Tips To Keep Healthy During The Holidays!

Today is the start of my holiday festivities. We have family coming for dinner tonight, so I needed to remind myself to not get caught up in the moment. Seasonal festivities and pressures often sabotage healthy holiday eating attempts.

But it doesn't have to be that way. You can have a healthy holiday with family and friends and enjoy the holidays more than ever.

You don't have to give in to the unhealthy eating temptations brought on by the holiday stress of excessive demands on your time, shopping like crazy or coping with hordes of relatives (who you may not even like).

And lets face facts. Your past holiday plans to celebrate by eating it all now and losing it all later have never paned out the way you planned.

Top Ten Healthy Holiday Eating and Lifestyle Tips

By taking charge and planning for healthy holiday eating and a healthy lifestyle during the holidays, you can enjoy a happy healthy holiday and make it through the season with your health and waistline intact.

1. Taking control and plan ahead. Stick with your daily routine as much as possible and make a doable plan before each holiday party.

2. Make plenty of time for exercise. Physical activity helps prevent weight gain and relieves holiday stress. Since exercise helps offset an increase in holiday eating, take a 20 minute walk every chance you get.

3. Shift focus from food to fun. Instead fattening holiday sweets, bake non-edible dough ornaments to decorate. Play games, do puzzles, tumble on mats or go for a walking tour of decorated homes.

4. Always eat before each event. When it's time to gather with family or associates never arrive hungry. Have a light high protein meal beforehand.

5. Limit holiday food exposure. At holiday events, take water and tasty healthy snacks along and sit as far away from the food as possible. In your own home, just serve festive fruits and nourishing nuts.

6. Choose water as your beverage. Most non-alcoholic beverages are full of sugar and calories and alcohol also induces overeating. Make plain or flavored water and herbal teas your beverages of choice.

7. Take a low-calorie party dish. Your host will appreciate the gesture and you'll know there's at least one tasty healthy dish available.

8. Eat 5 or 6 light meals a day. Not feeling too hungry and eating small portions helps keep you from over-indulging at an event. Sit down, get comfortable, eat slowly, savor each bite and you'll eat less.

9. Prepare healthy holiday meals. If you must fix traditional holiday foods, substitute healthy ingredients, like skim milk instead of whole, mashed banana or stevia instead of sugar and applesauce instead of oil.

10. Be rigorous but realistic. Relax and enjoy the season. Unrealistic expectations can only lead to holiday stress and overeating. And don't try to lose weight during the holidays. Just shoot for maintaining.

Tasty food and holiday gatherings go hand in hand. But it's time to get it right. Use these ten healthy holiday eating and healthy lifestyle tips to have a happy HEALTHY holiday this year and for years to come.

Have a Healthy and Successful Holiday Season!