I can NOT believe that the holiday season is already here!! I really feel like it was just January and I was making New Years resolutions! Anyone else feel like this year flew by? BECAUSE IT DID!!
No Christmas Decorations are up over here yet but SOON. I notice the houses around us starting to put lights up and it is getting me so excited. I can't wait to take the girls around to do all the fun holiday stuff. Honolulu really goes all out with Christmas and making it a Joyful time of year. Fake snow, decorations, festivals, and cheer. It's fun here during this time of year. The weather may not feel like Christmas time but they sure do make up for that with everything else.
BUT ... With the Holidays coming so does BUSY schedules, parties, festivities, and FOOD! It's so hard to stay on track. You have less time to workout, more family events, and traveling.
The average person gains 7-15 lbs during the Holiday season. That's JUST CRAZY!! No wonder we all have New Years Resolutions to loose weight. Don't ruin all the hard work you did all year to just gain it back. NO GOOD!
Living HEALTHY and CLEAN is a lifestyle. I enjoy my cake but I also enjoy my workouts. They are non
negotiable. So ... I have some tips for you to keep you on track this Holiday season!! These are the same tips I follow each year to keep away from the weight gain and bloat.
1. Workout in the Morning!
Getting up and just doing your workout first thing in the morning gets it out of the way and helps fight stress through out the day. If you plan to do it at night something will ALWAYS come up!! The holiday season is unpredictable. I always feel amazing and have a great day when I get up and create the habit of just doing it right when I wake up. It also gets it out of the way so I can enjoy the rest of the day with family and friends. Even just a quick 25 min workout is good! Right now I've really been loving my T25 workouts because they are short but effective and I'm done and on to my busy day. VERY HELPFUL!
2. Stick to a Routine!
Having a Routine in Place during the season is IMPORTANT to staying on track. When you make a schedule you are planning for success. Every Sunday I sit down and look at my week and schedule out all my workouts, what time i'm doing them, and what I'm eating. I even schedule my one free meal so I know when i'm having it and can get right back on to eating my clean eats.
I tend to do my workouts at the same time each day because I know if I just get up and do it it's done. Find a time that works for you but don't schedule anything else during this time. Treat it as if it's an important meeting. Make this time for YOU. After your workouts have a high protein breakfast so you can get your fuel for the day and come dinner time you aren't starving. I love protein pancakes and of course my Shakeology.
3. Bring Healthy Dishes to the Parties
The moment you get that invite from someone inviting you to a holiday party or dinner offer to bring a dish. This will give you at least ONE healthy option to choose from and you can count on filling up on that and having smaller portions of the bad stuff. You can easily make your holiday dishes healthier by just making a few swaps.
Instead of Butter use Olive Oil
Instead of Sugar use all natural Sugars like Stevia
Instead of white flour use whole wheat flour, almond flour, or quinoa
4. Find Balance!
This is a FUN time a year that we all look forward to. It's a time to be thankful and spend time with family and friends. A time to sit back and reflect on your accomplishments from the year. Don't deprive yourself from all of your favorite holiday meals and traditions. Life isn't about that!! You need to find balance in everything that you do. Eat clean and workout when you aren't invited to parties and events that way when the time comes up you can still enjoy yourself. Follow the 80/20 rule. 80% of the time you want to eat clean but you still have that 20% to play with. I totally enjoy myself at this time of year but I never over do it and I make sure I stay on track through out MOST of the time. This allows me to enjoy myself the rest of the time.
5. Eat, Drink, and Be Merry
I know A LOT of people who won't eat a whole day when they know they have a cheat meal planned for that evening. I've been guilty of this quite a few times but the best thing is to NOT do this. If you don't eat all day you will be starving come dinner time and over eat.
Stick to your normal eating schedule during the day. Breakfast, Snack, Lunch, Snack ... DINNER
Include Lean Protein, Healthy Fats, Fruits, and Veggies.
Healthy fats include avocado, olive oil, nuts .. things like that.
This way when dinner rolls around you can portion out your cheats. Have a little of everything and not over do it.
Don't stress about it!! Be happy and healthy!! Enjoy yourself but also be sensible. You need food !! Don't deprive your body all day or the next day just because you had a cheat meal. Get right back on track. Do away with the negativity and guilt and just move on. A few cheat meals are not going to hurt you as long as you stay on track the rest of the time.
6. Don't forget to drink your water
It is so easy to forget your water in take through the holidays because of the cold weather and the cocktails and wine that is around. Enjoy a drink or two but make sure that you get YO water in!!
You should be drinking 1/2 your body weight in ounces. I know sounds like a lot but just try it. You will see that you have so much more energy and get full a lot faster. I set timers on my phone to remind me to drink my water because I even get busy and sometimes need a little reminder.
7. Create Healthy Holiday Traditions
This time of year is all about celebrating family and friends and coming up with traditions that remind you of each other and this special time of year together.
Start a tradition of joining a local 5K run/walk with family and friends. There are so many runs this time of year with good causes it's a way to do something as family, do something for good for the community, and start a new healthy tradition.
My family has a tradition of taking a family walk after our big holiday meal. We all walk around the neighborhood just talking and walking off our food. Great way to get moving and also share that bond. This is one of my favorite things we do because we just laugh, have fun, and most of all we are TOGETHER! No electronics or any distractions. It's so nice.
Make a new healthy holiday dish the whole family loves and demands to have every year.
8. If you are traveling over these holidays I have a slew of tips for you on
You want to have your cooler packed, your workout program or running shoes with you, and be PREPARED!
Enjoy these times with family and friends!! Relax and enjoy your HEALTHY LIFE! It doesn't mean your LIFE is over or you have to scarifies everything because of it. Just make a plan and I promise you will feel so much better and actually enjoy these days with out feeling sluggish and bloated.
If you want to get a Jump start on your health and fitness before the New Years and get right back on track after Thanksgiving I have one last group of the year on December 2nd. It's a 30 day challenge group. We will be focusing on clean eating, Replacing one meal a day with Shakeology, and I will provide you tips to stay on track this season like the ones above. I'll share my weekly meal plans and keep you motivated and accountable. These accountability groups are where the MAGIC happen. It's easy to give up when it's just you but when you have a team of individuals supporting you, doing it right long side you, and cheering you on you stick with it.
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