How to Enjoy the Holidays without Gaining Weight!

Hitting the home gym!

With Thanksgiving upon us next week, I decided it would be the perfect time to remind you how to enjoy the holidays without gaining weight! Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to steal all your fun. I WANT you to enjoy yourself. But I ALSO want you to honor your fitness goals and stay healthy at the same time. We can do this, friends!

I’m sharing the tips and tricks that I personally use and what I recommend to my personal training clients. This is good stuff, guys. Here we go!

Get a Scale

I know this may not be the most popular tip but you need to know where your weight is. How are you going to know if it’s creeping up if you don’t track it? Maybe you’re thinking your favorite jeans will let you know by getting too tight, but if you’re always wearing leggings or yoga pants than that approach won’t work.

Get a scale and get on it at least once a week. This way you can nip that weight gain in the bud. If you notice your weight has gone up a few pounds, then you know it’s time to reel in the eating and time to kick up the workouts.

This is what I personally do. If I notice my weight is up a bit, I get right on it. By not letting your weight get out of hand, you won’t have that hole to dig out of come January. This is a preemptive strike that you will be thankful for when it’s all said and done!

Travel & Road Trip Strategies

If you’re like many of my clients, you’ll be doing some sort of traveling over the holidays. Whether that’s going to visit family or you’re headed to some fabulous exotic locale. Travel can completely derail many of you and all fitness related goals can go right out the window if you’re not careful!

Healthy traveling requires PREPARATION! You need to have some sort of strategy before you even leave the house. If you’re headed to the airport than this should be easy. You actually can eat pretty healthy at the airport but you must be diligent.

There are many temptations lurking around every corner. All those yummy smells coming from the food court can sabotage even the most dedicated if you aren’t prepared. Whether you’re hitting the open road or headed to the airport terminal, here’s what I recommend:

Travel Tips

• Always carry healthy snacks and water in your bag. Fruit, low-sugar protein bars (these are my fav), nuts, beef jerky (I like this one), etc. can all be smart choices.
• If you’re eating a meal, look for the healthiest protein you can find. Even if you only have time to grab a sandwich from the Starbucks counter, get the turkey and cheese sandwich and toss half the bread. Eat a small salad with chicken or find some hard-boiled eggs. I know Starbucks used to have a protein plate with egg, cheese and a little fruit with it. It was perfect for on-the-go snacking!
• If you’re heading out on a road-trip, ALWAYS  pack a cooler bag with food. I usually take fruit, peanut butter, nuts, hard-boiled eggs, dry cereal, string cheese, cherry tomatoes or baby carrots, etc. You don’t want to be stuck trying to find something worth eating out in the middle of nowhere. I can assure you, the next truck stop will not be a place you want to try to find healthy food!

How to Survive Holiday Parties & Events

I am well aware that the holiday party circuit can be brutal to your waist line. But I’m not letting you go in blind this year! Here are my key ideas to keep you having fun but also fitting into your NYE dress:

• RULE #1 – Don’t go to any party or event HUNGRY! Just don’t. If you go hungry, things can get ugly real quick. You either end up eating food that is insanely high in calories with every bite or you avoid eating and the drinks catch up with you. Eat something before you go. Eat some protein and a little bit of carbs. I promise this will save you!
• If you will be having food, eat on the smallest plates & bowls you can find. Eat off the salad plates. This will trick your mind into thinking you’ve had a full plate of food when it’s really less than normal. Use psychology to your advantage!
• Drink 1 glass of water between every alcoholic drink! This will slow down your alcohol consumption and at the very least will keep you somewhat hydrated.

Workout Strategy During the Holidays

The reason most people don’t ever see lasting results with their fitness endeavors is because their workouts get really sporadic during the winter months. It’s cold, you’re not motivated and you get to hide underneath many layers of puffy clothes, right?

This year is going to be different, ladies! Follow my lead and you’ll stay fit, lean and feeling proud of yourself for staying on track! Here are my workouts tips for the holiday months:

• Don’t skip Monday! Whatever you do, don’t skip a Monday. This is a good rule for any time of year but especially now. This will set the tone for the week and just keeps you in a good rhythm and routine.
• Follow the 3 Strikes Rule – Never go longer than 3 days without working out. You can miss 1 day, even 2 but DON’T miss 3. Make it a rule!
• Don’t feel, Just do – You’re not always going to feel motivated to workout. It happens to the best of us, me included. Don’t let your feelings dictate your actions. This is where discipline will be your best friend. Every time you override a feeling with your action, you reinforce that positive behavior. This actually makes it easier to make the same healthy decision in the future. You’re actually creating new neuro connections in your brain, but that’s a topic for another day.
• Try a new class or workout with a buddy! – Accountability is a very good idea during this time of the year. If you know a friend is waiting for you or you’ve signed up for a class then you’re more likely to follow through on the workout.

There you have it, guys! Those are my strategies to enjoy the holidays without gaining weight! I hope you find this tips helpful. If you enjoyed this post, please SHARE IT with your friends!

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Angie offers Private Personal Training & Online Coaching. Contact her here or Shop her virtual programs here!

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