Beginning with Halloween, we tend to give ourselves a pass on our health goals until next January.
You’ve Been Prioritizing Your Health All Year
If you’re like me, you’ve been trying to get this eating thing right all year. I worked really hard on creating an eating schedule and fueling my body with better foods and portions. I’ve also added daily movement to my schedule including daily walks/hikes or cycling. I’ve lost 10# and my cholesterol dropped 50 points in 6 months. I’m not done yet. I want to see my numbers continue to improve and not stall out.
The Last Quarter of the Year Is Full of Temptations
October is the beginning of one of the hardest quarters for health maintenance. It starts off with Halloween and really, if we’re honest, doesn’t end until after Easter. The stores are full of bags of pure sugar in the form of candy ready to hand out to strangers’ children. If you think about it, the witch lured the children into her house made of candy with sweets and then fattened them up with sugar so she could eat them. Hmmm?
November is next with the first of the overindulgent holiday dinners, too much Turkey and stuffing and alcohol. Who doesn’t love a good food coma on Thanksgiving? For Christmas we sort of combine the two, adding a stocking stuffed with sugar to a big meal, and in our house, we include a large brunch with plenty of carbs and juice and alcohol. One or two meals of overdoing it, probably won’t stall out your fitness plan but there are leftovers and office parties and food courts while shopping.
You Know It’s Coming
Here is a heads up! It’s coming to a belly near you and it wants to destroy the progress you’ve been making. Setting your goal to stick to your plan now, before it gets too crazy, is the best way to counteract the temptation to just say screw it and try to fix the damage in January.
10 Things You Can Do To Not Crash Your Health Goals Over The Holidays
#1 Create Meal Plans
List a week’s worth of easy meals you can make quick with simple ingredients for breakfast, dinner/lunch, and supper. It’s also a good idea to include a few snacks (I use healthy snacks for post workouts and when entertaining). Just having a list of 7 healthy meals to choose from will help you be ready to prepare good food around your hectic schedule.
#2 Create a balanced, well portioned plate at the Holiday Dinners you attend, including as many whole foods as you can. Instead of going back for seconds, go back and make a to-go plate for the next day and sneak it into your host’s fridge to take home with you.
#3 Before you go back to the buffet for more snacks or to the bar for another drink, drink 16 ounces of water. Stay hydrated.
#4 Create a food plan for road trips. Bring a cooler and plan when you will stop and eat along the way. Create cold meals: like salads, veggies, and protein sticks you can eat in your hotel room.
#5 Stop what you are doing when you are eating. Sit at the table with family and friends. Put down your phone, turn off the television, and be mindful about the food you are putting in your mouth.
#6 Don’t restrict holiday desserts but pay attention to when you eat them and how much. Choose your favorites and eat them right after your meal. Eat Proteins before carbs. Choose small portions or opt for healthy choices.
#7 Take a short walk after your meals even if it is just around the block. Encourage others to walk with you. Maybe offer to give a mom a break by pushing her child around the block in a stroller.
#8 Keep as close to your eating schedule as possible. If you know the big meal is going to be later than usual, shift your fasting hours to accommodate it.
#9 Engage in other activities that don’t involve eating and drinking. You can’t toast with an empty glass but you can take smaller sips or fill your wine glass with water.
#10 Prioritize your health while you celebrate. Plan ahead how and when you want to indulge.