We all know that the holidays bring with them lots and lots of food. Sure there's fun and family too, but with all the cookies and pies and potatoes and butter and sugar... the calories can add up.
You may not always be in control of what's for dinner (Aunt Sue's sweet potatoes are great but how much butter is needed for them to taste that good?) but you can control what you eat, how much, and how active you are!
Thanksgiving starts the holiday get together season so it's good to get things started on the right foot...
1. Get active now! If you can get in a workout routine now, you will be better prepared to see it through. Schedules get busy and priorities change during the holiday season- but making physical activity a top priority sets your mind right and makes you feel better during all the festivities. Who needs to wait for a New Year's Resolution? Hit it now!
2. Size matters! portion size, that is. Be aware of how much food you are putting on your plate- take a smaller portion and go back for seconds if you want to. The Thanksgiving Day spread is delicious and bountiful- but that doesn't mean your metabolism gets faster just to compensate for the extra calories.
If you want some of everything just take a little- there will always be seconds. And take your time eating- joining in the conversation slows down your eating and gives your stomach more time to signal your brain that you are full.
3. Wait for it... Go for a walk with the family or go up and down the stairs a few times before having dessert. The turkey will make you tired so you will need a pick me up anyway, but getting in some "half-time" activity will help you to start burning the calories from dinner before you go for dessert.
You can always take that slice of pie home for later- your body can only process so many calories at once, overloading your system leads to more fat being stored for "later use". Take your time and keep moving!
4. Have fun and don't over think it. Having a healthy holiday means laughing, smiling, and being happy. Don't stress and you won't stress eat. Funny how that works, huh? Even if the only thing you are stressing is not eating too much, just thinking too much about the food you don't want to eat too much of can cause you to eat too much... did you follow that? :-) If all you're thinking about is how you don't want to eat too many mashed potatoes, your body may end up feeling deprived causing you to eat too much stuffing- oops!
So just relax and enjoy and have your game plan in place before you even turn on the oven. Go to dinner confidently and you'll conquer the holiday calorie pile up!
