all the time! Eat your own breakfast at home or have things at the office that you can eat. Instant oatmeal (not the kind laden with sugar), Shakeology, eggs or egg whites with turkey bacon. These things don't take long to make. Stop making excuses that you don't have time for breakfast and get your butt out of bed 10 measly minutes earlier and have some breakfast. Having a good breakfast balances you and sets you up for success for the rest of the day.
*Stop walking by the treats! If they are sitting there, stop pacing by them. The more you're around them the more tempted you will become. You'll find that your will power will probably be strong during that first walk by...but by that 3rd time passing by those cookies, you're probably going to cave. So stop walking by them!
*Keep snacks at your desk/in your office/in the office fridge. Some snacks that I recommend: almonds, cashews, cheese sticks, fruit, hot tea, quest bars, Luna Bars.

2. HOLIDAY PARTIES

Oh.....the dreaded holiday parties. They're a blast usually, but how in the world are you supposed to maintain healthy choices while at a holiday party? I mean, everything is free and there are drinks galore. What is a party goer who is also striving to live a healthy life to do?

*Anticipate the obstacles. Otherwise known as make a plan. You know there will be 30 different desserts, 15 different types of alcohols, and a table full of bread, right? So make a plan. If you know what to expect going in and come to terms with it and have a plan, you will survive much easier. Resolve to choose ONE dessert. Have the dessert and enjoy the dessert; but you don't need to have five different ones. Did you know that research shows that the first bite and the last bite are the ones that you really "taste" and all the bites in between you don't really think about? Crazy, right? So enjoy a few bites. But realize that you're not doing yourself any favors by eating ALL the desserts. You know you'll regret it later, so just don't do it. Same with the alcohol. If you do choose to drink (which I don't fully recommend, not only because it's good for your health, but also because it makes it HARDER for you to continue to make good decisions at your party) then do so in moderation. Practice the "glass of water between each drink" rule. This will not only help you to consume less, but it will also help you to not feel so bad the next day.

*Eat before you go. I know that sounds absolutely crazy, but there is a method to this crazy advice. If you have dinner before you go, not only do you know exactly what was in the food that you cooked and how much of it you actually portioned out, you will be able to resist the crap that you don't need a lot easier. Nothing wrong with going with a full tummy. Nothing tells you that you HAVE to eat at the office party.

*Dance. If your holiday party will have dancing, do it! Not only will you have more fun, but if you do make some unwise choices at least you'll get rid of SOME of the calories.

*Don't congregate near the buffet table. This comes down to that same thought process behind not to eat while you're watching TV. It promotes mindless eating, which is never good. So if you're going to eat, load your plate and take it back to the table that you're sitting at. And then go dance!

*Don't dwell on the mistakes. If you do end up going overboard at your office Christmas party, don't let it get you down. Should you have made better decisions? Sure... But you're only human and things happen. But don't let the bad decision carry over to the next day. Get water, eat well, and definitely get in a good workout the next day. Not only will you FEEL better, but doing those three things will put you back on the right track in no time! If you get a flat tire do you go and slash the other three? No, of course not! So if you have one bad night, why would you then have a bad rest of the weekend/week/month? Stay in control of yourself!

3. CHRISTMAS/THANKSGIVING DAY

The big day is here! You have survived the weeks leading up to Christmas Day; now how will you actually act on this day?

Honestly, this is what you should do: ENJOY THE DAY! Really...enjoy it!

But keep all of the habits that you implemented over the last 5 weeks since Thanksgiving in place! Again, you don't need to throw it all away on ONE day. On the other hand though, ONE day will not undo all the hard work you've done. So if you've been practicing temperance the whole season, you can feel better about indulging a bit on this day. Really. It's ok. Enjoy the food, but still be smart.

Here are my list of quick tips on Christmas or Thanksgiving Day:

*Start your day with some sort of physical activity. Before dinner get in a workout, a walk, and run, something to get your body's metabolism moving! This will not only make you feel more alert during the rest of the day, believe it or not it will also help you to make better choices when it's time for dinner!
*Drink lots of water! Water is truly your best friend when it comes to making smart decision while eating.
*Limit the alcohol. If you're going to drink, just like the office parties, balance it out with water.
*Choose to fix a smarter option as one of the sides. Turkey actually isn't bad for you....it's all the "fixin's" that are where we go wrong. So have at least one side you know will be an ok choice. And make it/bring it yourself if you need to.
*Enjoy a game with your family. Instead of just eating and then sleeping, try to enjoy your family. I mean, it's one of the only days we're really together out of the whole year, isn't it? So don't eat so much that all you want to do is sleep. Bust out the Wii, grab a board game, do something FUN!


All in all, the holidays can be a scary time if you aren't prepared and you don't have a plan. But if you go into this season with a plan and a resolve to not treat your body like a garbage can and to be temperate in your habits, it doesn't matter what gets thrown at you, you will not fall too far off the wagon. We have to remember that the holidays are only TWO days out of 61 days. We don't need to eat like we're at a buffet and have no self control every day of the season. Don't let those around your derail you from what you want to do for your body! At the end of the day it's your body, your health, and YOUR choice what you do! You have to choose to act different if you want to see a difference in your body, your life, and your journey to your best healthy you ever!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!! 

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