With the holiday season right around the corner, many people have already begun to get excited about the meals they anticipate consuming. While it’s perfectly acceptable to work in a few extra cheat meals during this time of year, you mustn’t overdo it. Failing to eat healthily can lead to a plethora of problems. Here at MOTION, we can help you prevent this. We want to pass along some tips for healthy eating this holiday season for the best chance of doing so!
Create A Holiday-Proof Plan
When you’re trying to lose weight or live a healthier lifestyle overall, it’s essential to develop a plan. Doing so helps to hold yourself accountable and also keep track of what you’ve been consuming. However, it’s easy for this plan to fall to the wayside during the holiday season. Fortunately, our team can help fix this problem. Below are some ways that you can “holiday-proof” your plan:
Try to eat all meals as close to the times you regularly do. If meals are being served later than usual, have a small snack to hold you over.
When you’re invited to a party, consider bringing a healthy dish with you.
If you plan on having dessert, cut back on any carbs during the meal.
Never skip meals to try and make room for a feast.
Should you ever slip up, go back to healthy eating the next meal.
Fighting The Buffet
Sometimes during the holiday season, traditional meals are moved aside in favor of buffets. When you face a delicious spread of food, it’s essential to maintain your self-control. Buffets make it very easy to overeat and make unhealthy choices. To stop this from happening, we recommend the below:
Make small plates of the food you enjoy, then move away from the table.
Start by eating all of your vegetables to help keep hunger under control.
It takes at least 20 minutes for your brain to realize you’re full, so try to eat slowly.
Alternate Between Water And Alcohol
Sometimes a crisp beer or a rich red wine acts as the perfect complement for your holiday meal. They also act as social lubricants, making the sometimes stressful family gatherings more manageable. Although enjoying it in moderation is fine, drinking too much alcohol can have some adverse effects. That is why our team suggests alternating between water and alcohol during any parties. Doing so will keep your hydrated and help cut back on calories. Additionally, if you try mixing hard liquor with seltzer instead of soda or juices, you’ll also be doing yourself a favor.
Stay Physically Active
Even after your best efforts when trying to eat healthily, the holiday season lends itself to slip-ups and failures. While you may think feeling bad and punishing yourself is the only way to move forward, this is not the case. Physical activity is the best way to combat the eating mistakes you make in the coming months. Exercising will help you burn off extra calories you consumed while with family and friends. If you can’t get to the gym during this hectic time, something as simple as going for a walk after your meal can work wonders.
Additional Tips
At MOTION, we know how difficult it can be to stick to healthy habits. Fortunately, there are many tips you can utilize to do so. In addition to what we’ve already touched upon, we also hope you consider the below:
Focus on eating the foods that you love, and avoid the ones you are less interested in.
Avoid overeating by asking yourself if you’re still enjoying what’s being served.
Make sure you’ve been getting 7 to 8 hours of sleep each night leading up to the holiday meal.
Stop feeling guilty about making minor mistakes, and keep moving forward.
Contact Us
If you’re serious about staying healthy this holiday season, you can’t go into it unprepared. If you’d like to learn more tips for eating healthy, be sure to contact our team at MOTION today.