Plan, prep and protect your nutrition before the holidays and give yourself the gift of wellness this holiday season
We’re heading into the holiday season and as wonderful as it is, the holidays can take a toll on our health. If you don’t want to gain the average three to eight pounds that most Americans put on during the holidays, then you have to start planning, prepping and protecting your health now!
I’m going to walk you through creating plans for your workouts, nutrition and holiday parties so that you can head into the holiday season confident and empowered in your health and wellness.
Plan, Prep & Protect: Workouts
One of the best ways to help you maintain your current weight, and possibly even lose weight this holiday season is to make sure you’re exercising regularly. Depending on what your exercise habits look like now, you should aim for 30 mins of exercise 4-5 days a week.
If you aren’t in a habit of exercising, then now is the perfect time to start! Here are a few ideas on how to get started!
You can take a walk around the block to savor one last look at those Christmas decorations, go swimming in an indoor heated pool, or warm up in an aerobics or dance class.
Workout from home! One of the best things we’ve learned from Covid is that you don’t need a gym membership to get your sweat on. Check out Instagram, Pinterest and Youtube for free workouts.
Grab the weights and start lifting. Cardio isn’t the only, or even the best, way to lose weight! Strength training burns major calories and helps define your body.
Learn some basic yoga moves and start or end your day with some deep stretching and relaxation. Yoga is a great way to give your body a chance to repair and recover from harder workouts.
Once you know what kinds of workout you want to do, start adding them into your plan. Set a time aside each day to workout. Make sure that nothing else will get in the way of your workout plan. Then, protect your plan by saying no to anything that tries to interrupt your workout time!
Plan, Prep & Protect: Nutrition
Eating foods that nourish your body is the most powerful way to lose weight, especially during the holidays. As important as exercising is, you can’t outrun or outlift a bad diet! Learning what a balanced diet looks like for you is the best way to lose weight.
That being said, when you’re heading into Thanksgiving, the last thing you want to do is start a restrictive diet, right? Don’t fall prey to traditional diets that restrict food groups or certain foods because you’re going to be surrounded by some of the foods you’re told you “can’t” have in the next few months.
Instead, decide on what boundaries you’re going to set for yourself, then stick to them! If you hold the power and make your own “diet rules” then you’re more likely to stick to them.
Here are a few ideas you can use to come up with your own holiday eating boundaries:
Drink 8 oz of water before, during and after each meal.
Make sure to have at least 1 serving of protein at each meal
Eat whole foods instead of processed foods for snacks
Only eat one dessert at parties
Add 1 serving of veggies to each meal
If you need more help setting boundaries, then let’s chat! I can help you discover what balanced eating looks like for you.
Protecting your nutrition can be the most difficult part of living a healthy lifestyle. The absolute best way to protect your nutrition is to change how you think about yourself. Stop saying that you’re “trying to be healthier” and start saying, “I care about my health and nutrition.” When you make that small distinction, you start to actually become a healthy person! I promise it seems so unimportant but it could just be the thing that’s stopping you!
Plan, Prep & Protect: Holiday Parties
We can be masters of health and wellness in our homes when we’re in control of the food around us and our own schedules, but when we get outside of those perfect conditions it can feel so difficult to stick to our plans. The holidays make this even harder because it’s the time we gather with friends, family and co-workers to celebrate and celebrations usually include eating.
Too many people throw in the towel because they don’t know how to handle healthy eating in social situations. They give up because they don’t want to stick out or be different from everyone around them. They want to enjoy their favorite holiday treats, especially the ones that they only make during this time of the year. Or maybe they stress eat because, mama, the holidays are stressful!
Instead of falling prey to these traps, what if you could stand in your own power? What if you had tools to help you make it through the holiday party without throwing away your health goals. What if you could enjoy a piece of pie without guilt, shame or frustration?
All of this is possible! You just have to create your holiday eating plan. You have to prepare before you head to a party. Finally, you have to protect your plan from other people and yourself!
Here are a few of my best tips to help you plan, prep and protect before you head to a party:
Ask the host what is being served ahead of time. If it’s not something that first into your boundaries, then prepare beforehand by eating something that does fit into your plan.
Bring a side dish or dessert that fits into your plans that way you have something to eat no matter what else is there.
Have a couple of bites of your favorite foods, but don’t feel like you have to eat everything! Sometimes a bite or two is enough to quench your cravings.
Don’t beat yourself up for eating something outside of your boundaries. Instead, appreciate that you indulged and get back on track at your next meal!
There can be a lot of peer pressure at parties to overindulge or to eat foods that don’t fit into your plans. If this is something you struggle with, then remember that no one else is watching what or how much you’re eating. You’re the only one who is that focused on your food!
Like I said before, you are a healthy person who is conscious of what she eats. If anyone questions what you’re eating, tell them that! If Aunt Sally is questioning why you didn’t eat a second helping of her pie, just say, “I’m focusing on my health and I want to make sure I keep my promise to myself that I eat healthy all the time.” She can’t argue with that!
The holidays can be fun and healthy! If you approach them with a plan, you’re more likely to make it through without adding extra weight to your hips. If you’re looking to get a jumpstart on the holidays, then join The Whole Mama Method. It’s a six-week course that will equip you with the tools and knowledge to start making healthy choices now and through the holidays. Plus it’s on sale for a limited time!
