Holiday Survival Guide

The last two months of the year are just one food-centric celebration after another. If you managed to get through the candy avalanche of Halloween and somehow banish those evil leftovers from your house, there are just 3 short weeks until Thanksgiving. A week after that, the standard holiday parties begin, followed by sugar-ridden Hanukkah and Christmas celebrations.

Sure, you could just write this year off as another all-is-lost holiday season and shelve your fitness and health for January. But, what if you could avoid gaining weight between now and New Year? Here are my top 5 tips on making it through the end of the year with your fitness and sanity intact…

1. Have A Plan

The #1 way to avoid falling into the trap of holiday weight gain is to HAVE A PLAN. I’ve found following a 2 or 3 week plan works best for me. If you’ve been following my blog, most recently I started doing the 21 Day Fix and I love how focused I can remain for 3 weeks.

Yes, you can party like a Rock Star, who’s shooting a sexy video on January 1st. Have fun at parties, just don’t make personal or food choices you’ll regret the next day. Here’s some party guidelines to help:

• Don’t be afraid to say something isn’t on your plan. Lots of people are eating gluten-free and following other food plans, it isn’t uncommon to turn down a food item these days.
• It is OK to pick a treat to indulge upon, just don’t pick 7. Completely depriving yourself will only make you cranky, crazy, and much more likely to over-indulge at some other point. Choosing and enjoying one treat allows you to be festive and fabulous.
• Offer to bring something to the party and make it a healthy option. It will be good for you and I bet there will be others there that thank you for it.
• Eat a little something before you go so that you are not starving and making bad choices when you walk in the door because you are HUNGRY.

2. Phone A Friend

Find an accountability partner and check in with each other weekly or daily (on food, exercise, goals or anything else). Yes, I need an accountability partner just as much as the next gal. So, I started a couple groups to help me and help you if you’d like. You can join one of my Virtual Holiday Support Groups by clicking on the links below:

November Support Group
December Support Group

3. Set Goals

One way to keep on track is to make sure you are working towards something. Set goals, even small ones, over the holidays. You will be surprised how that can help you focus when you might otherwise be completely derailed.

My goal is to workout 21 days in November and 21 days in December. I will be doing 21 days of PiYo in November and then again in December. I will be following the 21 Day Fix eating plan using the containers. I chose to make my goals 2 sets of 21 days instead of 60 days because my mind can handle 3 weeks, no problem. Another benefit to having 3 week goals for me is that I know I can find people who will join me! Not too many of us want to commit to 30/60/90 days of health and fitness over the holidays.

I also would like to lose 5 pounds before January 1st, instead of experiencing the standard 5 pound holiday weight gain. I typically don’t like to use the scale for goal purposes because muscle weighs more that fat but… it is one way to track progress. And having this small goal will help keep me focused.

4. Be Realistic

Remember Christmas and Thanksgiving are just 1 day each. You can a have a cheat day or 2 during the holiday season, just don’t treat every day in between these holidays with the same regard.  I’ll be using the 80/20 rule, you know – follow my exercise and food plan 80% of the time and 20% of the time I can slack off a little. This way I don’t beat myself up if I miss a few days of clean eating.

5. Be Active

Fortunately in Arizona, this is the perfect time to be outside and active. Even if you live in a less-welcoming winter climate, there are always ways to get up and move. Here’s a few ideas for you:

• Organize a family or neighborhood Turkey Bowl Game
• Register for a 5K Turkey Trot or Jingle Bell Jog
• Take your kids to the park and set up an obstacle course for them (they will love it and think you are so much fun)
• Play some tennis or go running over the holidays
• Go for a family evening walk

Resources

• Free account to track food intake: myfitnesspal.com
• Phoenix-Area Turkey Trot
• Phoenix-Area Jingle Bell Run
• Healthy recipes from my friend and Vegan Chef, Missy Costello

I’m looking forward to looking and feeling great for the remainder of 2014, and being in the best place with my health to really enjoy the season’s festivities. What about you? I’d love to hear your goals, tips or holiday frustrations in the comments.