With Christmas comes all of the many parties and gatherings; bringing not only people together but also food and a hell of a lot of it. Due to this, it may well be the hardest time of the year to eat healthy especially after a few wines when all motivation to control yourself during a family feast or work break up party goes out the door. All of that is why I have created these tips for staying healthy during the holiday season that I hope you find helpful.
Ever heard of Choc Coconut and PB Banana Slices? Well I will forgive you if you're a new reader and haven't heard of these but earlier this year I created the recipe for them and they are such a delicious and satisfying sweet treat. Why not trade these for Christmas coconut ice this year? As for rum balls, use dates instead of sweetened condensed milk and walnuts instead of cake crumbs to make for a healthy alternative. Dying for some ice cream with your Christmas cake? Blend up a frozen banana instead for what tastes exactly like real thing. You can pretty much turn any holiday treat into a healthy recipe which means you can enjoy all the sweet desserts guilt free! Get creative and reap the benefits.
Bring Food
If you're not hosting the Christmas party then offer to bring a plate of food that way you can put together a healthy dish that ensures you have something nutritious to eat just in case the other options aren't so healthy. Maybe put together a massive healthy salad that you can fill your plate with or bring along some of your healthier alternatives to Christmas treats! You're sure to impress your fitspo friends who may also want to eat healthier this holiday season.
Keep Up The Exercise
By sticking with your usual exercise routine it evens out some of the bad food you may eat and the worst thing you can do is give up your exercise around the holiday season because it's when you need it most! It also gives you the opportunity to indulge in a few treats and add an extra 10minutes of cardio to your routine to make up for it. Besides, you never want to take too long off exercising because your body gets out of shape much quicker than it gets in shape; don't ruin your progress!
Everything in Moderation
If you read my blog often then you know I strongly believe that food restrictions are one of the worst things that you can do to yourself. Humans are programmed to want what they can't have so if you tell yourself you aren't allowed to eat rum balls over the holiday season, all you're going to crave and all your brain is going to scream at you is "RUM BALLS"! We aren't pigs so we can control how much we eat and that means that you can eat anything your little heart desires as long as the portion sizes are reasonable and you don't overdo it. Unless you're eating Pringles which claim "once you pop, you can't stop" then you're pretty much safe to eat anything.
So what do you do if judgement flew out the window for a little bit and when it came back you realise that had one too many mince pies? Just forget about it! You're only human and the holidays are made to be enjoyed so please don't beat yourself up over a couple of slip ups; just make a mental note to work it off when you're back into your usual routine.
Those are all of my tips for staying healthy during the holiday season and I really hope that you found them helpful. From what you can probably tell through this article, you do not need to deprive yourself at all over this holiday season. Life is meant to be enjoyed so don't let the guilt of indulging in a few treats ruin your time! Just remember that moderation is key and exercise is a massive part of remaining in shape over this holiday season.
