If you are like the rest of North America, myself included, you woke up this morning with some Super Bowl guilt.  I don’t know about you but I definitely overindulged. It is like I always say: “make the wrong choices at the right time”.  A Super Bowl party is a good time to allow yourself some freedom to enjoy some foods that you normally would not allow yourself to have.  I am a big fan of not depriving yourself of anything, but also not allowing yourself to eat whatever you want all the time.  What I mean by that is do not sit on the couch, alone at night and devour a bag a chips to yourself.  Instead, save the chips for when you are at a social gathering with friends and you do not want to feel like the only one forced to eat celery sticks.

With that being said, I am not giving you permission to overindulge every time you are at a party because I know some of you have quite the social lives and if this becomes a habit you will be in trouble.  Here are two of my favourite tips when you are at a party which will allow you to enjoy the food that is provided but not feel like you can’t move afterwards:  

1 – Eat a healthy meal before you go to the party, do not go starving.  The attitude of “I will not eat anything all day because I am saving the calories for the party” NEVER works.  You will always end up eating way too much so have a healthy salad before you go and you will eat less there.

2 – Do not stand, or sit, near the food table.  Instead, make yourself one plate of food and then step away.  When you are finished your plate you are done, no more (unless dinner is being served later). Try and pick more of the healthier choices (veggies, fruit) and less of the unhealthy options (chicken wings, chips and dip, breads).  Also, you can experiment with some of your favourite appetizer recipes and make them more healthy.  Try using non fat Greek yoghurt when a recipe calls for sour cream, opt for low fat cheeses, make your own baked tortilla chips (just cut up tortillas or pita bread, sprinkle with some sea salt and olive oil and bake in the oven), make your own pizza on thin crust, whole wheat crusts with lots of vegetables (I love to roast mine first before putting them on the pizza).

When you wake up the next morning you will probably feel very bloated and extremely guilty. Don’t feel guilty; what is done is done, so move forward.  The bloating is from the salt, your body is retaining water.  You haven’t gained 5 pounds like you probably feel like you have.  However, if you don’t go back to your healthy lifestyle and eating today, those 5 pounds could come on, quickly.  Get back on the bus and go for a good workout today, drink lots of water and try and stay away from too much salt and carbohydrates, just for a couple of days.

Attached - a well stocked Charlize Theron arrives at a friend’s Super Bowl party.