5 Tips for Staying Healthy Through the Holidays

For anyone that is trying to lead a healthier lifestyle, the holidays can be a major problem. The abundance of fattening food and drinks served throughout the holiday period can be a dieters worse nightmare, and the increase in party invitations and events can make it tough to schedule in exercise.

You may worry that the only way to have a healthy holidays is to avoid holiday parties and events, but this really doesn’t have to be the case at all. In fact, there are many ways you can still stay healthy during the holidays without having to give up your social life. To help you out in your quest for a healthy holiday, here are 5 essential tips for staying healthy during the holidays:

Schedule Time to Exercise

Your calendar may be jam packed with holiday parties and other festivities, but this doesn’t mean you have to abandon your exercise regime all together. If you can’t find time to make it to the gym, try working out at home instead. Perhaps you own some exercise DVDs you could put to good use or go for a jog round your neighborhood.

Try these for some quick at-home-workouts that require no equipment and that can be done anywhere, anytime:

• Pushups
• Squats
• Lunges
• Sit-ups
• Yoga
• Jogging

Even if you have to cut back on your exercise routines to save time, be sure to still find time to exercise each day, as otherwise you could find the pounds creeping on as the holiday season progresses.

Make Healthy Holiday Treats

A quick search online will reveal that there are plenty of delicious healthy recipes for the holidays out there, and many of which are surprisingly easy and affordable to make. Not all holiday treats have to be calorific and fattening, with a little imagination you can add a festive spin onto virtually any healthy dish. Of course there will be times when you’ll want to indulge in some unhealthy holiday treats but for the most part try to mainly stick to healthier options.

Pack Healthy Snacks

For a lot of people the holidays means a lot of traveling, which can lead to a limitation of healthy food available. However, you can easily skip having to get fast food at the airport or during your road trip by simply bringing some healthy snacks with you for your trip. Try packing some of the following items next time you’re out so that you have something healthy to snack on:

• Granola, or granola bars
• Dried fruit
• Nuts
• Whole wheat crackers

Not only will this help you stay on top of your healthy diet, but it will also likely save you a small fortune to boot.

Watch Your Alcohol Intake

The holiday season doesn’t just include plenty of unhealthy foods, but also a ton of alcoholic beverages served at holiday parties and events. Alcohol can be surprisingly high in calories, and so it is best to avoid drinking excessively during the holidays to avoid packing on the pounds as well as to avoid those pesky hangovers. Of course you’ll likely want to enjoy a drink or two on a night out during the holiday season so try to alternate between alcholic and non-alcholic drinks to cut down on your calorie intake, or try one of the following “low-cal” mixers with your drink:

• Diet soda
• Orange juice
• Coffee
• Lemon or lime juice

Be Realistic

The truth is, you’re probably going to treat yourself to generous sized meals and sugary treats more often than you expect to during the holiday season, so don’t be too down on yourself if your diet and exercise goals don’t go exactly to plan. Definitely try to exercise regularly and eat as healthy as you can, but don’t punish yourself too harshly if you do let things slide a little. The holidays are supposed to be fun after all, so do remember to enjoy yourself!

With a little planning and a lot of motivation the holidays can be as healthy and active as you want them to be. Happy Holidays!

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2. Top Nutrition Blogs – 2011 Awards