The Holiday Struggle! 

The Holiday Struggle is SO real!  Everyone is giving you their best homemade treats, there are more social gatherings and we tend to over indulge more than normal.  Did you know that the average American gains 7-12 pounds during the holidays!?  And rarely do we lose the weight come New Years.  Yikes!!
But don’t throw in the towel just yet!  Here are my 6 tips to keep you slim and satisfied this holiday season!

1) Plan your nutrition!  When we know there are several parties that we HAVE to go to, we absolutely NEED to keep ourselves in line the rest of the time.  That means being diligent, planning and prepping meals and having a fridge stocked with healthy foods!  

2) A sample isn’t just a sample!  At holiday parties we can feel like we need to try EVERYTHING!  That is not true!  We live in such an abundant society that if we really “need” that slice of cheese cake we can probably get it next week.  Pick 1 thing, yup you heard me, ONE thing, that you’ve been dying to try and stick with that!  When we sample we allow ourselves to think we’ve had less than 1 dessert.  But the truth is each bite adds up and before we know it we’ve most likely had 2+.  So stick to one and enjoy the heck out of it!

3) Find an Elf!  Just like Santa has his elves to help him over the holidays we also need a partner!  Enlist a friend that wants to stay healthy over the holidays too!  Check in with each other, motivate and encourage to stay away from the unnecessary excess!

4) Work it off!  When you know you’re going to indulge make sure you get a stellar workout in that day!  Push hard and don’t just go through the motions!  You can also add extra steps by taking the stairs, standing at your desk, parking farther away, etc.  Make sure you put the extra effort in when you plan on heading out!

5) Get more Zzzzz’s!  One of the SIMPLEST ways to stay on top of your health during the holidays is to sleep!  Our bodies replace billions of cells at night so we’re blasting through calories!  The more you sleep the more you burn!  Plus, we’re happier and more enjoyable to be around!

6) Detox with H20!  EggNog, Cider, Pumpkin Lattes…oh my!! Our systems are already on over load during this time, the last thing you want to do is tax your natural detox system with adding sugar….especially sugary drinks!  Our bodies instantly absorb liquids so it’s like dumping sugar right into your blood stream.  This over loads our body’s natural detox systems and we begin to store fat fast!  Try to drink at least half your body weight in ounces each day.  If you can do more, DO IT!!  Your body will thank you!  Water is a natural detoxifier and will continue to flush your system!  

Bonus:  Follow the 10-hour rule!  The 10-hour rule can be hard to follow during this time of year but the more you do the more your body will thank you!  Try to condense all of your meals into a 10-hour block.  If you start eating at 8am then be done by 6pm.  This is a form of intermittent fasting that has worked for me.  For the other 14 hours - 8 should be sleeping, 4 your digesting dinner, and 2 in the morning you can be sipping tea and lemon water! 

I hope this helps as we near Thanksgiving!!  

xo
Becky

What do you do to stay healthy over the holidays?