5 Tips for a Healthy Holiday Season

Did you know that a typical Thanksgiving dinner can have more than 3,000 calories*?! If you carry on indulging like that through to January, it's not hard to guess what will happen to your waistline!

As we enter the holiday season, here are 5 tips to make it through in a healthy way:
 
1. Indulge in food, but not all the time.
We all want to celebrate with great food, drink, and the people we love. But that doesn't mean letting go of all sensibility. If you have a string of parties to attend, choose fruit over cake every other night. Limit yourself to one plate of food. Cut back on the carbs. Bring a healthy dish. Don't starve yourself before the party.

2. Set some guidelines for yourself around socializing. 
If you get stressed out by all the family, work, and social obligations during the holiday, decide which events, and how many, you want to attend. Send your holiday greetings and your regrets to all the rest. You won't like feeling trapped at a party you didn't want to attend in the first place, and if you aren't comfortable, you may compensate by drinking more. If you agree to a party out of obligation, give your host a heads up, in advance, that you need to leave early. Then do it.

3. Get enough sleep and exercise on a regular basis.
​This helps you keep your energy level, metabolism, and mood elevated, helping you make smarter choices. It is also much easier to maintain a fitness and nutrition plan than to let it fall apart and then start all over again in the new year. And water- drink plenty of water!

4. Carve out some "me" time.
Whether it's yoga, meditation, writing, drawing, hiking, biking, or birdwatching, set aside some time each day (or every couple of days) just for you. Stay connected to the little things that bring you joy, and you will feel some of your holiday stress melt away.

5. Make a plan.
Plan ahead to make sure you can really fit everything you want to do into the holidays. We can feel so much pressure to "do it all" and be everywhere, all at once. You will find yourself more relaxed and more present if you mindfully choose the way you will spend your time, rather than being swept away with everyone else's plans for you.

If you need support in any of these areas, or want to join an awesome community moving mindfully through the holidays, join the Holiday Challenge today. We start Nov 24.

*https://caloriecontrol.org/popular-holiday-dishes/