Healthy Tips for the Holiday Season

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The holiday season is upon us, which means a lot of gatherings with family and friends. With all the fun of these gatherings, we also get to indulge in many yummy homemade dishes and deserts. Today, I will share with you a few tips that may help you keep up a healthy lifestyle during the holidays. Love your body the way it is, but keep it running on the good stuff!

1. Fill a plate instead of nibbling.
If your family is like mine you would have a dinner gathering includes at least 5-7 starters, 3-4 main dishes and at least 3 different deserts covering one or several tables. It’s tempting to try all of them, but this can be a problem. Instead try to pick 2 items of each, preferably a few favorites and a few dishes with fruits and vegetables. Fill yourself a plate and limit yourself to that. You will most probably eat much less specifying a certain amount rather than nibbling here and there.

2. Don’t skip meals.
It may sound tempting to skip breakfast or lunch and save your hunger for the main meal. But skipping meals will only make you hungrier (which will eventually result in you consuming more food), it will also negatively affect your metabolism.

3. Limit alcoholic beverages.
I’m not saying don’t drink alcohol, but try to watch your intake. Try to limit it to 2 drinks a day and avoid drinks with added sugar (such as juices). Even better, try to hydrate with water, it’s zero calories and will get you full. This way you’re not taking in more calories from drinks and you will also consume fewer calories from food.

4. Exercise.
I’m not talking about 2 hours of rigorous cardio (unless you’re into that). Fast walking for 30-45 minutes everyday before or after your main meal will help. If you walk before the meal, you will probably eat less and if you walk after the meal it will help you digest. Do whatever suits you.

5. Most importantly, don’t beat yourself up.
After all, the holidays are the seasons of festivity and celebrations so don’t over obsess about how much you eat. Try to eat in moderation and select healthier options with smaller proportions but if you slip one day it’s not the end of the world. What is done is done, just plan to make better choices for the next day.

Happy holidays to everyone! Enjoy yourselves and don’t forget to add healthy resolutions to your new year.

Contributed by SuQun el Leil

Tags: alcohol, Health, holidays, tips