By now you have seen some Christmas trees going up; the Circle in Indianapolis looks amazing all lit up! Thanksgiving is now a memory. This time of year is such a joyous celebration.
BUT…
It can wreak havoc on your health and wellness goals.
So what is the typical struggle
- Holiday cookies
- Parties
- Drinks loaded in calories
- Family stress
- Financial stress
- And we could go on
We put a lot of pressure on this time of the year. Also, we are exposed to so many more calories than we typically consume. I mean I never met a sugar cookie I did not like!
How do we survive this holiday season without it literally weighing us down?
This depends on your goals or what you personally desire for your health.
For some people maintenance is a huge goal. The average person gains 7-10lbs over the holidays…yikes!
By making your goal to maintain, you set an intention to not overdo it but you do allow yourself to still enjoy the occasional holiday treat.
Personally, I recommend this approach.
You can absolutely still lose weight during this time of the year, but it will require some more planning on your part. Also, you will need to understand how to still be in a calorie deficit to create that weight loss.
This does not mean skipping breakfast before the big meal so you can save up calories. One of my biggest pieces of advice to clients is eat normally around those holiday meals and consider taking in a protein shake before the event or meal. This way you are not “starving” which will lead to over eating. If you are already content going into the meal you’re less likely to go over board.
It’s like going to the grocery store hungry…then pleading your case. “I do not know how those chocolate chip cookies got in there….”
Also another way to avoid the unwanted weight gain is to keep workouts part of your routine. Something is better than nothing.
Make appointments with yourself.
We get a lot of people telling us over the holidays they will have a hard time making it to the gym. Sure you might be traveling, but we also see lots of people having more down time around the holidays.
At our gym we encourage clients to bring family with them to the gym over the holidays, keeps everyone in check!
Here are a few other helpful tips:
- Take it easy on Alcohol
- Keep a food journal (you might be surprised once you see it all)
- Monitor your hunger (try to eat something with protein every 3 hours)
- Weigh yourself once per week
- PORTION SIZES
- Check in with your future self
The last one is important. If you wake up the next day feeling guilty, process those emotions. They are real and the best thing to do is acknowledge them, do not dwell on the feelings, then help yourself plan so that you do not get in that situation again.
Visualizing who you want to be in the future is important and in the moment of “should I work out or should I skip, should I eat this now or skip it”…remember what you want for you.
You get this one body and typically we do not get a do over. So keep it in perspective. Enjoy the holidays but try not to go overboard.
Hopefully you can apply some of these into your holiday season.
My challenge to you is don’t be the average American that gains 7-10lbs this holiday season!
If you need some help with this challenge don’t hesitate to reach out. We have a great program that will help hold you accountable.
Happy Holidays!
picture credit of Instagram @notonthelease
