At holiday parties there’s usually a whole lot of eating, drinking, and being merry. While spending quality time with friends and family you can also maintain the fitness level and lean body mass you’ve worked so hard to achieve. Here are some tips to help you survive holiday parties and an uptick in eating out.
1. Exercise: Maintain your regular training plan. When in a crunch, make the most out of your training sessions by thinking short but sweet. A lot can be done in one hour. Stay on task, get in a quality training session and move on. Also find ways for your family and friends to join in the activities like going for a walk together or playing games outside (i.e. relay races or tag).
2. Eat regularly: Maintain your regular fueling and hydration plan. Eat and drink water about every two-three hours making sure that every meal or snack includes vegetables and/or fruit, lean protein, and some healthy fat. When going to a dinner party, do not starve yourself in anticipation. Have a snack and some water before you go so you avoid showing up starving and overindulge in foods you don’t normally eat.
3. Moderate alcohol intake: Remember that alcohol has calories too, in fact more than carbohydrates and protein. Try and control the amount of alcohol you consume over the holiday period and, in the same way as food, try not to regularly over-indulge . To help you moderate your intake, alternate between an alcoholic beverage and water.
Holiday treats!
4. Be selective and learn to savor even the small stuff: There will be plenty of temptations at holiday gatherings. Serve yourself a small portion of the different foods or drinks. Try them and if they don’t knock your socks off, do not have any more. Find the most delicious food. Savor every bite by taking your time to eat it. Chew the food slowly and swallow without rushing. Pause before taking another bite.
5. Get right back on track: If you do happen to overindulge at a holiday meal or party, don’t let it have a domino effect on your training or nutrition. Get right back on track by eating clean for your next meal. Consciously choose healthy options like fresh, colorful, and delicious vegetable dishes. Drink plenty of water throughout your day. Add fresh fruit to your water for more flavor (i.e. sliced lemon, lime, orange, strawberries, or mint). Also be sure to get in another quality training session.
The holidays are all about having fun and spending time with loved ones. Use these tips and enjoy yourself this holiday season!!
