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With Christmas just a few days away, I wanted to share a few tips that help me to avoid Holiday weight gain.

You are going to have to exercise. This should come as no surprise that you will need to exercise to work off those extra calories you will intake. I definitely cheat my diet on the Holidays because life is too short to not enjoy a splurge worthy meal with family and loved ones. Let me give you a few ideas that might make exercising seem for fun and weight gain prevention seem more attainable over your break.

1. Go on a neighborhood walk/run with an old friend or a family member that is in from out of town. Instead of meeting up for happy hour or catching up over a glass of Egg Nog, why not bundle up and go for a little stroll? This will allow you to get your blood flowing and calories burning while getting to enjoy good company. I love getting to go on walks with Grant and Bucky and can’t wait to hopefully have more family members join us for family strolls during Christmas.

2. This is rather similar to the suggestion I just gave, but why not make that Christmas Light tour include some exercise? I know I’ve always loved getting to go see all the houses all lit up for Christmas. Instead of piling up in the car, why not drive and park at a neighborhood entrance and walk on foot to adore the Christmas decorations? Keep in mind I’m in College Station, TX so Christmas is normally more likely to be 70 degrees rather than freezing where I am located. I don’t have children, but this would be a great time to break out the strollers or even cozy up a little wagon for the little ones. Plus pushing or pulling them around will only burn more calories.

3. Put the phone down and take in the moment around you. This not only has to do with weight gain prevention, but also just being more present in the moment. It is so easy to scroll on social media rather than sit and chat with your Great Aunt on Christmas day. However, I encourage you to live more in the moment this Christmas. Get up and help wash the dishes, help pick up all the Christmas paper wrapping, offer to load your Grandmother’s car up for her, go out and sing Christmas carols to the neighbors, etc.. These acts are far more likely to encourage more activity rather than sitting on the corner of the couch scrolling on your phone. Plus, your family will really enjoy actually getting to talk to you rather than communication by text or email.

4. Enjoy your Holiday meal, but try to not eat right before you are going to lay down for a nap or plan to get tucked into bed for the night. We all know that if Turkey is on your Christmas menu, then the tryptophan is going to try its hardest to put you to sleep. I always like to allow at least an hour or two for my food to process before I go to sleep.

5. Eat your veggies! Instead of getting a double helping of rice or mashed potatoes with gravy, balance that plate out with some broccoli, caulifour, spinach, sweet potatoes or asparagus (just examples). If you’re the cook, be sure to include at least one healthy vegetable on the menu. Since I have been living such a healthy lifestyle, my body can truly feel the difference if I haven’t had my daily intake of green vegetables. One way that I can always be sure to get a good portion of vegetables and fruit in for the day is with one of my smoothies. You can see my video tutorial here. This was one of my first blogs, so it’s in desperate need of an update!

6. Drink lots of water! The more water you drink, the more full you will feel. Sometimes people eat more when they are thirsty rather than hungry. I like to drink a big glass of water when I first wake up in the morning and right before I go to bed. My body not only feels more hydrated, but my skin is more likely to be glowing from the extra hydration as well! Keeping a bottle of water around during the day will only encourage you to drink more water. During the weekends or Holidays when I consume wine or cocktails, I also try to drink water in between rather than just drink after drink. If you’re getting a little bored with regular water, stop by Sonic and grab a strawberry water. It’s one of my favorite drinks to help keep me hydrate when I need a break from plain water.

7. Try to eat a little slower. Rather than inhaling your food, try to slow down. This will allow you to enjoy more conversation rather than just stuffing your face. There are proven benefits that slower eating includes better digestion, better hydration, as well as greater satisfaction of the taste. If you’re a super fast eater, maybe take a break in the middle of your meal and offer to refill everyone’s drinks for them.

8. Eat a good breakfast. This will get your metabolism going for the day. Don’t try to skip on breakfast to save up for Christmas lunch, because you may end up over eating as well as eating too fast. Breakfast can be small, and I encourage some type of protein to get the day started.

9. Continue to snack throughout the day, especially on healthy things like almonds, veggie sticks, fruits or any other healthy options. I’m not saying to grab a yeast roll every time you walk by the kitchen. More small snacks throughout the day will keep you feeling full without being stuffed. Being active is best when you’re not hungry or too full.

10. Get a good night’s rest. Getting a solid 8 hours of rest isn’t always attainable for everybody, but it should at least be the goal. You’ll have time away from work and/or school, so catch up on that rest you’ve been missing. People who are more sleepy are more likely to make bad eating choices. Plus your body burns lots of calories during sleep as well as re-vitalizes your immune system to make sure you’re not gonna catch Uncle Larry’s cough that he may bring into your house.

I can’t wait to enjoy my Christmas meal and dessert and I hope you plan to do the same. Don’t be too rigid on yourself because life is still made for us to enjoy! Just make smart decisions to keep everything in balance. Here is proof of what I looked liked at Christmas time years ago compared to now. I’m sharing to show each of you that smart and constant lifestyle decisions that help to transform your bodies, too!

xo,