Healthy habits holidays | Signature OB/GYN

Staying Healthy During the Holidays

With the holidays right around the corner, it can be difficult to stay healthy and stick to fitness goals. The right mindset and practicing smart habits can make all the difference. It is indeed possible to survive the holiday season without your clothes getting too tight!

Establish Realistic Expectations: First of all, it is important to set attainable goals for yourself and to be honest about your expectations. It is perfectly normal to want to enjoy the sweet and savory treats that proliferate around holiday time. Think about how to achieve an appropriate healthy balance during this time. If weight loss is your goal, perhaps this is not the time to lose a significant amount of weight. Understanding that ahead of time will prevent you from feeling like a failure.

Indulge on Individual Occasions, not a Season: Avoid the “all-or-nothing” mindset that you are either 100% sticking to your healthy plan or “cheating” for the whole season. Allow yourself to indulge on certain days and keep to a routine on the other days. If you host a party, send leftovers home with your guests or bring them to work. Leaving treats in the house may cause these occasional indulgences to become staples.

Prepare Ahead of Time: With so many temptations at holiday parties, grocery stores, and even the breakroom at the office, it’s important to plan ahead. When preparing to run errands or go grocery shopping, eat a filling snack such as an apple or nuts to stave off hunger. This can also come in handy while baking, which can help control the temptation to graze on sweet ingredients. Having a snack or a small meal before holiday parties can help to avoid overeating.

Enjoy Smartly with Portion Control: Avoiding all of your favorite treats at holiday time will make you feel deprived and could lead to overeating. Choose some of your favorites and enjoy them in moderation. Try the “one plate” rule. Allow yourself one small plate of appetizers, one full plate of food for your main meal, and one dessert. Since alcohol is calorie dense and also lowers inhibitions, choose one drink to enjoy. Wine, wine spritzers, and light beer are better choices than mixed drinks with soda or fruit juice or sugary drinks like pina coladas and margaritas.

Work in Movement Creatively: It may be difficult to stick to your normal workout routine, so find other ways to incorporate extra movement. When holiday shopping, running errands, or even at work, park your car in the furthest part of the parking lot to get in some extra steps. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Squeeze in activity any way that you can, such as taking walk breaks or doing exercises such as squats or jumping jacks.

Set Boundaries and Take Time for Yourself: The holidays can be a very stressful and busy time. Do not let your own needs become lost in the holiday haze. Take time to yourself every day, whether it is reading a book, listening to soothing music, taking a bath, etc. Don’t be afraid to say no to extra projects, activities, or requests for your time, energy, and attention. Create and stick to a budget, schedule, and eating plan that allow you to enjoy the holidays, while maintaining your sanity and health.

Stay trim with healthy eating tips this Thanksgiving

By admin 24 Nov, 2014 Nutrition, Women's Health Healthy habits holidays, Healthy thanksgiving, Tips holiday eating, Tips holiday weight loss, Weight loss holidays

For anyone attempting to lose weight around the holidays, Thanksgiving is a prime night for temptation and guilty pleasure. However, there are ways to watch your weight around that glistening, golden brown turkey this November.

Thanksgiving is a time for the declaration of what you’re grateful for, so why not start out the season with the recognition of thanks for your health. So begin the season in a positive way, avoid the domino effect of stuffing your face after the Macy’s parade.

Take a walk after eating.

Though it may seem silly, announce your venture right before dinner, and some of your family or friends may want to join. A walk in the cool weather will not only help your food start digesting, but it may also deter your thoughts from dessert.

Focus on family.

Instead of constantly thinking about all the food you could be or will be eating, keep your mind on the celebration. Spend your time enjoying all the sounds, smells and company that doesn’t come around too often, and truly take time to absorb the season for what it was meant for instead of thinking in circles about how you “can’t have” all the pie you’d like.

Team up.

Make plans with a friend or family member for the morning following Thanksgiving festivities. Working out can immediately decrease feeling tired or worn down, and creating a commitment with another person can show how serious you are about not putting on weight throughout the holidays. In addition, having a morning workout listed on next-day’s schedule may deter you from overeating the night before.

Follow the reason for the season.

Instead of sitting around at the table or helping yourself to another pile of leftovers, offer to help clean up the table or wash the dishes afterwards. Not only will moving around help digest your food, but it will distract you from the additional helpings and deserts you might have otherwise put on your plate.

Eat when you’re hungry and stop when you’re full.

This cardinal rule can be the best advice for dieters everywhere, though it may not be the easiest mantra to follow. Plan to attend your holiday meal with the mindset of stopping eating when you’re not hungry anymore.

Most people attend Thanksgiving under the impression that they’re going to eat until they’re stuffed full, often making themselves feel sick and unwilling to do much afterword. By eating in moderation you can enjoy the holiday without setting yourself back too far.

Thanksgiving can be a wonderful opportunity to choose what truly makes a difference in our lives for the better. Here at our practice, we’re truly thankful for the opportunity to provide care to you as our patients and ultimately as our friends. So, this holiday season we encourage you to be as thankful for yourselves and your health as we are for you. Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at Chouchani, Sayegh and Bagnarello M.D.! Wishing you a health and fun-filled holiday.

All Posts tagged Healthy habits holidays