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| Scott and I after running the Turkey Trot 10k! |
I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Just as I was feeling
proud for surviving Thanksgiving without completely sabotaging my healthy
lifestyle , I began to realize that the true temptations are only
beginning.
While I was browsing
Pinterest last night it seemed like my entire feed was full of pinned recipes
for holiday cookies, candy, cakes, etc...
and trust me, at 8:30 p.m I was ready to print out those recipes and
make (and eat!) all of them!
While the
holiday season can be full of fun parties with coworkers, family, and friends,
I can guarantee you that each of those gatherings will include tempting food and
beverages.
If you want to survive and
thrive during the holidays without compromising all of your hard work and
without others thinking you are the Grinch, check out some of these tips that I
have found helpful:
- Be strategic: Decide what indulgences are worth the calories
to you and then make healthy substitutions for food that you could live
without. For example, at Thanksgiving I knew
that I would want dessert- so instead of loading up my plate with mashed
potatoes and gravy I had a sweet potato and I skipped the dinner roll.
- Set Limits ahead of time:
At holiday functions it is easy to get caught up in the festivities and
start mindlessly eating or drinking.
Before you even get to the party, decide how many glasses of wine or how
many cookies you would like to eat- and stick to it!
- Increase your exercise: One of the easiest ways to combat
the extra holiday calories is too simply burn more of them! And this does not have to be boring- during
the holidays there are a lot of fun holiday-themed 5k’s and 10’s- like the
Jingle Bell Run, Reindeer Romp, Egg Nog Jog, etc… For races in your area check
out www.runningintheusa.com. I can tell you that I felt much better eating
my Thanksgiving dinner knowing that I had already run 6.2 miles in the
Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot in the morning!
- Wear something cute and form fitting: One of my secrets is to use a holiday
gathering as an excuse to buy a new outfit or wear something that I feel
extremely attractive in. I have found
this works for two reasons: first of all, it is much easier to resist the
pressure of others telling you ”oh its not a big deal, you can eat this” when you
are able to remind yourself that your smart and healthy food decisions are what
allowed you to look hot in what you are wearing and that is what matters to you
more than an extra serving of macaroni and cheese or sweet potato
casserole. Also, by wearing something form
fitting or snug you will be less likely to overeat because it will be
physically uncomfortable.
- Weigh yourself: It
is tempting to ignore the scale if you feel like you have overindulged and to
convince yourself that you will step back on the scale once you have gotten
back on track. Don’t do this! The scale
is not a judge, it is simply a tool for you to measure where you are at- and it
is much easier to get back on track when you have only gained 5lbs instead of
stepping on the scale in January and realizing you now have an extra 20 lb
Christmas present!
- Bring healthy foods to share: When invited to a party, bring
your favorite healthy food or drink to share.
Even if everyone else hates it, at least you know there will be something
at the party that you can eat!
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