Maintaining a Healthy Lifestyle During the Holidays
The holidays are the best time of year to celebrate with friends and family. However, the hustle and bustle of the festivities can also become stressful and overwhelming. For many people, it is difficult to maintain a healthy diet during this season of Christmas cookies, eggnog and endless parties and in addition, few people have the time to properly exercise with all these other events taking place.
As a result, many people gain the well-known “holiday weight” during this time. After the new year, many hopeful men and women make resolutions to lose weight. However, there is no better day than today to get a jump start on your weight loss goals. Don’t let the holiday season be an excuse. Take simple steps like eating smaller portions, only taking 1 slice of pumpkin pie and avoid the super sugary holiday drinks. You will thank yourself later, we promise!
Making Your Holiday Weight Loss Plan
One of the most important aspects of losing weight is simply planning. Use these simple steps to help:
- Set aside time for working out
- Take the time to plan shopping trips
- Make sure you are getting enough sleep
- Consider healthier holiday party food items
Exercise
Another major myth surrounding weight loss is that it is possible to exercise enough to compensate for a bad diet. Around the holidays, a lot of people eat really bad and assume that running or lifting weights will make up for their bad choices.
Although exercise is important, it is not enough to simply exercise if you want to live a healthy lifestyle. In fact, exercise will increase your appetite. Start slowly by adding exercise to your daily regimen. Over time, you can increase the amount of volume that you do with your workouts. The more volume you do, the better results you will get.
Take some time each night to walk around and enjoy the Christmas lights on the homes in your neighborhood and before you know it you will walk farther than you thought! If family is in town, encourage someone to work out with you and create a fun bonding experience. Working out is also a great natural de-stressor which is vital in a healthy lifestyle.
Stress and Rest
One of the best ways to reduce stress during the holidays is to get enough rest. Some people stay up late and wake up early during this time to get everything checked off the “to-do” lists. However, this is the wrong approach to take if you want to reduce stress.
Instead of trying to run around everywhere, make a plan ahead of time. Within this plan, you should have enough time to rest and relax during the holidays. Although this is a fun and joyous time for everyone, you can become too stressful if you are not careful. Stress eating can overcome you and ruin your goals. Make sure rest and exercise are a part of your everyday schedule. You can do it!
Healthy Diet
Eating a healthy diet is not always easy throughout the year, and it is especially tough to eat healthy at the big family dinners and parties. A healthy diet is comprised of natural food like lean meat and vegetables. This is generally not the type of food that people eat at holiday parties. Before going to any party, make sure you have a healthy snack or small meal before attending so you do not overeat the unhealthy items that are offered. Make sure you are eating and drinking in moderation and not stuffing yourself.