Do These 3 Things Before Your Holiday Party

Do These 3 Things Before Your Holiday Party to Avoid Overeating

 By Gina Harney
The holiday season is packed with fun events – many involving food (and lots of it). To keep holiday temptations from derailing your healthy habits, it can be helpful to plan ahead. If you know that you’ll be indulgent later in the day, there are some key strategies you can use to feel energized and get your metabolism revved before the festivities begin.

Here are some of my favorite strategies:

 Move before everyone else is awake. I have the WORST time waking up early, but if I know it will be my only chance to get some movement, I’ll set my alarm and get in a quick workout before the family is awake. This works especially well if we’re at a hotel and I can sneak downstairs to the hotel gym for a quick workout. Some of my favorite 10-minute workouts:
  • HIIT intervals: Work a high intensity for 30 seconds (sprints, burpees, jumping lunges, quick bodyweight squats, push-ups, mountain climbers); then rest for 30 seconds. Complete 10 total rounds
  • Quick core blast: 45 seconds work, 15 seconds rest of the following exercises (then repeat)
            Plank
            Scissors
            Double-crunch
            Toe touches
            Hip raises

Cardio incline challenge: start at a moderate resistance/incline and increase it every 30 seconds. When you hit your max, hold it here for 1 minute. Lower down to start and repeat until 10 minutes are up

Hydrate, and avoid showing up to the party starving. This is my #1 healthy party tip. Make sure to have lots of protein, produce, and water during the day and eat a small snack before you head out to the party. This will allow you to make smarter choices and choose food that you actually enjoy and want to eat.

Add in extra movement throughout the day. Even during indulgent party days or events, find time to sneak in extra movement for a bonus calorie burn. Go for a short walk around the office every hour. Close your office door and do a 10-minute yoga flow. Take the dogs for a longer walk before you head out. Make an effort to stand and move as much as possible.

 If you tend to loosen the reins on your eating during the holidays, remember that the holidays are really only a small number of days – make sure you’re not applying that holiday “YOLO!” mentality to every day from November through January. And make a conscious effort to find ways to keep moving – maybe even a little more than usual. Remember that little things really do make a difference!