Tis' the season for holiday parties filled with awesomely ugly holiday sweaters, pretty dresses, cookies, and all the other delicious stuff we stay away from in bikini season. There are a few simple secrets out there for ways to eat, drink, and be merry at holiday parties without packing on some extra lbs. Here are my three faves!
Eat
Eat at home. This may seem counter productive since there is a party with free food in the near future, but it is important. Christmas parties tend to have foods filled with hidden carbs and fats with little nutritional value... Even the healthy crudites are lacking with all the added dressings.
Snacking at home before a party will curb our appetite just enough so we do not go into starvation mode. There are more healthy choices for foods at home and not feeling famished at a party will encourage mild eating with fewer sweets and carbs. Besides, who wants to spend more time with the bon bons than friends?
Drink
There are usually lots and lots of yummy drink options at parties. I would never say to not even try one, but limit it to one. Having one of those carbtastic sugar drinks will leave our brains satisfied without killing all the gym work that week. After a splurge drink, stick to water; it will be more satisfying and the extra hydration will help skin keep that pretty holiday glow!
And Work It
This is my biggest secret to curbing holiday gorging and will even help you stick to the other two tips!
Once party time rolls around, workout per usual, but only workout for 85% of the usual time. The 85% rule seems to be the perfect medium between feeling satisfied with a workout and feeling like the workout was not enough. Working out less on a party day will actually do more for our health than working out more or not working out at all. On days when people workout over their average, they tend to feel like that extra french fry or cookie won't matter as much. When people skip a gym day, it is easier to think the whole day does not count and will start back on a healthy lifestyle tomorrow. Neither of these are what we want when mass cookies are near.
By working out a little less than the usual, we will not feel like the entire day is a wash, but we will also not feel like we did enough. This feeling of not doing enough will help curb unhealthy cravings and keep us away from the unhealthy eats.
And yes, I am terrible for using that picture... Insert evil laugh now ;)