I’ve been on a crazy health kick the past month, making exercise and healthy eating a priority and keeping the junk food strictly to my Instagram feed (#foodporn). This morning while I was walking back from the gym, I looked at the calendar to plan my workouts for the next week and then I saw it. “Thanksgiving”, the holiday that involves a lot of gluttonous eating and sitting on the couch watching football (or pretending). I’ve been doing so well,  I needed to go into this holiday well prepared so I won’t fuck everything up.

I reached out to Coach Kristin from IronPlate Studios to help me out and she sent me some helpful tips on how I can keep myself in check in time for the holidays…

I just realized that Hanukkah is the following week?! Did someone say Latkas?!

Oy Vey….

10 Tips on How to Survive the Holidays (Without Derailing Your Fitness and Nutrition Routine)

The holidays can be a tricky time for us all.  But I’m here to tell you it doesn’t need to be.  If there’s one thing I tell all my clients, it’s “make yourself the priority.”  Just because it’s the holiday season doesn’t make it a time to undo all the hard work you’ve put in the rest of the year.  You can have it all: a fun, festive holiday season and a fit and healthy lifestyle.  Incorporating some of the following tips will help you survive this holiday season without derailing your fitness and nutrition routine that you’ve worked so hard to achieve.

1. Let yourself go a little on the actual holidays, but remain focused on all those days in between.  2 or 3 days of overindulgence on Thanksgiving or Christmas Day won’t make or break you, but all the little get together’s and “dinners with friends” in between will (and they will add up!).
2. Pick 2 or 3 favorite holiday treat foods and plan for them.  Don’t include the miscellaneous junk.  Save your “cheats” for those things that really matter.
3. Give yourself permission to not be “all in,” but commit to doing what you can without any negative self talk.  Continue to make it challenging even if it’s not at full throttle.  Even some shorter workouts that aren’t intense as what you’re used to will count – anything is better than nothing.

1. Celebrate the true meaning of Christmas and the holiday season.  Make dates with friends for yoga, a barre class or even to join you for your next personal training session.  Time with friends doesn’t always have to be centered around food and drink.
2. Plan, plan, plan.  The holidays come the same time each year so stop acting like you’ve been sucker punched!
3. Use calorie-cutting tips when baking or cooking a dish for an event.  Making smart substitutions can save hundreds of calories and keep you on track.
4. Don’t drink at every event you are invited to!  Sip smartly and plan for those nights when you’re going to indulge a little more than normal.
5. Make sure to have a protein and veggie rich breakfast each morning during the holiday season.  Many times people know they have a big event that night and skip breakfast in order to “save” calories for the night, but this is a strategy that will backfire.  Skipping meals slows metabolism, and will cause you to overindulge later that night.
6. If need be, weigh yourself every few days to keep yourself under control – if this doesn’t motivate you to keep your indulging in check, nothing will!
7. Sign up for the ’12 Days of Fitness’ Challenge with IronPlate Studios!  Purchase a 12-pack of personal training – if you use all 12 sessions between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, get 2 FREE TRAINING SESSIONS to start 2016 off right!  How’s that for motivation and staying on track?

Boom.

http://www.ironplatestudios.com