It’s no secret that people like to eat during the holidays. There’s a reason for this: holidays are centered around food, whether it is a party or family gathering. The fact is that people gain more weight in the holiday season than they do the rest of the year. It’s time to break the mold and stop indulging in pies, heavy carbs, sweets, and a lot of meat this holiday season. Let’s stay slim throughout the holidays.
The danger zone is from Thanksgiving to New Year’s. It can be hard to stop yourself from indulging, which is why we have assembled the top 10 tips for you to stay healthy and slim during the holiday season.
#1: Grab a Friend
It can be hard to walk the healthy path alone through the holidays. A great way to keep the pounds off is to stay slim with a friend. Meet up for walks, yoga classes, or head to the gym together. Plus, you’ll have someone to talk to about all the gossip from your family gatherings.
#2: Watch Your Portions
Many people overindulge during the holidays. You don’t need two plates of food and one plate of dessert. Controlling your portions can be hard, but a great way to do this is to make sure your plate is halfway full with veggies. You don’t have to deny yourself a roll or a slice of pie, but fill up on low-calorie food before you treat yourself.
#3: Think Skinny At The Buffet
When it comes to buffets, it can be easy to make several trips. The best way to handle a buffet style meal is to scope out the healthy options before grabbing a plate. This way you will know exactly what to get when you get food. Sitting far away from the buffet removes the temptation from eyesight, which helps you only go one time.
#4: Make Water A Priority
When you are properly hydrated, you feel full, which means you won’t be tempted to eat food that happens to be out. You can also drink lemon water to help alkalize your body and keep your skin healthy in the dryer weather.
#5: Do Festive Activities
There are many activities, which burn a lot of calories, which you can do throughout the holidays. And you can do them with friends and family! You can go ice skating, sledding, or have snowball fights, provided you live where there is snow. You can even go hiking!
#6: Make The Most Your Workouts
It’s the holidays, which means there is shopping to do, parties to attend, and bundling and cuddling to be done. If you only have 30 minutes in the gym, maximize your workouts by doing interval training. Do high-intensity exercises with short rest periods. This will ensure that you are burning a lot of calories.
#7: Air Squats Before Your Meals
There are a lot of holiday dishes that can be rough on the digestive system. Proper bowel movements, which play a key role in staying healthy, can be established by boosting your metabolism. Before every meal, do air squats for 60-90 seconds. This will boost your metabolism and keep your digestive system happy.
#8: Start Your Days Off Healthy
Holiday treats and pastries are always abundant in every store. Say no to these! It is beneficial to start you day off with a healthy smoothie with vegan protein powder. Just remember too use fresh fruit and vegetables.
#9: Nibble on Apples When Cooking
When it comes to preparing holiday meals, you are likely to take extra “taste” bites or lick the frosting/batter. We like to call these fat traps. To avoid these traps, slice an apple before you start cooking and eat that when you feel like taking a bite of food. They are rich in fiber, help you stay full, and you’ll nibble less.
#10: Have A Morning-After Pig-Out Plan
Sometimes we have moments of weakness. You may eat too much dessert or too much food at your holiday meal. Don’t be upset with yourself. Have a plan for the morning after, so that you reset your mind and body back on the healthy path. Commit to walking 10,000 steps the next day or doing cardio for an hour.
While these tips can help you stay slim throughout the holidays, it is important to have fun too. Make sure you are following a diet regimen and exercise routine that works for you. Stay on track and you’ll stay slim this holiday season. You can also use our weight loss hacks to help you through the holidays.
Vincent Stevens is the senior content writer at Dherbs. As a fitness and health and wellness enthusiast, he enjoys covering a variety of topics, including the latest health, fitness, beauty, and lifestyle trends. His goal is to inform people of different ways they can improve their overall health, which aligns with Dherbs’ core values. He received his bachelor’s degree in creative writing from the University of Redlands, graduating summa cum laude. He lives in Los Angeles, CA.
