Ah, the holidays! Merriment, jingle-jingle, ho-ho-ho and a barrel of foods you shouldn’t eat but you give yourself temporary permission to be naughty.
This is a challenge we all face, as work, shopping, planning, socially-distanced parties, family coming over, and stress can combine to make it hard to resist a few traditional treats, which lead to a few more, and soon you can’t tell where one cookie stops and the next one starts.
Why do we let this happen?
This year, you can battle temptation and win. You might find it difficult to lose a lot of weight over the holidays, but you can make it through with your weight-loss goals intact.
Let’s dig in to a heaping helping of healthy holidays!
Starting New Traditions
• Eat a nutrient-dense breakfast every day, and continue eating balanced meals and snacks up to party time. Don’t “save up your hunger” knowing tempting treats await. Stable blood sugar helps prevent cravings.
• Sample party foods, but don’t give yourself permission to fall completely off the wagon.
• Drink lots of water all day long. Being dehydrated (drinking alcohol contributes) can cause you to eat more than you should, and eat foods that you shouldn’t.
• During the rush-rush, get your workouts in. You might work out one less day per week, or have to shorten workout times, but even 15 minutes is better than skipping exercise.
• Even with the time demands, try to get at least seven hours of sleep per night. At the least, don’t let late nights string together so you’re seriously sleep deprived.
Living healthy holidays is as much a mindset as anything else. Over the years, many of the UpLift trainers have developed strategies that work for them. We decided it was time to offer a special contest for Woodbury Magazine readers: email info@upliftfitness.com and say you want to win a free 6-month membership to kick-start your resolutions. We will draw a winner from all readers who email in by December 20, 2020. Just be ready for your best year ever!
Be careful when holiday colors come in sugar and fat and stuff like that. Here’s to new traditions in your household––traditions that bring great tidings of health and happiness.
