Are you dreading the upcoming holiday season because of all the food, running around, and lack of time to care for yourself? Here's my
Top 10 Healthy Holiday Tips to keep your waist under control and to.....
- Set a limit of how many "bad" things you'll eat. It's OK to indulge during this special time of the year. But it's not OK to eat as much as you like! Setting a limit allows you to make choices and not take in too many extra calories.
- Make healthy meals when you're at home. You'll most likely be eating out a lot in the next few weeks due to parties, parties, and more parties! So when you are at home, make the healthiest meals you can. But don't make "diet" meals for you and "regular" meals for your family. Just make ONE meal that's healthy for all of you. Filling up on water and veggies will help you feel full.
- Drink a large glass of water before you go out to a holiday party. This will fill your belly and make you feel full. You'll still be tempted by all the yummy treats, but feeling full will keep you from overindulging.
- Keep granola bars in your purse for a healthy snack on-the-go. Check out my earlier post for an easy recipe, or pick up a box of your favorite ones. Believe it or not, eating 5 small meals a day will help you lose weight! It'll keep you from overeating at meal-time, too.
- Order a "skinny" coffee. Ok, so I'm not a big fan of fat-free/sugar-free, BUT I'm guilty of overindulging at Starbucks during this time of year. It's cold out and I just want to grab a yummy, warm coffee/mocha/cappuccino/latte when I'm out running errands. If I stick to a small skinny drink, I save a LOT of extra calories.
- Stop drinking diet drinks! Ok, so that's contrary to the previous tip, but seriously, diet sodas and diet drinks in general only make you more likely to snack or want more food than you should consume. Stick to water. Keep a water bottle on hand with you when you're out and about! Buy yourself a cute one that you'll be proud to take around town.
- Research fast food nutrition online. Seriously! Go online and check out the calories in your favorite fast food menus. Write down a couple items that are less than 400 calories and stick the list in your purse. If you have to grab a bite to eat, choose something from your list.
- Log your food. Use an online food diary like www.myfitnesspal.com. It's FREE & it'll help you know what you are taking in. You can also log your exercise, which leads me to the next tip....
- Exercise! Get up 30 min early and move your body. Find a workout DVD you like, or go online for some simple exercises. Get on the treadmill or eliptical. Go to the gym. Take a new class. DO SOMETHING! If you haven't been exercising and start now, doing so just 3 times a week will work off the extra calories you most likely will consume.
- Get some accountability! Find a group of friends, or at least ONE and ask them to help you stay accountable. Make a virtual appointment to email or IM each other the next few weeks.
I'm linking up to Serenity Now's Weekend Bloggy Reading:
