The Holidays: Maintaining a Healthy Lifestyle

This post is a copy of the post I wrote for the Tallahassee Woman Magazine's December 2019/January 2020 issue. View the original post in Tallahassee Woman (page 50) here.

The holidays can be a challenging time to maintain a healthy lifestyle. We don't want to gain the dreaded extra pounds, but we also want to enjoy parties and family gatherings.

Plan for your inevitable "off" moments with responsible choices leading up to it. Get up early and workout in whatever form that looks like for you, be it the gym, a run or a walk. Have a protein smoothie or a lighter breakfast and lunch, saving the extra calories for the party, but without the guilt.

A hungry stomach tends to cause poor decisions, so eat a snack before attending any gathering. Make well-balanced choices upon arrival, filling up your plate with the raw veggies and other healthier options first.

Not sure if there will be health options available? Bring them as your contribution to the event. Our empty calories often come in the form of what we drink, as opposed to what we eat. Try bringing your own low-calorie, low-sugar mixers for your cocktails.

Lastly, failed to plan ahead? Jump right back on the wagon. Went a little overboard? Avoid allowing a bad meal to turn into a bad day, then a bad week, then a bad season. Healthy people are mindful of what can be a destructive pattern.

Don't overthink it - just recognize the misstep and correct it on the next meal!

To aging gracefully together,

Lisa