Navigating the Holidays (and the food!)

With the holidays approaching, it’s undoubtedly a time of year when our regular habits can fall by the wayside if we’re not careful.

This time of year, however, doesn’t have to be synonymous with “putting on pounds” and “getting off track.”

If you find this time of year particularly challenging (many of us do), here are a few tips to help you finish the year strong while still enjoying everything the season has to offer!

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1) AVOID THE “HOLIDAY PASS.”

The Holiday Pass is when you permit yourself to throw all your regular healthy habits out the window in the name of the holidays.

The “Holiday Pass” is similar to the “Weekend Pass,” wherein we act as if those days don’t really count. We eat well during the week, but when the weekend rolls around, it’s kind of like game over – we’ll start fresh again on Monday!

Keep in mind that it doesn’t have to be one or the other.

You can eat well AND enjoy the holiday treats. You can exercise AND enjoy rest & relaxation.

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2) BE SELECTIVE.

We look forward to enjoying certain things once a year during the holidays; then there is the stuff wrapped up with festive packaging but available any time of year if you look for it (similar to Halloween candy).

It’s not about depriving yourself, but rather quality over quantity.

It’s okay if you still want to indulge in these things but make a (realistic) plan.

Don’t just wing it!

If you’re worried about your eating getting out of hand at a particular holiday gathering or party, decide ahead of time how much you will consume of a specific thing (i.e. alcohol, sweets, snacks).

Also, remember that a few days of indulgences don’t have to turn into an entire month or weeks of poor food choices!

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3) STICK WITH YOUR ROUTINE.

Having structure is a great thing. Just because we’re partaking in the holiday festivities doesn’t mean that our whole routine has to slide.

The more we can stick with our regular healthy habits throughout it all: drinking plenty of water, keeping up with our normal workout routine, eating well, limiting snacking, getting quality sleep, etc., the more likely we’ll go through the remainder of the year feeling energized, and less likely to give ourselves the “Holiday Pass” as per point number one.

Also, when you can “keep it business as usual” for the first part of the day (or the days leading up to the actual day of the holiday – i.e. Christmas), you’ll likely have more room for flexibility later in the day (or on the actual holiday itself).

Here’s to ending the year strong!

Elaine

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Ready to permanently lose weight, stop overeating, and uplevel your relationship with food?

Learn more about my private 1:1 program here.

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