So the major eating holidays are starting to roll through. Halloween for one just came by and the presence of sugars were at an all time high. If you did consume or did not consume them, temptation plays a huge role. Remember since holidays are only once a year, it is completely fine to indulge your self in moderation.  Besides moderation for the "junk foods", increasing physical activity can help balance out the surplus (increase) in calories.

 

Why Holidays make us eat more than the usual?

Holidays come around only once a year and the greatest part of all is spending time with the ones you love the most.  Along with quality time spent with people comes the past time of eating. Food has always been a huge part of any culture growing up. We all know of a couple family members which were known for their delicious food. For Thanksgiving we all picture a huge turkey on the table with every type of side dish you can think of. In some cases this is true, but for others this might not be the case. Those of us which look forward to major holidays which revolve around food, should take certain precautions to avoid weight gain or the guilty  conscience. 1st: A couple months prior to the major Holiday(s), you should be aware of everything that you put in your mouth (Healthy or Not Healthy). 2nd: Along with your awareness of eating, comes the increase of physical activity to complete the equation of losing weight (More calories burned than consumed).  Combining these two steps, you will lose any unwanted weight or even start you on the road to a healthier lifestyle (Healthy eating & physical activity).

 

How to enjoy the Holidays without starving?

Just like I mentioned above, follow these two steps and you wil enjoy your holidays a lot more than feeling guilty when the holidays roll through. So besides the two steps I mentioned, you can also eat healthier during the holiday gatherings by preparing the food in a healthier fashion. For example, use less butter, mayo, sour cream and other ingredients which are notorious for fat. And if you have no control in how the food is prepared then you must control what you serve yourself. Cut back on the amount of fatty content and eat more of the healthier foods. Don't forget about the fruits and vegetables, packed with lots of great minerals and vitamins which will satisfy your appetite and body.

 

Alcohol:

Remember that 21 years of age is still the law in the USA and if you are calorie cautious then stick to hard alcohol.  The sweeter the drink the higher the sugar content is, hence sugar sweetens lowering the alcohol taste.  Still can't get yourself to drink the hard stuff then mix it with a natural fruit juice.  Your body knows how to properly digest natural sugars instead of those man made sugars.  Beer has plenty of calories per each can or bottle to go around the place.  Beer lovers, try drinking heavier and darker beers to help with calories.  The dark beers have more calories than the regular beer but since it is so think and strong you drink it slower and compared with regular beer you will consume a lot less throughout the night.  Since alcohol dehydrates you (Not just water dehydration), the lack of oxygen in the brain causes the drunk sensation and the lack of quick reaction. Therefore, you should space out the drinks and consume fluids with electrolytes.  Controlled social drinking once in a while is a healthier and safer alternative than binge drinking.

 

New Year's Resolution:

We all want to live a successful and rewarding life, but in reality humans will mess up.  This is why history has taught us so much; eat more and exercise less will lead into weight gains and health concerns.  Even when history has taught us that certain things will lead us in the wrong direction we still follow in those foot steps.  This is why New Year's Resolutions are such a big hit.  A start of the brand new year calls out for a revision of what bad event(s) happened the previous year.  Some popular New Year's Resolutions are: lose weight, quit drinking, quit smoking, quit cursing, be positive, work harder (sports or work), etc.  All of these have one main thing in common, fixing a bad habit which has gotten to the point of disrupting or affecting our lifestyle.  Just like my Coach (Barry) said, "When a habit interferes with your daily lifestyle in a negative way, you have a serious problem which needs to be addressed".  For example, if you tend to eat because of emotional situations, then you should receive proper help to prevent that.  This concept of habits can go both ways; Good Habits can lead into trouble and or potentially serious situations. For example, someone that needs to workout everyday for several hours at a time can have a Compulsive Addiction which can affect the loved ones around the individual.  So be careful on how you choose to make or break a habit (lifestyle).

 

Don't dread the Holidays, Be in control of yourself:

Holidays come once a year and it is a chance to spend it with the ones you love.  Don't let small obstacles like food get in the way of enjoying the time you have with each other.

Key points to keep an eye on:

• Moderation
• Awareness
• Self Control
• Sacrifices
• Rewarding Yourself

 

I personally work very hard at physical fitness and eating habits.  On the weekend I like to indulge myself in one or two meals which consist foods which I enjoy most but don't consume during the week. I am aware of what I eat throughout the week to make it to the weekend.  Besides awareness of eating comes self control and sacrificing certain food groups which are "junk food".  These habits which you create during the week helps to build positive enforcement and lets you reward yourself on the weekend.  Again, weekends should not be a time to binge eat what you missed out, weekends should let you break the rules once or twice to keep you sane and keep challenging yourself.  If you can't challenge yourself on your own then bring Reinforcement.  Friends and or Family are a perfect shoulder to lean on to get through the hard times.  Challenge a friend or family and now two or more persons are in it together and not solo.  Research demonstrates that 21 days builds a habit, good or bad.

 

Keep challenging and improving yourself, because time stops for no one and regrets are something which you live with forever.