6 Ways to Stay Fit During the Holidays

With the holiday season on our doorstep it is a good idea to have a few tactics up your sleeve that prevent you from adopting too many unhealthy habits… 

Here are my strategies to survive the holidays:

Before going out to dinner eat a small amount of protein

Good protein sources (to curb your appetite and prevent you from digging into some calorific high carb treat):

• A cup of natural yogurt
• Hand full of almonds (or 1tbsp of almond butter with a glass of water)
• Slices of roast chicken or turkey (preferably organic)

Bring/ Prepare your own drink

Punch, cocktails, long drinks, soda are all full of hidden sugars, making you tired after a short while; not to mention the implications they have for Candida sufferers.

Stay Hydrated

If you do end up drinking a glass of wine, make it a dry wine, and drink twice as much water to avoid dehydration.

Try this Nifty Hangover Cure

You might even get a chance to try my latest hangover cure, Bicarbonate Soda!

Yep, I heard it does wonders for you the day after… I only tried it as post-workout beverage which is also said to alleviate muscle ache (because it alkalizes your body which mops up some of the lactic acid that otherwise accumulates causing you stiff or aching muscles. It seemed to help me. Would love to hear your thoughts in case you try it ?

Dance away the stress

You are bound to get a bit hectic during the holiday prep – what better way to diffuse the stress than to listen to your favorite tunes, and do a silly dance in the kitchen (without anyone watching!) — definitely helps to stay fit during the holidays!

Add a touch of spice to your foods

Pepper, ginger, cayenne and also apple cider vinegar all help to kick-start your metabolism. Drinking ginger root tea in the morning is also has the same affect (with the added bonus of the vitamin c fending off infections)

Plan ahead

That doesn’t just apply to meal preparation and shopping but also to scheduling in time for fitness where you work off those holidays treats you’ve been snacking on– and, more importantly you must allow for buffers.

Including times to deal with emergencies (the oven giving up the ghost, friends unexpectedly announcing their visit, the car needs to be booked into the garage…) Things do go wrong, creeping into your already full schedule. Get ahead of the game, leaving space for eventualities.

Be forgiving – It’s ok not to be perfect!

You wanted to clean and decorate the house beautifully, and bake three different kinds of cookies and so much more… but all of a sudden the holidays are there, the guests are on their way, family members demand your attention…

It would be easy to beat yourself up and get frustrated that you didn’t achieve what you had hoped for, or you might even get upset with the people around you for not understanding or catering for the food intolerance you have (Fork & Beans has written a great article about that here, I especially heart her allergy-friendly ).

Instead focus on the things you do have. Let things be and play a game with your loved ones, making it a real “event” where you all feel light-hearted and connected.

Those are the moments we remember dearest.

Just be yourself.

Take some moments out for yourself to rest and recuperate – and HAVE FUN!!!

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