5 Helpful tips for busy moms who want to enjoy a fun and healthy 4th of July
Mama, one of my favorite holidays is coming up: the 4th of July! It’s the epitome of summer and I don’t know about you, but I want to make sure I actually get to enjoy this holiday. I can’t wait to relax and enjoy some good food. That being said, I also don’t want this one day to completely take me away from my health goals and all the work that I put in every day to feel good in my body.
Too often, we are told that enjoying a holiday and living a healthy life are contradictory. That you have to either say no to everything you want to eat or go crazy and binge anything and everything that sounds good. But this isn’t true! You can be healthy and still enjoy a burger and a White Claw at your 4th Of July party!
Today, I want to show you how to find balance between enjoying your food, having a drink, relaxing, and being present with your family all without having to restart your health goals the next day. These are my best tips to help you lead a happy, healthy life during holidays, and honestly, any day!
Create a meal plan ahead of time
I love meal planning. It’s one of the best things you can do to make sure you stick to your health goals. Meal planning also makes my life easier as a busy mama because I do it once a week and then don’t have to stress every day about what I’m going to cook! A holiday meal plan is going to be essential if you want to stick to your health goals and relax.
If you want to spend the 4th relaxing by the pool, then you need to make a plan ahead of time. Spend 20 minutes a few days before the holiday to make your food plan. Plan out each meal, plus snacks, then get your groceries, and prep as much food as you can ahead of time.
Then, the day of you don’t have to stress about cooking, or accidentally eating outside of your food boundaries. Plus, you won’t have to get up to feed your kids every 15 minutes! You can tell them to go grab the snacks/meals you already prepped out of the fridge and you can enjoy yourself.
If you want to learn exactly how to meal plan for a holiday so that you can stay inside your nutritional boundaries, go check out my blog post from Memorial Day. It talks all about fitting your favorite foods and drinks into your nutritional plan!
Plan activities that keep the family moving
One unhealthy habit that’s easy to fall into on a holiday is not moving your body. Movement plays a huge role in health and fitness, so make it a part of your holiday plans!
Instead of just focusing on exercising or going to the gym on a holiday like the 4th of July, approach movement as a way to make memories.
Here are a few of my favorites:
Go for a family bike ride (ride bikes to the fireworks show so you don’t have to worry about parking!)
Go for a hike
Have a relay race
Go swimming
Play a game of baseball with the neighborhood (nothing’s more American than baseball!)
Set up an obstacle course
Have a water balloon fight
Go for a walk
Can you imagine the fun memories you would make if you did one or two of the things on this list? My kids are growing up so fast and I want to make sure that I create as many memories with them as I can before they leave my house.
Plus, I want to leave my kids with a legacy of movement! We didn’t have to go for a run after the 4th of July BBQ because Mom didn’t want to gain weight - we moved our bodies because it was fun! We played games and had fun as a family! I want that to be the legacy and memory I leave my kids with, not that exercise was a punishment for “unhealthy” eating.
Make mindful choices when you indulge
I don’t think it’s healthy to go to a 4th of July BBQ and not eat anything because you’re trying to be “healthy.” Yes, there are going to be seasons of your life where you’re not going to indulge in everything you want to because you’re focusing on your health, but those are just seasons, not the norm.
An important part of living a healthy life is learning how to eat on every occasion - not just when conditions are ideal - and that includes holidays!
The key to making healthy choices on a holiday is to continue being mindful of what you’re eating. A lot of people say holiday calories don’t count. And you can say that all day, but when you step on the scale the next day, it’s going to show you that you’re just lying to yourself.
Calories always count. That doesn’t mean you can’t or shouldn’t eat some treats on a holiday, but you should be mindful of how much you indulge.
I like to choose one meal to indulge in. Most likely, that’s going to be dinner for me because we usually have friends over or get together with our family and it’s easier to not worry about every morsel of food I eat when I’m focused on being social.
Even though I plan to indulge in that one meal, I still make sure that I make smart and healthy decisions the whole day.
Before my bigger meal, I make sure to have plenty of lean protein, fruits, veggies and high-fiber carbs so that I can get close to my normal goals. The better choices you make earlier in the day, or outside of your untracked meal, the better you’ll feel later!
I also practice moderation during my “off” meal. I don’t indulge in everything. If I have a bite of something that doesn’t live up to my expectation, I stop eating it. If it’s not worth the calories, then you don’t have to keep eating it, just because you put it on your plate! Save your calories for things you actually enjoy!
If there’s a lot of good food around, I like to have a small serving of a couple of things, rather than one big serving of just one thing. That way I don’t feel like I missed out, but I’m also not eating a full serving of everything and then end up feeling stuffed and bloated.
You can have the same mindset with drinking! You absolutely can drink alcohol and lose weight, but you again, have to be mindful of it! If I want to drink at a BBQ or holiday party, then I’ll have one drink. Then, I’ll switch to mocktails, sparkling water, or soda. That way I still feel like I’m having fun and getting to be part of the social scene, but I don’t have to pay the consequences of drinking too much.
Don’t think of a holiday as a cheat day or a cheat meal. You’re not cheating on anything when you choose to have more one off meal or even one off day. You’re still making a conscious decision to indulge while sticking to your health goals.
Stay hydrated
Mama, I’m sure you’re used to reminding your kiddos to drink water during the summer, but are you drinking enough?
If you’re spending the 4th of July playing outside, going to parades, rodeos, fireworks and maybe having a few drinks, all while mommin’ on a holiday, then you have to make sure you’re getting enough water!
Adults should drink at least half of their body weight in ounces. So if you weigh 150 lbs, you should drink 75 oz of water, to begin with. Add extra water if you’re doing any of the following things.
You should add 12 oz. of water for every 30 mins of activity or if you’re out sitting out in the sun.
Add 16 ounces of water with every 12-ounce beer or 4-6 ounces of hard liquor.
A good rule of thumb for summer, and the 4th is, if you feel thirsty, drink!
Take time to do whatever YOU want.
Mama, you run the show every day of the year, take some time this 4th of July to rest, relax and do something that makes you happy!
If that’s getting up and moving your body like we talked about earlier, great! If it’s pulling out a lawn chair and reading a good book, great! When you’ve taken the time to plan out your meals and you’re making healthy choices with your food, then it’s ok to not be running around the whole day.
Rest is important. I actually have to teach a lot of my clients the importance of a rest day! So many women believe that they have to keep going, keep pushing through but really, your body and might just need a break!
Use the 4th of July as an opportunity to take a break from your normal duties and do something that makes you happy! You might be surprised how good you’ll feel waking up on the 5th if you’ve taken time to slow down and enjoy yourself.
If you want to learn more about living a healthy life that doesn’t cause you to restrict yourself on holidays (or really any day!) then let’s talk. Schedule a free discovery call to learn how to balance your diet and reach your health and weight loss goals.
