Tips For Staying On Track For The Holidays

This is typically the season where it’s the easiest to get off track with our health and fitness goals. We just had Thanksgiving, and we’ve got Hanukkah, and Christmas, and the new year coming, and it’s really easy. I know a lot of people are traveling or have friends and family that are in town. Typically, the easy go-to is, “Hey, let’s go grab dinner to drink and catch up because I haven’t seen you in a long time.” It’s easy with the holiday meals to just kind of be lazy and not work out, and just eat whatever is available at these holiday dinners, which can sometimes be more than one or two.

To stay on track for the holiday season, the best thing to do is try to be consistent with your normal pattern. Whether you’re at home or you’re traveling, be consistent with your meal prep. Stick with it. Stick with those meals that you would normally eat on a day-to-day basis, except for those holiday meals, okay? Let yourself splurge a little. Enjoy the things you like to enjoy during the holidays, that’s okay, and don’t be too hard on yourself. Just remember, everything in moderation, all right?

Fill up on vegetables first. Look at your portion size. Are you eating five plates of food or are you enjoying the things in the right amounts that you should be? Pay attention to your portions. Let yourself have a little bit of a cheat meal. Don’t feel bad about it. Try to stay consistent with your meal planning outside of those holiday meals. If you’re going out to eat a lot, make sure you’re trying to get lots of green vegetables, and lean meats, grilled meats, grilled chicken, lots of salads, and stuff like that when you’re going out to dinner with your friends and family that might be in town.

Make sure you’re staying consistent with your workouts. If you have friends and family in town, or you’re out of town, most gyms offer a drop-in rate. It’s always a great idea to have a friend or a family member come to the gym and work out with you, like, “Hey, let’s go to the gym. We can work out together and catch up.” That’s always a great option, also.

Being consistent with your workouts is the best thing you can do. Those extra carbs that you eat during those holiday meals can often be a great source of fuel for the next day. So Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve, whatever it is, if you’re having a big meal or extra carbs, use that the next day for some extra fuel. Get in a good workout. Get in some good cardio, and some good strength training, and so on and so forth, all right?

Don’t wait until the new year to start, or don’t say, “I’ll just wait till the new year, and then I’ll get with my new fitness program.” Don’t keep putting it off. The more you put if off, the less likely it is to happen. Work towards it now. Allow yourself to enjoy the holidays, but do it in moderation.