Planning for the Holidays

14 Oct Planning for the Holidays

Happy Holidays! What? You’re not ready yet for the holidays? Well get started. You are probably wondering why this is the topic for the October newsletter. As crazy as this sounds, it’s right around the corner. Well, I believe that the holidays start with Halloween and end with Valentine’s day. From my calculations, the “Holidays” last 4 months long.

On average, Americans gain 10 pounds during the holiday season. If weight loss or just general health is your goal, it’s important to start devising a plan on how you are going to get through the holidays.

Here are some strategies to get you through the holiday season:

1. Get Moving! 

If you continue working on your fitness, most people feel compelled to eat healthily when doing so, so they are more conscious and motivated to eat and drink healthily. If you haven’t already, join a gym or a fitness community. Last week we published a blog post all about finding the perfect community for you. Having a group of people to keep you accountable will help you stay motivated.

2. Stay Hydrated

If you are dehydrated, you are most likely to snack and eat more then if you are hydrated. A study performed at the University of Washington found that drinking one 8-ounce glass of water abolished midnight hunger pains in 98% of the participants. This reduced the caloric intake from midnight snacks in each of the participants.

Proper hydration can also help your body differentiate between hunger and thirst. Sometimes, your body is confused between the two and makes you think you need to eat more, when, in fact, you are just thirsty. Drinking a glass of water right before a meal can help you eat less food and make you feel fuller than if you did not drink water before the meal.

3. Eat Before You Go

Never attend a party very hungry. Make sure you have a good source of protein and fiber before heading to a party to ensure that you don’t over eat the higher caloric, less healthy appetizers and options at holiday parties. Take a healthy option with you to a gathering. That will guarantee that you have something healthy to eat.

If you are hosting a party, eat beforehand and set a plate for yourself and store it in the refrigerator so you have something healthy to eat afterwards. It’s so fun to celebrate the holidays with family and friends. Make sure you are taking care of yourself by having a healthy meal before the party and something afterwards if you are still hungry. You don’t want to host the party hungry or else you will be walking around picking on all the finger foods and adding up hundreds and thousands of calories.

4. Celebrate!

Do something celebratory that doesn’t involve food or is not centered around food. Some examples include going for a hike, playing board games, cards or active games outside. Be creative. You can spend quality time with family that doesn’t involve hours of eating or drinking.

5. Hold off on the drinks

A good strategy if you feel like you always overdo it is to wait to have a drink until after you eat. Always start with water first. If you are going to have two drinks, always drink a glass of water between drinks. If you feel pressure to drink, a club soda or soda water with lime is always a good drink to walk around the room with. Most people will think that you are having a “drink” and won’t pressure you to drink with them.

This holiday season, we put together a series of tips titled “30 Days To Holiday” with the mission of providing motivating and encouraging content for you to stay focused this holiday season. The series will begin November 1 exclusively on our Facebook group, “The Performers.”  Be sure to JOIN before Nov 1 so you don’t miss a beat!

by Alene Baronian

Start practicing healthy eating habits now with the Family Nutrition Workbook!

https://www.eat2perform.com/product/family-nutrition-workbook/