The holidays are such a fun time of year.
Lots of good food, travel, family, friends…egg nog ???? What’s not to love?
I’ll tell you what…
A crappy diet, lack of exercise, too much “cheer,” and too little sleep.
And you know I’m alllllllll about #treatyoself, but that combo can do some serious damage to our overall well-being- not just our waistline.
Even those who have worked so hard to build healthy habits all year long may end up throwing caution to the wind and making poor health choices if they don’t do start building some strategies and do some planning ahead of time.
So while I’m certainly not telling you to pass up all the cookies, I do have 5 simple tips to help you survive the holiday mayhem while still feeling great and staying healthy:
- PRIORITIZE QUALITY SLEEP. Studies have found that sleep deprivation messes big time with our hunger hormones, which means cravings will increase, you’ll feel hungrier than normal, and you’ll eat more to try and reach that satisfaction point. In a nutshell, sleep deprivation = overeating carby snacks. Try unplugging when you get home and keeping electronics shut down at least an hour before bedtime. Also trying going to bed at the same time every night and pay extra attention to make sure your meals are balanced.
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ALWAYS BE PREPARED. Don’t even think about leaving your house without a snack packed away in your bag. How many times have you gone out shopping and wound up being out for hours and hours, then you come home and raid the snack cabinet as soon as you get home cuz you’re HANGRY! Don’t let that happen this year. Keep a box of protein bars in your car or an apple with some nuts in your bag. When you’re all caught up in traffic or in the crowds at the mall, you’ll be happy you came prepared.
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IMPLEMENT THE TWO BITE RULE. Have you ever been at a party or even a coffee shop just filled with sweets and thought “I never have this many desserts sitting right in front of me. I’ll just eat whatever I want because when is the next time this will happen?” then you eat all the sweets and feel sick and guilty after? What I want you to do instead is choose one or two desserts that look really good and have a bite or two of each.After that, determine which choice you’d rather have more of, or if those few bites were enough.
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DRINK ALLLLLLL THE WATER. It can be warm water with lemon, seltzer water, herbal tea, whatever floats your boat, but this upcoming season is not the time to let your hydration slip. Drinking enough water will help you sleep better, wake up energized, brighten up your skin, feel more energized keep your cravings way down and will help you digest all those festive eats & treats more easily. Aim for half your bodyweight in ounces to make sure you’re getting your fill.
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LET GO OF PERFECTION. The best part of living the moderation lifestyle is it allows you to be a little less perfect and a whole lot more consistent. Cuz if you can have cookies any day, any time, why eat them ALL at the cookie swap? It sounds strange, it sounds backwards, but if you want to stay consistent and in control around the festive holiday treats, start to practice having a little bit here, a little bit there, so when the cookies start coming at you in all directions, it’s no biggie!
There’s no doubt about it- the holidays can be HARD when it comes to food and exercise. So if you’ve read the tips above and you’re like “OK, this sounds great but it’s the Holidays so why even bother?” why not let me help you make it easier?
I’m opening up the application for 1:1 coaching as we close out the last month of the year and move into 2020! In Fresh, Fit & Fearless, we are going to partner together for three months so that you can get on the road to amplified energy, abundant confidence and sustainable health- and let’s not forget to mention a rockin’ bod that looks fit, tight & toned!