By Gabby Reece
You just unbuttoned the top button on your pants and
stuffed down the last bite of pie. Welcome to the beginning of the
weight landslide during the holidays! After all, Thanksgiving kicks off
six full weeks of holiday parties, eating, drinking and celebrating
until after the new year.
Is there a way to not completely lose
your grip on a healthy lifestyle during this time of year? It may be
more realistic to try to manage temptation, rather than fighting it, or
trying to make an early resolution. It's the holidays after all and we
should be celebrating.
What hits us the hardest during the
season? Parties. Office parties, family parties, Christmas parties, New
Year's parties. In other words, lots of parties. But by using a few
common sense ideas, we can avoid demolishing every good habit we've been
striving to achieve.
1. Let's back it up to that fateful
Thursday, when we get the green light to gorge on delicious food. As
soon as Thanksgiving Day is over, send all the remaining food home with
friends and family. (Except the bird. Turkey leftovers are okay.) This
isn't like Halloween where we're going to be eating sweet potato with
marshmallows, stuffing, and pie for the coming week. Get it out of the
house!
2. Ramp up on your exercise schedule with a friend. Hey,
you're not going to be the only desperate soul out there. Find a friend
and make a holiday pact. This is not going to be about getting into the
best shape of your lives. Rather, this pact is just about helping one
another survive the coming weeks.
You won't be judging
yourselves and jumping on scales. You will be encouraging each other to
meet three times a week, no matter how badly you need to get to the mall
and shop. Have someone to be accountable to, otherwise you may find it
more important to prepare for your Santa Claus role, or score at the big
sale. Do or die, keep each other moving.
3. If you slip up, stay
the course. You may have one day or even several days that you sit
around watching football games and eating too many cookies, but don't
let that blow you off course permanently. Keep trying to curb when you
can. And even if you live in a cold place find a way to exercise a
little. Never give up and think, "Why bother? I've already blown it."
Each day is a new chance.
4. Be picky about your parties and
nights you're going to hit the spirits. Inevitably you will be invited
to, and will want to go to, many parties. If you have multiple parties
to attend in one week, only allow yourself to blow it out at one of
them.
Which one will have the best food, and the people that you
like the most? Well, then that's your choice. At the rest of the
parties, eat before you go so you can avoid all of that high calorie
finger food, and throw your sparkling water into a wine glass so no one
bugs you about not drinking.
5. Manage booze in general over the
holidays. Alcohol is hard on your body, and it removes eating
inhibitions. Even light beer has a lot of calories. A glass of red wine
with dinner? Great. Beer after beer? Bottle of wine? Three martinis?
Avoid them all unless it is your chosen, let-it-fly night.
6.
Avoid the intense pressure of the holidays. Stressing out is the most
damaging thing we can do to ourselves, and the good old, jolly season is
a butt kicker. Does everything really need to be perfect? Does our
culture ram us with a holiday standard that is hectic, and hard to live
up to? Yes. I'm with you.
Take a deep breath upon rising and
going to sleep, and keep in mind what the holidays are really all about.
Remind yourself that it is stressful and cathartic (another year down,
time flies, all of that), but that most of the stress is self-induced.
7.
Give thanks. Stop, take a look around, and recognize what you are
thankful for.
8. Have some fun, and don't make the holidays about
a to-do list. It would be disappointing to think, "It was fun, but it
was all a big blur."
I wish you and your family a happy and
healthy holiday, and may we all be ready to get after it in the new
year. Cheers! |
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