Holiday Survival Guide

The holiday season is the most wonderful time of year full of big family dinners, work events and lots of parties! From Thanksgiving to New Years Eve, everyone's spirits are high but unfortunately, so are their caloric intakes. The average person gains anywhere from 1-7 pounds during the holidays and never ends up losing it. Of course there is a lot of temptation: rich foods, alcohol, cozy days curled up by the fire, buffets and more but we have some tricks to prevent you from becoming another weight gain statistic!

• "Pregame"
• Holiday parties are a healthy eater's worst nightmare. Waiters passing around fatty appetizers, large dinner buffets and endless amounts of dessert. Just because this food is there does NOT mean you should eat it. If you usually eat healthy, the holidays is not an excuse to be completely undisciplined; we promise you will not be happy about it later. One way to avoid overeating and making poor choices at these events is to "pregame" with healthy food before you go. Never go to a party starving! Eat an apple, a handful of almonds, nonfat greek yogurt, hard boiled eggs or another snack high in protein or fiber to fill you up before you go. You won't be hungry, which will help you make a clear choice about what to eat the rest of the night.

• Make The Right Choice
• Pigs-in-a-blanket may smell delicious, that chocolate cake may be placed in front of you, but you don't have to cave to temptation. The best appetizer choices are shrimp cocktail, veggies with hummus or guacamole, bruschetta, mini cups of soup and tomato mozzarella skewers. At dinner, eat lean meat or fish, lots of veggies and skip the heavy sauces! If you are full by the time dessert comes, well, perfect. Just drink some tea. If not, there's almost always a fruit platter which is a good way to finish off your meal.

• Drink Skinny
• Egg nog, holiday cocktails, gingerbread lattes, peppermint mochas - some of these drinks have more calories than a meal! Just because these festive drinks are seasonal, does not give you an excuse to drink them while available. If you absolutely love these diet-busting drinks, indulge once and then go back to your usual habits. Stick to wine, light beer or clear liquor with club soda at the holiday parties. Creative cocktails are typically not figure friendly!

• Move It!
• The colder the temperature, the lazier we get. Who wants to change into shorts and a tank top to go to the gym in 40 degrees when we can stay in our pajamas by the fireplace? If you want to indulge in rich foods and alcohol though, fight through the urge to stay on the couch. You will feel less guilty about eating what you want if you work out extra hard during the holidays. If your usual cardio is 30 minutes, up it to 45. If you were contemplating trying a new workout class, sign up now. If you are hosting family, start a new tradition of a family walk before or after dinner. You all will feel better and end up eating less later on. This is the time to be the most active in order to keep off any weight gain!

• Be The Life Of The Party
• Don't be the person that has a drink in one hand, plate of food in the other and can't properly mingle! Engage in conversation, shake hands and DANCE! If you aim to be the life of the party, you will wake up the next morning happier and not feeling bloated and regretful about overindulging. Focus on socializing, not on eating.

Have a wonderful holiday from all of us at I Heart Fitness Xo!