5 Healthy Holiday Tricks
Christmas. New Year’s Eve. Thanksgiving. They’re all about spending quality time with our family and friends. But holidays are just as much about delicious food and drinks. AND A LOT OF IT. So how do we keep our cores tight, energy thriving and skin glowing? What can we do to not lose what we’ve been working all year long? How do we keep our healthy (and thus happy) selves shining bright?
How To Keep Your Healthy Routine During The Winter Holidays
1. PICK YOUR BATTLES
Ánd appetizers, ánd a 3-course meal, ánd a cocktail, ánd sweets, ánd dessert, ánd some chocolates. I’m so sorry love, but you’ll feel so much better if you choose one or two, and politely say “no” to the rest.
Don’t go with “No thanks, I’m trying to stay healthy during the holidays.” as you might make others feel less happy with their eating habits. But try a “Oooh, your dessert looks absolutely delicious! But that main course we just had was so awesome I’m going to have to pass!”. Your hosts will certainly not mind.
You shouldn’t feel pressured into eating things that make you feel worse or trigger a good dose of food guilt. Know what you love and kindly decline what isn’t your thing. Stop apologising for it. Simply smile and celebrate on.
2. ASK FOR HEALTHY GIFTS
This is one of my favourites! Make your wishlist all about continuing your health journey for the upcoming year:
I’m sure you can come up with some dream items of your own! And you’ll be all set to stay on your health game in the coming year.
3. KEEP EXERCISING
Christmas morning? Feeling hangover? Need to get ready for a party? Still make some time to exercise, even if it’s just half an hour of do-it-yourself-at-home-yoga or just go for a quick walk or run. On these days it’s even more important to keep moving in order to make sure our bodies keep processing any toxins and sugars.
Best would be to work out before you go to any party or dinner: any “bad stuff” will be stored in your muscle cells, not in your fat cells, which makes it waaaay easier to get rid of afterwards, and also to break down in your liver.
4. ALCOHOL REGIME
Keep to these simple rules:
Challenge yourself a little extra and go for a complete non-alcoholic eve! And while you’re at it, why not create the most healthy & delicious mocktails (non-alcohol cocktails) and make a few for everyone.
Think of it this way: no hangover the day after, no regrets about drunk-dialing your ex, and you’ve proven yourself and everyone else that you can easily be the light of the party (+ having endless energies for dancing) while being completely sober!
5. FIND A BUDDY
Last but not least: as everyone seems to forget their boundaries – and indulge in whatever they want “because of the holidays” – it’s even harder to be the only one politely refusing sweets or desserts. And watching everyone else enjoy their drinks while you sip your glass of water doesn’t help either.
So find yourself a health-buddy who wants to keep on track just as you are! Helping each other through the tougher times and knowing someone goes through the same as you are, makes it so much easier. Even if you don’t attend the same parties together, you can still text each other the occasional: “Dance soberly until the crowd wants what you are having :)” or “We are the master of our cravings ;)”.
Problem solved.
And when you do go for that piece of warm chocolate cake, make sure you are enjoying every crumble to the fullest and stop feeling guilty afterwards. You’ll digest it a 100 times better.
Now you’re all set to stay your healthy self during these tempting-filled days! No need to worry about staying in shape, easily keep on shining as you always do and enjoy this beautiful time of the year!
What are your healthy holiday tricks? Do you have any healthy gift ideas to add to the wishlist? Or a slightly embarrassing story about that year you drank a little bit too much? We’d love to hear all about it in the comment section below.
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