The holiday season makes it so difficult to stay focused on your health goals. Having constant obligations makes it very tricky to stay on track with the added calories and lack of activity. Not to mention the cold, who wants to go outside and walk when it’s less than 40 degrees? However, there are so many ways to help you overcome the cold and reduce your stress over this holiday season!

Here are a few helpful tips to keep you on track with your diet and exercise during this time of year.

• Choose healthy food options
  1. Winter is a great time to utilize your crockpot. If you have a lot of shopping to do after work, have the crockpot going so you have a healthy meal ready for you when you get home. This will help you avoid grabbing an unhealthy meal while you are out.
  2. Watch your portion sizes. Focus on eating protein and veggies when at special occasions. Especially at holiday parties when people keep asking you to try what they’ve made, try not to overdo it!
  3. Skip the sugar as often as possible. This time of year is known for the cookies and other delicious baked goods. Sometimes a goal will help here, “I will only have a dessert twice this week.” This will be more of a reward versus a habit.
  4. Try the 80/20 rule. If you focus on eating a healthy breakfast and lunch throughout the week, this will give you a little bit of wiggle room when dinnertime comes.
  5. Skip the sugary drinks. Focus on drinking water with fresh squeezed lemon or other fresh fruit-infused water recipes.
  6. Have a glass of water in between cocktails at parties. This will help you stay hydrated and will help you avoid endless snacking.
  7. Avoid having sweets and other unhealthy foods in your house. If it’s there, you’ll eat it!

• Stay active as much as possible
  • Exercise is the best medicine. It is essential to exercise regularly in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle. There are many ways to keep active in the winter. It’s important to keep your kids active too! There are plenty of winter sports, trampoline parks and other places make exercise a fun thing to do this winter. Other tips include the following…
    1. If you are a night exerciser, bring your gym bag with you in the morning and head straight to the gym after work. With the sun setting at 4:30pm these days, it makes it difficult to get motivated-don’t go home in between work and the gym!
    2. Do a home workout! There are plenty of ways to exercise right in the convenience of your own home.
    3. Track your steps and aim for 10,000 per day! Movement throughout the day goes a long way!
    4. Online shopping makes our lives a lot easier, but don’t forget “sitting is the new smoking.” Increase your activity by physically going to the store.
    5. Avoid sitting for long periods of time. If you are working at a desk all day, try to get up at least every hour for 5 minutes.

• Stay hydrated!
  • It’s important to increase your water intake during the winter months to avoid getting sick and to keep your skin hydrated.
    1. Start your day with an 8 ounce glass of water. You haven’t had anything to drink throughout the several hours you’ve been sleeping! We all wake up dehydrated. Water is the first thing you need in the morning before you reach for the coffee.
    2. Aim for drinking half of your body-weight in ounces. For instance, if you weigh 150 lbs. you should be drinking at least 75 ounces of water that day. You may require more depending on your level of activity that day.

• Think ahead to avoid stress!
  • We all stress this time of year because time moves quickly and all of a sudden the holidays creep up on us. Don’t procrastinate! Start making a list now of what you’ll need and start picking things up here and there. If you plan ahead you’ll be able to enjoy the holidays more because you’ll be ready and less stressed over it!

Small changes will go a long way for helping you stay on track with your health during this busy time of year. Cheers to making some healthy lifestyle changes to feel your best this holiday season!