Christmas will be here in a few days' time, and all of my gifts are wrapped and I'm ready to hit the road! Dealing with the onslaught of holiday cookies, cakes and alcohol from work, social events and family gatherings can seem overwhelming. However, employ a few smart strategies to help combat the battle of the bulge between Christmas and NYE:
- Eat a balanced, full breakfast every morning: Eating breakfast helps to curb overeating and cravings later in the day--try to pairing complex carbohydrates (such as oatmeal or Kashi Whole Grain waffles) with protein (hard boiled egg, cottage cheese) and a piece of fruit.
- Limit imbibing with alcohol: Champagne makes an appearance on New Year's Eve and I may (or may not) spike my egg nog with a bit of rum on Christmas--you can indulge a bit, but limit yourself to one or two glasses.
- Stay active: I will be traveling to North Carolina for the holidays--I created a 'portable' workout for those times in which I'm short on space and time consisting of workout/aerobic DVDs, played on my laptop. If you can bring along 3-5 lb. dumbbells, that's even better.
- Drink H20...lots of it: Having 1-2 glasses of water just before eating fills me up, preventing me from overeating rich, calorie-dense foods.
- Maintain your regular sleep schedule: Even on holiday mornings and weekends, maintain your regular sleep schedule and try to get at least 7-8 hours of sleep every night. Zombie-walking through the day on minimal sleep seems to lead to more frequent snacking on sugary/caloric treats.
