It is mid Christmas season and like me, I am sure you are a few Christmas parties into the season with many more to go before it is all said and done. Are you starting to feel the Christmas cheer fill up the waistband of your skinny jeans? Don’t fret! It could simply be water retention from eating all the sodium rich foods that surround us through the holidays as well as dehydration from a few too many holiday cocktails.
I know a lot of you at this time throw in the towel to your healthy eating program and figure you might as well go hard until the New Year and then get on track come January. I want you to know that you can actually enjoy the holiday season without deprivation and still be guaranteed to fit into your clothes come 2013. Click here for some more tips on surviving the holidays.
Do NOT eat the holiday baking and chocolate that surrounds you at this time of year. Just because they are there does not give you permission to have them with your coffee. Instead, save those delicious treats for when you can really enjoy them such as when you are baking with your children or enjoying an amazing dessert after a Christmas dinner with your family. Make the right choices at the right times. You CAN have it all just NOT all at the same time.
If you have a weekend where you know you over did it, begin your next week eating as clean as possible. Keep a water bottle by your desk and keep it full as you need to stay hydrated both before and after your Christmas festivities. If you are not hydrated your body can confuse being thirsty with being hungry and you can also store extra water which will cause you to become puffy and bloated. Snack on healthy fruits and vegetables, stay away from simple carbohydrates and sugars (knowing more tasty treats will soon be near again) and throw in a few extra workouts if you have time. I know a lot of our spare time that we would normally dedicate to exercise is now spent celebrating and shopping but even 20 minutes extra in a day can make a huge difference.
When planning Christmas gatherings with friends or family, instead of sitting down in a restaurant go out and enjoy the sights of the holidays. Walk around the neighbourhood together looking at Christmas lights, go for a snowshoe or tie up a pair of skates and find and outdoor rink. Christmas cheer does not always have to revolve around consuming calories.
Do yourself a favour and do not become one of the many people who find their scales increasing 5 or more pounds by the end of the season. Happy Holidays!
Attached - Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher walk the dog.
