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Planning For the Holidays

Well, it's that time of year again. We're all faced with the usual challenge of how to survive the holidays without completely blowing our commitment to healthy eating and living. It can be done - you can be the same size you are now (or even smaller!) on January 1, 2010, if you plan for it!
Here are some of my tried and true strategies for a healthier holiday season:

Decide in advance when you are going to cheat, and to what degree. And, make sure it's worth it. You can take in an extra 2000 calories every day just wandering mindlessly by the office candy bowl 12 times per day, or you can wait and have one glorious dessert at a party and really enjoy it.
Set yourself up for success. Don't allow your house and office to become storage depots for "bad" foods. They will call your name from the kitchen, closet, or wherever your store them. If you receive a gift of chocolate, cookies, or anything on the forbidden list, have a few pieces and GET RID OF THE REST! There are lots of people out there who can't get enough of this stuff, so let them have it!
When you are attending functions, don't arrive hungry if you know the offerings of healthy food are going to be sparse. Eat before you go, take your bag of veggies, and plan to make the event strictly a social occasion. If you do decide to indulge, have a few morsels, get rid of your plate and move away from the food table. (You can consume a pound of cheese or cookies while mindlessly taking one piece at a time while you are talking!)
Don't drink alcohol at every opportunity. It's full of calories, and alcohol tends to make you hungrier. Although we don't encourage people to give up alcohol, drinking filtered water at most occasions will not only save calories from alcohol consumption, but make you less likely to consume lots of other things you shouldn't be eating also.
For family dinners, office parties or holiday parties, offer to bring healthy food. That way you'll be sure to have something to eat, and you may find that people like it (that's been my experience!).
At holiday dinners, fill up on vegetables and salad first, and then consume some of the other offerings. You're likely to consume less of the calorie-dense stuff that way.
The day after a holiday event or dinner, get rid of all of the "bad" foods. Again, they will call your name until you finish them. Find a neighbor that would appreciate these foods, or take them to a local church or food bank, but get them out of your house!
Don't let up on exercise or get started NOW. You don’t have to put on weight that you’ll have to get off next year. When your daily routine changes, it is easy for your exercise routine to change as well. Here's a suggestion - instead of less exercise, how about planning to do more! Add a workout every week, take an extra yoga class, find something new to try. You may find yourself losing, rather than gaining weight this way! Check our Web site at www.hourglassfitnessandwellness.com and find a class or two (or three) that fits your schedule. New students can join for ½ price for their first full month! Take advantage of it!
Find ways to deal with the increased stress of family members visiting, shopping and more events to attend. How? Exercise is a great way to reduce stress. And, you'll kill two birds with one stone - you'll get rid of stress AND you'll be smaller on January 1!

Before you start objecting, think for a minute about past holiday seasons. If you ended up feeling tired and bloated, you put on weight, your exercise program evaporated and you found yourself starting over again at the beginning of the New Year, the same thing will happen this year UNLESS YOU DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT!

So, take a few minutes and write down your own personal strategy for dealing with the situations you usually find yourself in, and read it every morning before you start your day - it will reinforce your decision and help keep you on track. If you get in trouble call a friend, call me (913.269-7990), send me an email me (lorrie@hourglassfitnessandwellness.com), but don't give up and fall into your usual pattern!