The holidays are coming in hot which means lots of fun family time, cocktail parties, food and treats with a side of anxiety and stress. You feel me? In an effort to make this holiday season a little bit less stressful, I'm sharing my top tips for staying fit, happy and healthy over the next month and a half. Yes, it can be done!
Be Prepared
Preparation is the key to maintaining a healthy waistline during the holidays. If you show up to a party ravenously hungry after a long day, guaranteed you are going to house 5 cookies right away. So, be prepared. Schedule out your social events for the season and then work backwards to make sure that you have time to prepare a healthy appetizer or side dish that you can bring to parties. This is the best way to ensure that you eat well when you are out. I also suggest eating a snack or light meal before a party. This way you don't grab anything and everything right when you get there.
Alternate Cocktails With Sparkling Water
In between every cocktail, enjoy a glass of sparkling water with a lemon or lime or switch to a kombucha. This is a great way to slow down your alcohol intake and hopefully avoid the hangover the next morning. Sparkling water and kombucha can feel festive, especially in a fancy glass!
Break Out Your Crop Top
I love this little holiday tip. Wear your skin tight Herve Leger dress or crop top to holiday parties this year. You will look super hot, plus an outfit that shows a lot of skin will make you think twice before you bite into that piece of cake.
Schedule In Exercise
The same way that you schedule in your holiday events, schedule in your exercise. Sign up and pay for exercises classes in advance or call a friend for a workout to ensure that you show up and get your sweat on. Exercise during the holidays is not only a great way to stay fit but it's also fabulous for burning off stress. No time to get to the gym? Do 100 squats and 50 pushups in your living room. Ready, go!
Don't Save Up Calories
Ladies, this is NOT the way to go during the holidays. When you eat less during the day to save up for a night of eating and drinking you are just setting yourself up for disaster. Add 1 cocktail to an empty stomach and all of your self control is out the window. You'll end up eating 2x the amount you really need and with no food in your stomach, a hangover is surely to come. So please, don't go the save up route. Eat plenty of veggies and healthy fats and drink lots of water before your parties. This way you feel satisfied BEFORE you are presented with mounds of unhealthy temptations.
Enjoy Yourself!
Last but not least, it's really important that you enjoy yourself during the holidays! That's what they are all about! Decide that you are going to enjoy yourself and practice the 90/10 rule. Eat well 90% of the time and then enjoy whatever you want the other 10%. It's okay to splurge every once in a while. Actually, it's totally human! Simply commit to that workout the next morning, get plenty of sleep and drink lots of water. So, nix the guilt and abandon those negative voices in your head for once. Life is about the little pleasures so enjoy them!
Stay tuned for some healthy holiday recipes (pumpkin pie is def one of them) coming your way on the blog this week and next!