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November 22, 2009
Staying Healthy Through the Holidays
You've been doing great all year with your healthy living mission and then here comes the holidays. Don't fret! The holidays are all about maintaining your current weight. Don't get discouraged if that scale holds steady - it's a good thing! Here are 3 tips to help you stay on the healthy track during the holidays:
1. When in doubt, keep track
The mere act of logging your food and beverage intake can help you lose weight, studies have shown. When you find you’re indulging more than you expected, keeping tabs on everything you eat and drink and how much and your exercise regimen is a quick way to get back on a healthy eating track. Got a weakness for late afternoon cookies? Logging your intake can alert you to times of day or meals that are challenging.
Is a written food journal not your style? Your iPhone or smartphone can help. Apps such as “Lose it” can be a great way to track your daily intake.
A recent study in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association found that using a personal digital assistant was just as accurate in terms of food intake as writing it down. Keep tabs whichever way best suits you. It means you’ll be more likely to succeed with weight and fitness management.
Don't overindulge on vacation
2. Don't overindulge on vacation
Just because you’re off from work or going away on vacation does not mean you should abandon all diet restraint. In fact, having consistent dietary patterns on weekdays, weekends, holidays and during vacations greatly predicts long-term weight loss maintenance, according to findings from the National Weight Control Registry (NWCR), the largest prospective investigation of long-term successful weight-loss maintenance.
What you put in your suitcase can help you maintain your diet and fitness routine. Simply packing your sneakers and scoping out hotel fitness facilities and classes or nearby outdoor excursions can go a long way towards helping you get out of an unhealthy travel mindset. Many hotels spend big dollars equipping fitness rooms and creating healthful menu options for us to use and choose.
Don’t despair if you’re traveling on the cheap. Simple cardio exercises like jumping jacks or walking/running in place can be done anytime, anywhere. You can even prop a chair against the wall and create a perfect platform for squats, steps ups, dips and push-ups — no weights required.
Fighting Temptation
3. Fight temptation
At home, only keep foods whose portions you can control. If there’s a particular treat you like, buy single-serve portions, or keep them behind closed doors on a high shelf or in an opaque container. The idea is to make those temptations hard to reach.
To help you fight splurging when you’re not hungry, chew sugar-free gum, suck on a strong mint, have a breath strip or brush and floss. Before a party or other event, dampen hunger ahead of time with a protein- and fiber-rich snack such as 2 tablespoons of nuts and an apple or a string cheese and about five whole grain crackers.
Posted by Lisa at November 22, 2009 10:13 AM
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