- Always bring the healthy option to the pot luck. There is nothing like being the change you would like to see. Plus if you bring healthy food, you know there is at least one thing at the event you can eat that won’t bust your healthy eating lifestyle. Remember it’s about long term success, not momentary indulgences.
- Eat the soup! Broth based soups as a first course will help you not eat as much during the meal and usually contain less calories than denser foods.
- Avoid fast food, especially the food court at the mall by eating at home. During this very busy time of year, it is easy to forget to eat! This causes many of us to make fast, convenient choices instead of healthy, goal orientated eating. Remember to include meal times in your plans to avoid fast food!
- Start your day off right with a heathy breakfast. Eating breakfast has been proven to help avoid over eating through out the day. Drink a full 8oz of water at breakfast to be sure you are getting your water intake too.
- Stay aware of what you put in your mouth. With so many decadent options around this time of year, it is easy to eat without thinking. Before you know it, you have eaten cookies, brownies, candy, and pie all in the same day (something you would never do the rest of the year). Allow yourself some of the joys of the season, but be aware so you are not miserable for months (or even years) to come.
- Move around as much as possible. If you are going to allow yourself one of those office treats, take the stairs first and do a lap around the office before eating. Be a social butterfly by moving around the room and try keeping snacks at least 6 feet away from you. If the tasty morsels are out of arms reach, it will be harder for you to be tempted. Make a game out of it. The candy bowl is lava!! (remember playing that as a kid?) Remember 30 minutes of walking everyday and it doesn’t matter if it is 30 minutes all together or broken up into “party” segments.
- Use the smallest plate available. To help with portion control, grab a smaller plate. Even if you fill it up, it will be less food than you can pile on the larger dinner plate.
- Accountability is not just for workouts anymore. Take a healthy lifestyle partner with you to holiday parties so you can stay strong together!
- Start new traditions. The holiday are often steeped in family traditions, but you can create new ones. Prayer and meditation to help manage holiday stress can become a new nightly (or early morning or anytime that works for you) tradition. After meal walks to see lights or even lap at the mall to check one item off your list per day. Add sport activity to each holiday party you attend.
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