The holidays are in the air! The leaves are falling, the weather is colder, and you’re spend time with friends and family. We all love the holidays and surviving with some healthy holiday tips might help along the way.
With the holidays, we always eat more, indulge in sweets and put off going to the gym. Holidays are a time to be spent celebrating and being thankful…however every year I tend to think “If only I hadn’t completely disregarded my healthy habits”.
Although I will be indulging on some apple pie and mashed potatoes throughout this season I will be watching ‘how much’ I am indulging. With that, I am going to really work hard to follow these healthy holiday tips:
Don’t ditch your workouts
I feel your pain, when it gets cold out you would much rather be curled up watching a movie on the couch than go to the gym. Grab your mom and go to a spin class, or better yet your grandma! Find other ways to get active and turn it into something fun.
Watch your sugar intake
At this time of year, I swear everyone is offering you cookies. Everyone is giving me cookies… not that I am complaining. The holidays might as well be called cookie season. You don’t need to deprive yourself completely, try to be mindful how many sweets you are eating because it all adds up.
Boost your metabolism and digestion
One of the biggest tips is to always be drinking water. Fill up your water bottle and take that thing with you everywhere! Every morning the first thing I do is drink a large glass of water. I will also squeeze in a lemon to help quick start my metabolism and digestion. I’m the weirdo that is running around squeezing lemon in my family members water LOL. I also love green tea or peppermint tea in the morning, this is also going to help with holiday bloat!
Take probiotics
This holiday season you can have a festive mocktail at dinner! All you have to do is pour your kombucha in a wine class! It’s a win-win, you get your probiotics and get to be fancy! In one of my recent blog posts all about your gut, I explained the importance of maintaining good gut health. It is extra important to make sure you are getting your probiotics during the holidays where your sugar intake is much higher (thank you cookie season). In a nutshell, the probiotics are good gut bacteria, which will aid in digesting those mashed potatoes.
Survive the holidays – Half your plate rule
Tis the season for holiday parties and family gatherings which also means much yummy food. Although indulging during the holiday season, is a part of the fun, you need to keep in mind how many times you are ‘treating yourself’. I always suggest filling half your plate with whatever greens are available and add protein, another half can be whatever else, but try not to have your entire plate be filled with mac and cheese.
I hope you all have the must wonderful holidays! Until next time thanks for Hanging With Haley.