Tips for Healthy Holidays

Hello readers! Well by now we are about to sit down to a Henry-the-Eighth-style Thanksgiving meal, right? (Hopefully not!) It's official- we are right smack-dab in the middle of the HOLIDAY SEASON!! Eeek! We can run, but we cannot hide from the holidays. They can be loads of fun but they can present even the healthiest of people with some challenges for staying sane, healthy and not gaining 10 pounds by New Years!

I received a couple of requests to write a post on staying healthy during the holidays. While not an expert, I certainly can provide my humble two-cents worth based on my own experience.

First a bit of history for any newcomers: For a number of years, I was heavy, very heavy. You can read about my weight loss story here and here. Before my weight loss, I viewed the holidays as a free-for-all. And I also believed that they lasted from Halloween (yay copious amounts of candy!) until my birthday at the end of January. Let's see, that's 3 months. That's a quarter of the year. Hmm, free-for-all eating for 25% of my year? No wonder I kept gaining and gaining.

233 pounds in 1997

Once I got my weight down to a reasonable place, the holidays were no longer a free-for-all. But then it took a concerted effort to not gain more than a couple of pounds over the course of the holidays. I will not lie and say that it's easy now. In fact, maintaining a large (or small) weight loss is downright challenging. Ask anyone who has done it. Here are some tips that I find helpful over the holidays. If you haven't already, I hope that you can incorporate some into your arsenal of healthy-living tricks.

• Try to keep up your exercise schedule:
  

Make it a priority to exercise as much is as reasonable for YOU. If you have a very busy life, the holidays just get busier. It might entail sneaking out on your lunch-break and taking a walk. Personally, I love to get out of an office for some fresh air for at least a few minutes per day, if possible. Or perhaps it means getting up 15 minutes earlier and doing a kick-arse lunge and squat routine like this one. Trust me, you'll be glad you did it. Any little bit helps both your mind and your body.

Perhaps the Trail beckons for a 20 minute hike

• Keep your stress to a minimum.
  

Easier said than done right!? The holidays can be stressful- very stressful. Anything that you can do to decrease the stress will help. Here's an example from my family. One year, my very wise Mom decided that enough was enough with the Christmas gifts. Not meaning to be a scrooge, she suggested that we do a gift-exchange like many offices do. Draw a name out of a hat and get ONE gift for ONE person, WITH a dollar limit. I cannot tell you the joy this brought to our family. Instead of trudging out reluctantly to the mall to get everyone something that they may or may not appreciate/need/want, we were able to focus all of our efforts and energies into a thoughtful and meaningful gift for one person. Gift-giving means so much more to us now. Keep in mind that we don't have any small kids in the family, and I would NEVER recommend holding-out on prezzies for the littles ones- it's their magical time of year after all!

Means of reducing stress is different for everyone: getting a massage, taking 10 minutes to knit or do a sudoku puzzle (am I the only geek who loves these?), taking a hike, making your holiday dinner a pot-luck rather than doing everything on your own. You be the judge. Just try to find something to make things less manic at this crazy time of year.

10 minutes eating lunch outside can make you feel great. Hugh Jass Salad optional.

De-stress with a little yoga

• Try to be reasonable with your food intake.
  

Again, like I mentioned in this post about surviving your vacation, do not attempt to "diet" excessively in order to "earn" a splurge. I would admit that I do cut back a tad during the holiday season, especially if there is a lot of baking/lunching/dining out. Offices are notorious for having loads of goodies lying around. It takes all of your self-control not to dive into everything. It's like being at a buffet! If you can just choose a few items that you really truly want, and if you can sample a bite or two like I discussed here, then do it. If you're not a 'sampler', then it might be best to walk away from the temptation.

It really backfires if you try to starve yourself and "save your calories" for later indulgences. Here's a small example: I might cut out my sprinkle of granola on my breakfast smoothie-in-a-bowl. I will have plenty of carbs later in the day and I can survive without it. But don't you DARE try to take away my nut-butter-on-a-spoon because then I'll have to take you down. And it won't be pretty.

You don't have to eat raw fish and tofu (there go all my vegan readers!), but try to keep your meals balanced and nourishing...you might be less tempted by the gingerbread cookies later :-)

• Try to appreciate your fortune and your blessings

(This tip is more for your soul than your body, of course.)

If you are reading these words, then you have a certain level of fortune. Sure you may not own a home or a car, but you can read, you have a roof over your head and you own a laptop- this is a privilege not everyone enjoys. I can get very caught up my little world of healthy living. But there are so many people who are less fortunate in about a zillion ways.

I wrote a post straight from the heart that you can read here. Basically, it was about counting your blessings. We all have problems and issues. But if we are lucky, we enjoy a certain amount of love and support from those around us. This includes bloggie friends as well as those I call my "Brick & Morter" friends (those I know in "real life"). And of course family.

Guess what this is...our Wedding photo! April 1994

• GET BACK ON TRACK ASAP
  

I learned the hard way after my last vacay, that it does you very little good to survive your trip, only to mistakenly let your guard down when it's over. You need to get back to a healthy balanced lifestyle a.s.a.p. or else weight gain WILL be inevitable. Trust me... I'm living mu'u mu'u-wearing proof. Whatever works best to get you back into the swing of things: keeping a food diary, limiting sugar or alcohol, counting calories, getting back to the gym...different strokes for different folks. Find what works best for you.

For me, daily smoothies help me back on track. What works for you?

I don't know about you, but I can gain weight VERY, VERY easily AND quickly. What I gain in a week usually takes a month or more to shave back off. This is partially because I no longer Kamikaze "diet" my way back down the scale (leading to a horrific cycle of yo-yo weight-cycling).

Q: What's your best strategy for staying healthy and sane over the holidays? I'm constantly learning, so pummel me with your wisdom, people!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving my dear Bleeps- and thank you for taking the time to read my blog and leaving such kind, insightful and intelligent comments. I learn from you and I am enriched by your presence and for that I am so grateful!