Holiday Survival Guide: The Top 5 Ways to Stay Energetic, Fit and Healthy for the Holidays!

The HOLIDAYS are back!! Yay!

The time between Thanksgiving and Christmas is one of my all-time favorite times of year!!  There's just something about it, right?

The music, the lights, friends, family, desserts.... oh...right...the desserts, the treats, the temptations...!?

All my hard work and efforts to be healthy all year long can be so difficult to keep up with during these couple months, if I'm not careful and aware to maintain discipline and moderation.  

This won't be Me this year!Will it be YOU???

Did you know the average person seriously GAINS 7-10 lbs between Thanksgiving and New Years?!?

You don't have to let big holiday dinners and treats sabotage all of your hard work throughout the year.  Believe it or not, it is possible to enjoy all of the fun and excitement of the holiday season without gaining weight and derailing all of your fitness goals.

So how can you strike a balance between enjoying the foods and flavors you love most without succumbing to the temptations that can ruin your efforts to stay energetic, fit and healthy?

Here are the Top 5 Tips to Help you Stay Energetic, Fit and Healthy and Survive the Holidays:

1- Schedule Your Workouts:  Make it a priority!  The holiday and Christmas season, with all of it's hustle and bustle can also be notorious for distracting us from all of our best intentions to workout and stay healthy.  So one of the most important things to do will be to create a simple schedule.  Create reminders on your smart phone to let you know and pop-up when you'll see it and be able to fit it in!

2- Travel Prep:  If you plan to travel and visit family or friends during the Christmas break, be sure to bring your running shoes, resistance bands, workout DVDs or anything you need to be able to keep up with your workouts.  We usually drive up to visit my family for a week during our kids' Christmas break so I have all of my favorite workouts saved onto a thumb drive as well as a file on my lap top so I can keep doing them while we are at my parent's house.  Another idea is to go online and find a series of free online workouts that you can do.  I love FitnessBlender.com and PopSugar Fitness :-)

3-  Plan Your Meals and Eat Clean:  Another way to be sure the holiday pounds don't sneak up on you is to plan out your meals and be sure you are eating clean and avoiding junk food. 

• Here are some meal prep tips for newbies!

4-  Replace 1-2 meals per day with a Protein Shake:  One of my favorite ways to stay on track (especially during the holidays when there are so many crazy temptations around me) is to be sure to get in enough protein so I feel FULL and to have at least 1 meal per day replaced with a protein shake.  This ensures I get the nutrition my body needs to feel satisfied, the protein to build lean muscle and burn fat and I know that I've done something good for my body.  Getting the optimal nutrition in the minimum amount of calories (which frees up some space for maybe a little treat here or there with the kids! ;) )

*One of the Secret weapons I'll have in my tool belt this holiday season is my Egg Nog Protein Shake which gives me:
✅ 24 g Undenatured Protein
✅ 23 Vitamins & Minerals
✅ 11 Amino Acids
✅ 8 g dietary fiber
✅ Gluten free
✅ Soy Free
✅ Non-GMO
✅ No artificial Sweeteners!! with only 240 calories and 5 g of fat vs the 500 to 700 calories and 12 g of fat from regular Egg Nog! Yikes!

5- Stop the Madness!  (The Holiday Stress Madness, that is!):  For so many, the Holidays can be one of the most stressful times of year.  It seems there is a party to attend every weekend, possible travel to prepare for, gifts to buy, trying to stay in budget and stay healthy and sane all at the same time!

Stress is one of the big contributors to weight gain so do what you can to maintain balance in your schedule.  Don't say yes to too many parties or events and help your body to reduce stress by getting in enough sleep and support it with adaptogens, my happy juice! ;)

• What in the World are Adaptogens and how do they help your body fight stress?

**Bonus Tips**

1. Watch out for appetizers!  These can be some of the most unhealthy and fattening choices.  Tiny, yes!  But usually very sneaky, adding extra calories and fat that you may not have expected.
2. Stay away from (or Limit as much as possible) alcohol.  This can be one of the Biggest diet saboteurs!!  (the average mixed drink can contain 200 calories or more!)
3. Do Mini Workouts!  Believe it or not, doing 2 or 3 smaller workouts spaced out in the day can be just as (and sometimes even More) effective as one longer one.  So don't worry if your busy schedule throws off your regular routine once in awhile...just be sure to keep active!
4. Water, Water, Water!  One of the easiest (but still overlooked) secrets to keeping fit is to stay hydrated.  Especially in the drier winter weather, it is very important to keep hydrated to help flush out toxins that could keep you sick!  (Because if you're not feeling well you won't have the energy to focus on working out and eating right the way you should!)
5. Moderation is Key!  Allow yourself a treat here and there.  Trust me it's ok.  One slice of pie won't make you gain 20lbs just like one perfect day of eating and exercising won't make you lose 20lbs.  The key is to strive for balance and moderation.  The 80/20 rule is a great frame of reference for this:  aim to eat clean and health 80-90% of the time and allow some freedom 10-20% of the time! ;)  

Remember, Christmas is the Most Wonderful Time of the year, right!  So with a little extra time to just be aware and plan ahead you can be sure to enjoy all the blessings and fun that this amazing season has to offer without worrying about putting on extra pounds and head into the New Year healthier than ever!

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