Today’s guest blog post is from my friend and fellow IIN graduate Michelle Obermeier. Read on about her tips on how to have a healthy holiday season.
It is official! The holiday season is upon us once again! It is time for family, celebration, presents and festivities!
It is also time for cookies, chocolates and lots and lots of holiday indulgences.
Uh oh.
Do you know that most people gain weight over the holiday season?
Many people can gain between 5 and 10 pounds!
Ultimately, most folks only ever lose a portion of the holiday weight they gain.
Yikes.
Now, if you are reading this, it is likely because you are a health conscious kind of person who wants to make a real effort to maintain your healthy lifestyle during this hectic, temptation-filled but still wonderful time of the year.
Excellent.
You are in the right place because I am going to give you my 3 Top Tips for having a Happy, HEALTHY Holiday Season!
MAINTAIN YOUR EXERCISE ROUTINE & DO IT WITH AN ACCOUNTABILITY PARTNER.
I am sure it is no big surprise to hear that folks who continue to exercise during the holidays are least likely to gain weight, right? Not only do I suggest you commit to keeping up with your exercise routine, I want you to add an accountability partner to the mix. Right around Halloween I found myself a gym partner, someone who could hold me accountable for showing up on our 2 gym days a week. And it helps. We are all less likely to skip out on a workout if we know someone else is waiting on us.
And it doesn’t have to be a physical, in-person partner either. You could check in with someone via text, phone or email, join a Facebook challenge group, whatever works for you. Just stay accountable!
Need ideas on new ways to stay active? Try these.
PACK SNACKS AND HEALTHY MEALS FOR SHOPPING TRIPS AND TRAVEL.
It seems that even though there are only a few actual days of celebration during this time of year, the sweet indulgences show up all month long. They show up while we are shopping, while we are rushing around from place to place and when we need to pull over on our way to someplace special.
My top tip for this is to think of those one of a kind indulgences, the ones you have been waiting for all year long. When it is time for those, dig in! Enjoy each and every bite.
But here is what I don’t want you to do: DO NOT fill up on lots and lots of empty indulgences before and after. The mall is full of indulgences. If you are going to have a treat, don’t do it at the mall. Wait for your mom’s famous dessert that you have been looking forward to since LAST December. If Aunt May is going to have a homemade apple pie when you arrive for a visit, indulge there, not at rest stops on the way.
One meal here and there is not going to pack on the pounds. But what you do in between will make the difference, so when you indulge, make sure it is for the things you having been waiting for all year!
Quite simply, indulge when the time is right. Not before and after.
FILL THE SPACES IN BETWEEN YOUR TRADITIONAL HOLIDAY MEALS WITH VEGGIES AND HAVE SOME HEALTHY OPTIONS FOR DESSERT, TOO.
On Christmas Eve, I still eat the same meal I have been eating for 39 years. It is tradition. I wouldn’t change it for the world. But now, I fill in the spaces on my table with extra veggies and a salad. My dessert table still has my mom’s amazing Christmas cookies and the Ebelskiver that my aunt taught me to make, but we also have some healthier options, too. One is this awesome date recipe you can’t miss! Another big hit so far this holiday season is a new grain- and dairy-free pumpkin pie that we call Amazing Pumpkin Pie. If you try one new recipe this season, make it one of these super simple and delicious recipes.
If you are maintaining your healthy eating habits before and after these bigger meals, continuing to work out, then there is no real need to deprive yourself the holiday traditions you share with and cherish as a family. Add some healthy options into the mix and you can actually get through the holiday season with your healthy habits intact.
I want to with all of you a Happy, HEALTHY Holiday Season! Thank you so much for reading!
Michelle Obermeier is a busy mom of three as well as a Certified Holistic Health Coach and owner of Essential Balance Health Coaching. She studied at the Institute of Integrative Nutrition. In addition to giving workshops and lectures, she works with clients, privately and in groups, to lose weight, have more energy, manage stress and implement a healthier lifestyle in their household. Michelle gives her clients the tools necessary to live their healthiest life yet. To check out more about Michelle and Essential Balance Health Coaching, check out her website. Don’t forget to stay connected by following her on Facebook.
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