5 Ways to Stay Loyal to Your Fitness Plan This Holiday Season

Happy holidays? More like hungry holidays. Christmas, Hannukah, Kwanza, Winter Solstice… whatever it is that you and your family celebrates, it usually means lots of food, lots of alcohol and fatty drinks, and LOTS of calories. 

Imagine that you have a holiday party to attend tonight. You know that there is going to be all the really good stuff there: ham, Christmas cookies, eggnog, spiked eggnog, cheesy potatoes, pasta, bread, meatballs…. They’ve attacked you from all angles. You fantasize about this food. You want this food. Problem is, today is Wednesday, and you have parties you need to grace with your presence on Friday, Saturday, next Monday, Christmas Eve, and Christmas. In addition to that, you have New Year’s Eve and New Year’s festivities to attend. How do you stop the endless cycle of overindulging and not straying from your fitness plan? We’ve compiled a list of five things to keep in mind to hold yourself accountable this holiday season.

1. Eat before going to holiday parties.

Ever hear that old fitness (and money saving) tip “don’t go to the grocery store on an empty stomach, or you’ll buy food that you don’t need or isn’t good for you?” The same applies to holiday parties. Eating before a celebration increases the likelihood that you’ll overindulge on unhealthy holiday meals and snacks. Eating even a small snack before leaving—like a small, hearty salad or a combination of fats and protein, will satiate you enough to not overeat unhealthy cookies, ham, potatoes, etc. 

2. Avoid alcohol on an empty stomach.

If you ignore the advice given above, at least do yourself the favor of avoiding alcohol at your party on an empty stomach. Eat something of substance if your stomach is empty before consuming alcohol at this holiday party. This does two things: it prevents you from getting drunk too fast and gaining the reputation of “loud party girl” in front of your new boss, and prevents you from grabbing that second and third plate of fattening holiday food. Alcohol increases your appetite and lowers your inhibitions, and drinking it on an empty stomach will only triple your chances of eating more than you intend. One or two times doing this won’t be too much of a problem, but if you have lots of events to attend during the holidays, this can quickly turn into a health plan faux paus. Eat before you cheat.

3. Pay attention to your stress and mental health.

The holidays can be a stressful time. Constantly shopping for presents, worrying about what to get people, stressing about parties, networking, and socializing, hosting family… it can become a lot really fast. Try to stick to your daily workout routine to help get yourself through it all. Do you do yoga to destress? Jog? Meditate? Continue doing all that, and don’t let yourself get too busy. Stress can make you pack on those extra pounds and overeat as a result of it, so try to keep yourself extra cool this holiday season.

4. Use a small plate.

If you’re concerned about eating healthy and portion control, you can trick your brain by using a small plate instead of a large one at your holiday gatherings. You can limit your calories and unhealthy food consumption but still indulge a little bit with this tactic.

5. Quit procrastinating.

Many people use the holidays as an excuse to not eat healthy. While they had their nutrition in check before Thanksgiving, December tends to bring a lot of holiday cheer and cheating. People fall off of their fitness plans, stay indoors where it’s nice and warm, and eat a lot during this month, telling themselves “I’ll get back on track once the holidays are over.” Too often, they don’t get back on track. Holding yourself accountable will not only keep your nutrition plan consistent, it will keep you from creating unhealthy habits that will be even harder to break later.