9 Wellness and Nutrition Tips for the Holidays
The holidays can be overwhelming for everyone, let alone if you’re worried about maintaining your health and nutrition goals. The holidays are meant to be enjoyed! Remember it’s about creating life balance and YES, that includes consuming some of your favorite treats! You can still reach your goals and live your healthiest life to the fullest!
Learn how to stay on track this holiday season with these wellness and nutrition tips:
9 Tips for Healthy Holidays
From healthy holiday eating tips to healthy lifestyle hacks, learn how to stay happy and healthy this holiday season. My top 9 wellness and nutrition tips for the holidays:
1. Begin the Day on Point
Start your holiday eating by ensuring you eat a high-protein breakfast. Consuming protein reduces hunger, thus helping ensure you avoid overeating throughout the rest of the day. Eating breakfast can also increase your energy levels which you are going to need!
As a general guideline, for women, breakfasts should be about 300 calories and contain 20 to 25 grams of protein. Adding healthy fat and fiber is helpful, too.
2. Enjoy Your Favorites in Moderation
Life is all about balance. Why should you miss out on all your favorites? Instead, allow yourself to enjoy all the holiday treats in moderation.
Take your time eating your food, enjoying the smell and flavors. Eating slowly will also allow you to stay in tune with your hunger cues (instead of eating until the button pops off your pants)!
3. Keep Portions Sizes in Control
In addition to eating in moderation, you can eat healthy during the holidays with these portion control tips:
• Drink water before and with meals.
• Use smaller plates.
• Make a mental game plan before loading up the plate.
• Wait at least 15 minutes before heading up for another round of holiday food to determine if you really are still hungry.
4. Ensure You Stay Hydrated
As you are busy preparing foods, enjoying your family and watching football, staying hydrated might get put on the back burner. However, staying hydrated is as important as staying nourished. As a general reference, aim for at least 64 ounces of water daily.
5. Choose Your Holiday Drinks Wisely
Holiday drinks often go in line with the food festivities! With so many great tasting, lower calorie/lower sugar options available we can now make better choices with our selections.
Avoid empty calories with sugary mixers. Elevate drinks with seltzer water, a squirt of lime, and low-calorie options. One of my favorites is RSVP Skinnies!
6. Avoid Hunger
While it seems logical to save calories by skipping meals, showing up to the table ready to eat “everything but the kitchen sink” can be dangerous.
Try eating a nutritious snack prior to the meal. This will weaken feelings of hunger and control blood sugars.
7. Stay Active
No, this doesn’t mean you have to hit the gym for an hour long workout! Go for a walk, bike ride, complete a 20-minute full body workout. This is one of my favorite quick, calorie burning, at home workouts.
Truly, during holiday times, it isn’t how you choose to exercise, just as long as you are!
8. Stick to a Routine
To the best of your ability, try to keep day-to-day tasks on schedule.
If you exercise in the morning, wake up on time and get it done. It doesn’t need to be your exact routine but, make sure you still find your “you” time!
9. Manage Your Stress
Although holidays are meant to be a time of celebration, inevitably stress generally follows. Instead of ignoring stress, focus on managing it. Stress can be damaging to both mental and physical health. Try going for a walk, taking a break to do light stretching exercises or simply sit with your feet up for 10 minutes and listen to music.
And most importantly, rather than stressing over minor details, remember the holidays are meant to be a time to be with loved ones and enjoy time together.