If there’s one thing that makes the holidays a tough time for foodies like me, it’s the delicious meals that we’re served. You’ve got your amazingly delicious, though sometimes inappropriate turkeys, those sides that complete the meal, the delicious holiday drinks, and the desserts that you just know are going straight to your waist line.
Hopefully, this isn’t me after Christmas.
Yes, it’s the turkeys and the waist lines of the world that get hit hardest by the holidays!
Eating the Holidays Away
This holiday season, it’s time to be careful with your eating habits. Here are a few tips to help you be smart with your holiday munching:
- Don’t eat while distracted — It’s easy to snack or munch while engaged in conversation at the company party or your evening family gathering. DON’T! Stay away from the food if you’re going to chat, and never snack without paying full attention to what you’re putting in your body.
- Make the right choices –– You know what is good for your waistline and what’s not, so make the right choices. It may mean having to pass up on the stuffing in favor of mashed potatoes, or serving a bit less gravy. The choice is yours!
- Be picky –– Don’t just eat anything because it’s laid out in front of you. Be selective with your food choices, and only splurge on one or two items each meal. It’s going to save your diet and make it much easier to lose the holiday weight.
- Plan your meals –– Snack throughout the day to help deal with the hunger, making it much easier for you to avoid overeating when that Christmas dinner rolls around. Make them healthy snacks, and keep them light.
- Pick your poison — Water is calorie-free, but not as tasty as eggnog, cocktails, soda, and other beverages. Try to stick with water as much as possible, but feel free to select just one type of drink that you can enjoy. It’s the only way to balance out food and drink intake.
Working Off the Holidays
Yes, holidays are a time for eating and enjoying yourself, but that doesn’t mean you should let your exercise program slip. In fact, it’s recommended by the experts at Saint Louis University that you make the holiday seasons a time to double your efforts.
Here are some tips to help you exercise during these feasting days:
- Do just a bit more — There’s probably no way that you can add an extra hour of exercise to your day just to burn off that 350-calorie dessert you had last night. However, if you do an extra 15 minutes a few times throughout the day, it will make up for most of the excess.
- Don’t limit yourself –– Just because you’re not dripping buckets of sweat at the gym, that doesn’t mean you’re not doing exercise. Walk up and down stairs, park at the far end of the parking lot, take the dog for a longer walk, etc. The more active you are, the better.
- Keep it up –– Yes, it’s the holidays, but that doesn’t mean your workouts should take a hit. If you want to keep that waist line trim, keep working out even during the days that you should be relaxing and vacationing.
- Don’t hibernate –– There are few things in the world better than sitting near a warm fire with a good book, TV show, or movie, or just doing a puzzle or reading the paper inside when the weather is chilly outside. Resist the temptation to hibernate, and stay active!
- Keep it balanced –– You’re not going to be able to limit your food intake too much during the holidays, and you won’t be able to increase your exercise time that much. Just make sure you do more exercise than normal, and try to eat less than you have in past years. It’s the only way to keep your waist line from expanding over these feast-friendly holidays.
