Holiday Survival!!!

Happy Holidays!

Well, here we go! It's Thanksgiving morning and the official start of the Holiday season! The next four weeks to Christmas will feel like a race for all of us...planning, shopping, cooking, eating, celebrating! It's a great time of year, but we can certainly lose touch with our bodies with all the hustle going on this time of year. But, I'm vowing to keep my sanity and avoid the 7lb average weight gain that most Americans gain during the Holiday season! So, I want to share with you some tips for the next four weeks.

KEEP EXERCISING: Plan you exercise for the week. Put it into your schedule like you would put a doctor's appointment or spa appointment in your calender. It's an appointment to yourself, don't let ANYTHING get in the way of this appointment! For me, I'm going to workout on my lunch breaks at work 2x/week, before work 2x/wk, then 2x on the weekend!

BROWN BAG YOUR LUNCH AND SNACKS: Or, should I say, put your stuff in a cooler and keep it at your desk! I don't know what happens at your office, but at mine people are constantly bringing in treats and putting in our staff office. I know that if I'm busy and hungry, I will tend to reach for the treats rather than walk back to our break room fridge where I keep my food. Having a cooler RIGHT THERE will help me avoid this temptation!

KEEP EATING: When there is an event or party, we tend to say, "well, I just won't eat all day because I'm going to eat a lot this evening". WRONG! Eat normally during the day so that you don't binge at night because you are starving!!

DRINK WATER: Stay hydrated! Alcohol, high sodium foods, stress, etc. can really take a toll on us. Staying hydrated is very important and will also keep us feeling full. When at a holiday party, for every alcoholic drink you have, have a glass of water with it!

WEAR TIGHT CLOTHES: I love this one!!! Just a few days ago, I said to myself, "I'm going to wear my leggings because they are stretchy and I won't have to worry about being uncomfortable after eating because my jean will be too tight!" That's until I saw this tip myself, what a great idea! If you wear tight or really fitted clothes, it may defer you from overeating because if you do, you will not be very comfortable!

DON'T PLAN A NEW YEARS DIET!!!: This is a great one. Most Americans say to themselves, "starting January 1st, I'm going on a diet!" C'mon now...I bet the success rate for these "dieter's" is in the single digits! If you have this mentality, then you WILL splurge over the holidays. Watch what you eat starting NOW and include daily exercise NOW.

Avoiding the holiday weight gain through good eating and exercise IS POSSIBLE this holiday season. Anyone who says it's not possible or says that there is no time to exercise just plain hasn't tried.

Please share any tips you may have for the holidays!
Happy Thanksgiving!