With Thanksgiving mere weeks away, the holiday treats are beginning to make their appearance in break rooms, on coffee tables, and positioned perfectly beside your bed for a quick midnight snack. Between November and December, people across the United States gain about five pounds from these extra sweets. If you’re trying to stay active and healthy this time of year, though, here are some great tips.
Tip one: replace. Whether you’re an avid runner, a calorie counter, or anything in between, you are probably already conscious of what goes in your body and how it affects you. But, as Thanksgiving approaches, there is something about those sweet treats that makes will power fade.
To help you not give in to your delicious desires, replace your sweet treats for healthier alternatives. Ditch the cakes and candy for sweet trail mix. You can make your own to make sure you know exactly what you’re getting. A fun recipe is dark chocolate chips, nuts, and maybe a couple pretzel pieces. Nothing over the top, but just the right amount of sweet and salty to keep you satisfied without adding hundreds of calories to your diet.
Tip two: choose wisely. Sweet treats are a serious temptation, but an even greater temptation is meal planning. Preparing to cook a meal big enough to feed your entire extended family can make you want to eat out more often in the days prior to Thanksgiving. But, choose wisely. Leading up to Thanksgiving, give yourself the advantage by staying active and making good eating choices. Choose your meals wisely, choose your menu for Thanksgiving day, and hold yourself accountable!
Tip three: Plan ahead. Whether you are hosting or attending, you can control what you eat, how much you eat, and how you will eat. Plan ahead. It seems obsessive to give so much time and attention to your food intake, but planning ahead can help you stay on track in your diet and exercise goals. So plan ahead. Determine your limit and stick to it. If you know nothing healthy will be served at your party, make something to bring that you know will give nutritional value to your meal.
It’s not easy to stay on track during the holidays, especially when you’re busy preparing for the meal and the guests and every other stress that holidays can bring on. But, stay active during this time. Take time for yourself to run, do yoga, lift weights—exercise of any kind! Enjoy the holidays without the added pressure of maintaining your weight by planning ahead and making good choices.
