Surviving the Holidays - Part 3

The holiday season has been absolutely nuts, but I have friends here to help!  Vicky, my lovely Body Attack instructor, is guest blogging for us today!  Vicky had her own weight loss journey that keeps all of us Body Attackers truly inspired.  She's there every Monday keeping me motivated and determined.

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The holiday season is upon us and, along with the delight of decorating, shopping and parties, comes stress and bad habits.  How do we survive without having that huge regret in January?

First of all, stress! There is nothing better to help beat the stress than a good workout. I know it’s dark, wet and cold.  But taking the time a few times a week to head to the gym, getting a dose of Endorphins, and running around will really help manage the stress and help, of course, keep control of those calories.

As for food, this is a very tough time for us all.  We are running about, grabbing anything we can or attending Holiday parties and dinners. So a few tips that may help are:

1) Drink a large glass of water before mealtimes or snacks.  This will help with the feeling of fullness and especially when wanting to snack.  It really determines whether it’s food you need or not just hydrating.

2) When plating up a meal, try to think of this: put a protein no bigger than the palm of your hand on your plate, along with either one fistful of carbs like potatoes or squash or 2 fistfuls of complex carbs such as leafy greens.  Add in 1 to 2 thumb-sized amounts of good fats (not saturated) such as olive oil or most nuts.  Easy to remember and helps portion control.

3) Log your food.  I use DotFit.com, but even just writing down a list each day of all the items you eat WILL make you think twice before eating them.  It is proven—those who log their food each day are much more likely to achieve weight loss than those who don’t.

4) Find a workout buddy!  We all need a little push every now and again.  Sometimes it is hard to find the motivation, so find a friend eager to lose weight, get fit or generally stay active.  And make each other accountable.  Tell them you will meet them every Monday night at the gym for example, or lunchtime walk or jog date.

I hope some of these things will help you to start the New Year with a healthy mind and body. This is your life so grab it with both hands and LIVE IT, strongly!