The holidays can be a busy time of the year filled with cocktail parties, nights out with friends, and family gatherings. Just because your schedule seems a little more “full” than usual doesn’t mean you have to kiss your healthy lifestyle goodbye. In this post, I’m sharing how you can stay healthy by exercising, making smart food choices and focusing on emotional wellbeing through the holidays.
Is it just me or does this fall season seem to be flying by? I think I’m still in a little bit of denial that Thanksgiving is next week, since I’m still in shorts and a t-shirt trying to stay as cool as possible here in Florida. It’s always a gamble as to whether I’ll be wearing shorts and flip flops or my beloved jeans and boots on Thanksgiving Day.
Another reason I attribute time traveling at warp speed is because of my crazy busy schedule. I don’t know about you, but every year around the holidays my calendar seems to double in size. Whether it’s the additional catering jobs, spending time with friends and family, or doing holiday shopping, there’s always something going on!
It’s easy to lose sight of your health & well-being during the holidays
With so much to do (not to mention all of the sweets and treats that we are surrounded by), it can be easy to let our healthy habits slip. I know I often let other commitments take over my time to exercise, or I’m too easily tempted by that sweet treat calling my name.
The reality is, maintaining healthy habits through the holidays is doable (with a little flexibility) and ultimately, it comes down to making a choice. Sure, I would thoroughly enjoy that third or fourth cookie, but do I really need it? Or, “I stayed out too late last night, so I’ll just go ahead and skip my morning workout.”
Stay active during the holidays
Do something every day to just move. Trying to adhere to a strict workout regime can be difficult for some through the busyness of the holidays. Instead of trying to get to the gym five days a week, focus on doing at least one thing every day to get you moving. This could be going on a walk with family or trying out a new and fun fitness class with a friend (hello, holiday specials!). Going shopping? I challenge you to do five squats every time you try on a new clothing item!
Get your family and friends involved. The holidays are a great way to spend quality time with friends and family. Going to the mountains for the holidays? Go for a family hike! Hanging out around the house? Gather everyone to go for a bike ride or walk around the neighborhood. Or do something fun like participating in a turkey trot 5K/fun run in your area on Thanksgiving morning!
Think short and make it count. With limited time through the holiday season, I like to keep my workouts short and sweet. HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) workouts are a great way to get your heart pumping, your brow sweating and calories burned in 30 minutes or less. Looking for a workout to try at home? Check out my “Workouts” Pinterest Board, here!
Focus on Nutritious Choices
Quality over quantity. Have you ever eaten so much that you make yourself feel sick? Sound like Thanksgiving Day to anyone? Friends and family know that I love to eat, and I often feast with my eyes before my food even touches my mouth. The problem with this is that my eyes are often times bigger than my stomach as I’m loading up my plate, and I end up stuffing myself full.
Instead of seeing just how high you can stack your plate with yummy goodness, take a look at the holiday spread and decide on a select few items that you want to try, first. You can always go back for more, but chances are, you will be satisfied with the foods you chose!
Savor your foods. We’ve all heard of mindful eating, right? Time to put it into practice this holiday season by engaging all five senses when eating that delicious slice of pumpkin pie or forkful of green bean casserole. Being mindful of what we are eating forces us to slow down, allowing our body to process and digest our foods better. Listen to your body when it tells you it’s satisfied instead of reaching for just one more cookie or bite!
Eat before you go. Go to that holiday party, that is. Having a healthy snack before heading out the door to get to the next holiday festivity can help prevent overeating once you’re there. Have you ever gone to a party ravenously hungry and end up stuffing your face with cheesy dip, holiday chex mix and cookies wondering why you’re just not feeling full? Well, because those things aren’t as nutritionally satisfying as that apple and peanut butter or turkey sandwich you could have had before you left.
Keep your emotional well-being top of mind
Practice gratitude. It’s the season of thankfulness and what better time to remind yourself of what you are grateful for in your life! Spending five minutes each morning to practice gratitude can help set a positive and uplifting tone for the day. You can learn more about practicing gratitude here.
Focus on friends and family. The holidays are meant to be a time to sit back and relax with friends and family. Be mindful not to let your ever-growing to do list or work commitment get in the way of spending quality time with your loved ones. I’ve found that as life gets busier and I have more responsibilities, it’s easy to miss out on these moments with those that I care about most.
Give yourself some grace! While the holidays are not an excuse to go haywire on your healthy habits, it is okay to give yourself a break from time to time. So you overindulged at the holiday party last night or you didn’t make it to the gym to workout today. That’s okay! Do the best you can with the circumstances you’re in and don’t beat yourself up if you “messed up”.
How do you stay healthy through the holidays? Share your tips and tricks with me below!
79 Responses
Great tips! If I get a workout in, I know that everything else will fall into place! Funny how that works.
Yes! I’ve had a hard time getting my workouts in these past few weeks and I can definitely tell a difference in my energy levels and productivity.
I love these tips! Especially the one about having something healthy before going to holiday functions. That is downright genius!
