The holiday season is upon us! A time of cheer, family & friends, and gorging ourselves until we feel sick. Temperatures are dropping making you less likely to head outside for a walk or run, and relatives are visiting which can raise stress levels and increase your cravings. To top it all off, calorie-laden foods like cookies, pies, gravy, stuffing, green bean casserole – insert delicious fatty food here – are on the menu! And yet, we are expected to turn around on New Year’s Day, shove that winter weight into some spandex, and change everything? Fat chance – no pun intended. Set yourself up for success this winter with these 3 simple tips.
80/20 – Give yourself that one cookie to avoid eating the whole pie
The 80/20 rule. Indulge…a little. This means make 80% of your diet “clean” and as whole/unprocessed as you can make it, then give yourself 20% of the not-so-clean stuff. The key here is moderation. One cookie won’t kill you – even two! But sampling every single dessert on the table at your holiday party? That’s where you go ary. Plus, it tastes great in the moment but you almost always regret it later. Save yourself the anguish – eat those fruits and veggies like a good kid throughout the day then pick out 1-2 desserts or high calorie foods you want to try and go for it! 80% nice, 20% naughty. You got this.
Walk it Off – Walk off that political conversation with Uncle Joe, or that extra cookie from Aunt Mimi
This holiday season is bound to bring some awkward conversations and tension at some point, it’s inevitable. “When are you getting married?” “Who did you vote for?” “Why did you only eat one of my cookies?” The barrage of questions can be overwhelming for anyone and may even lead you to grab that extra macaroon out of stress. Take a walk, people. Maybe to the mailbox and back, maybe down the street, maybe to the nearest airport to catch the first flight out – Kidding. Walking can give you just the break you need and also help burn off that extra cookie (that was clearly forced upon you). Fit Radio has a great Walking station as well as Holiday station right now to help put the spring back in your step so you can face the madness.
Start your Resolutions Early – Why wait until Jan.1st to make positive life changes?
The arbitrariness of January 1st as the day we all swear to become better people and achieve all our goals has never made sense to me! Get a head start this year and begin those resolutions now. You’ll be well on your way to those goals while everyone else eats themselves into a new pant size by the New Year. The most important thing is to make your resolutions realistic and attainable. If you want even more motivation? Tell some of your family and friends about your goals to hold you more accountable.
And if all else fails? Turn on the live Yule Log video, make yourself a spiked eggnog (part of your 20%!), and plug in those headphones to zone out to the Fireside station on Fit Radio. Nothing like some good tunes and a little buzz during the holidays. Stay warm out there!