Now that it’s December, we’re in the middle of the holiday season! The holidays can be great - a time to catch up with family and friends and it’s the season of giving. Sometimes maintaining a healthy lifestyle during this busy and stressful time can seem almost impossible. The holidays are a time to enjoy, so take time for yourself to sit back and breathe.
It’s common to stray away from your usual diet and to overeat during the holiday season. Excessive eating is claimed to be the main cause for the additional weight gain, but it is also due to the lack of physical activity and exercise. Below are some easy steps you can follow to stay active and regulate your diet during the busy holiday season.
1. Eat Before Heading Out
Eating a small amount of healthy food before heading out to holiday gatherings or events can be very helpful in limiting the unhealthy food that may be served. This way, you won’t be tempted to overindulge while you’re there.
2. Drink with Moderation
Regulate your alcohol intake during the holidays, especially when it comes to specialty and mixed drinks. Be conscious of drinking with high-calorie products such as juice and soda.
3. Be Selective with Treats
It’s the holidays, so you’re allowed to eat sweets! Just remember to eat in moderation. Look over all the treats and choose only your favorites, maybe something that is only available during the holidays.
4. Find Ways To Be Active
There are small ways that you can choose to be active and it can be as simple as taking the stairs or parking your car further away from the store so that you have to walk further. These small steps will help you to increase activeness during the holiday season.
5. Drink A Lot Of Water
Drinking water will not only help you stay hydrated throughout the day but will also satiate your appetite to keep you from overeating.
6. Eat Less & More Often
It’s not good for your body to eat one or two large meals a day, and that will usually lead to overeating. Distribute your meals throughout the day so that you eat 4-5 smaller meals instead. This will keep you from eating unhealthy foods and help boost your metabolism.
The holidays can be stressful for everyone and if you’re finding that you don’t have time for even a small workout, meditation can aid in stress relief. Start the deep breathing patterns we use in pilates to get the oxygen pumping and your blood flowing. Do some simple movements and commit to 5 minutes. See where that takes you – it’s likely after 5 minutes you’ll feel energized enough to keep going!
Join our social community for more tips and tricks onInstagram andFacebook! Here you’ll find tips from us and also from others in the community who are facing the same challenges – and having the same successes – as you are! Let’s enter the new decade strong – TOGETHER!
With much gratitude for being a part of our Pilates Pro Chair Community, Happy Holidays!
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