Thanks, Marie! I am always a sucker for anything delicious and not good for me, so starting out with a healthy snack helps curb these temptations!
I keep trying. Never give up.
That’s great, Candy! Having a goal to work towards always helps, too 🙂
I must admit, I almost always click on articles with similar titles. However, this is one of the most useful (and doable) articles I’ve seen. I love the tip about “just moving”. Been beating myself up because I am not very motivated to start my full routine (again). But, I can do something short and quick. Very doable. Good article!
Teri, you just made my day! I am so happy to hear that you found this post helpful. Something short and quick is better than nothing at all, right?
Love these ideas! funny how during the holidays our normal routines go out the window!
They totally do! With the holidays usually being in the middle of the week, it always throws me off my schedule. Thanks for visiting, Kassi!
This is such a great post. I thoroughly enjoyed reading! I like your idea about doing 5 squats every time you try an item of clothing on. Simple, yet effective ! I’m going to try really hard this year to not let my eyes win over my stomach. I only want ONE helping of the goodies! Also loved your point about emotional well being- it’s just as important!
Thanks, Chelsea! All areas of health are equally important to focus on this holiday season. I kind of want to go shopping now just so I can do some squats… ha!
I really enjoy and need this list! I will have 2 weeks off for Christmas break and need the encouragement to actually workout consistently when I have more time. I like the idea of enjoying your food and getting family and friends involved. That’s what always helps my husband and me.
Thanks, Lindsay! There’s no better way to spend time with loved ones than doing something active together! My husband and I love to play tennis, so I’m looking forward to doing more of these over the next month 🙂
Love all of these suggestions! Especially the ‘do one thing every day just to move’. Even if you are crazy busy, you can always set aside 5 minutes to go for a quick walk or just do some jumping jacks in the kitchen!
Thanks, Liz! I totally agree – doing something is better than nothing!
Lovely, inspirational post for this time of year. And great advice, too.
Thanks, Carol! I’m glad you found the post inspirational 🙂
Thanks for sharing these! I think I definitely needed them; it’s my first time back home celebrating Diwali in 6 years. Now, Diwali is an Indian festival celebrated by Sikhs and Hindus around the world that involves A LOT of eating, especially sweet stuff!!
Can I come celebrate Diwali with you? It sounds amazing!! Everything in moderation, right? 😉
I get so complacent during the holidays too. I definitely will keep in mind to do more HIIT and I think I am going to go for some more walks during the day.
I’m right there with you, Dana! It’s so easy to think of a million excuses. HIIT and daily walks are a great way to get moving!
I need this! I am trying to get going again even though its an uphill battle with the holidays and kids home from school. I am loving your blog!
Thanks, Melissa! Have you checked out our Healthy Living Jumpstart Program 2016? We would love for you to join us for the free week to help support you in your goals!
Great advice! In India, we had the festival of Diwali and my entire family has put on some weight because of eating all the sweets! I’ll keep these tips in mind now! 🙂
Someone else just mentioned this festival and it sounds amazing! However, probably a good thing to keep these tips in mind while you’re there 🙂
These are excellent suggestions. I love that you included emotional well-being as well. I think a lot of people overlook that aspect of being healthy.
Thanks, Danielle! I’m glad you found the tips helpful. Enjoy the holiday season!
These are some great points! I love that you focused on all aspects of health. Not just eating or exercise. Love your photos too.
Thanks, Heather! I believe all aspects of health are important to keep in mind. Thanks for stopping by!
This is a great list! I have already seen the holidays take effect. Time to get up and move more. Thanks
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Thanks! I’m right there with you. It’s been a struggle for me to get my workouts in these past few weeks and I can see the negative impact it has on me!
Love these tips! I also do shorter high intensity workouts which saves so much time!
That’s why I love them! Anything to save time… Thanks, Melanie!
Great tips! I was actually just in the middle of thinking about this. Thank you!!!
Perfect timing then! Thanks for stopping by, Ashley! xoxo
great list 🙂 thanks for sharing!
You’re welcome, Kara! Thanks for visiting 🙂
These are such great tips, thank you for sharing! I always think working out takes too much time, but I love what you said about trying to move everyday and keeping it short!
Thanks, Ashley! I especially like the idea of doing squats while shopping… makes me want to go on a shopping trip. Ha!
I’ve been trying to stay healthy over the holidays but I feel like I’m fighting a losing battle. Every where I turn there’s different people sharing pics over this or that type of pie on their insta’s and it’s really frustrating when I’m trying to eat right lol
That can be very frustrating, Channing! I totally agree with you. Have you checked out our Healthy Living Jumpstart 2016? We would love for you to join us for the free week and help support you in your goals!
I’ve already been doing a lot of the “eat before you go” tactic! It keeps me from over indulging in awesome family made food – notice I still indulge though 😉
That’s great, Shaylee! Maybe then you just don’t indulge quite as much? 😉
Eating before you go is such a great tip! Food derails so many of us during the holidays! And getting your family involved in being active with you, so important and makes it so much more fun!
Yes it does! It’s so hard not to cave when there’s sweets and treats galore!
Great tips! and just in time!