How I Stay Healthy During The Holidays

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pullover // leggings // sneakers // ray bans

Welcome Back!

Is everyone ready for Thanksgiving tomorrow? We’ll be heading to my moms for an outdoor “social distancing” Thanksgiving meal and I’m just praying we have decent weather! 

Yesterday on instagram stories, I shared a link to an old blog post I wrote on “17 Tips to Avoid Weight Gain this Holiday Season” and after rereading it for the first time in a few years this morning, it just didn’t sit right with me? Over this last week, I’ve had a influx of messages from girls looking for tips on how to stay healthy during the holidays, and since I knew I had written a ton of posts on that exact subject over the years, I went and found the most recent/applicable one and shared it without really thinking anything about it. 

The thing is though, I’ve grown and changed a lot over the last two years. I mean, grew a human and gave birth lol. So to say I have a different appreciation and outlook on my body and health would be an understatement. There are still a few points from that post that I stand by and continue to follow but others… not so much. Honestly, it was the “Weigh Yourself Everyday” tip that did it for me. Like….. you couldn’t PAY ME to weigh myself everyday lmao. That and the “Tell People You Have an Allergy“… like good freaking lord ha. I knew that I was strict with my diet at the time but I don’t think I really realized just how restrictive and obsessed with my weight I was. I kind of  based my self worth off how much I weighed and…. that’s like really toxic and I’m just not that person anymore, so I decided it’s time for an updated post!

The thing is though, I do advocate for living a healthier lifestyle. I was considered overweight for a huge part of my life and so I understand first hand the negative side effects that come along with poor diet and lack of exercise. For example – never having energy, getting winded super easily and worst of all, the headaches/migraines I used to get are a few that come to mind. Diabetes and Heart Disease also run in my family…so yes, I do think it’s important to eat right and move your body. 

 While the holidays are indeed the most magical time of the year, if you’re someone who has been working really hard to try and lose weight, you’re someone who just lost a lot of weight or maybe you’re just trying to maintain where you’re at, the holidays can be a slippery slope. Even though this year is a little bit different, it’s easy to fall back into old habits during the holidays. There are just more opportunities to not make the best choices is all. If you’ve followed me for awhile, then you know that health/wellness is very important to me but let me tell you, even though I stayed extremely active during my pregnancy, I’ve been in a little bit of a rut since having Teddy.  I still try to be mindful and really practice what I preach but I’m not perfect. Life it a balance and the holidays are apart of life. So I hope that you find these tips below easy to follow and are manageable this holiday season. 

How I Stay Healthy During The Holidays 

Start Your Day Off On The Right Track

Wether you’re getting in a morning workout or choosing a nutritious breakfast, it sets the tone for the day. Especially if you have some sort of gathering later on in the afternoon/evening, you’ll go into it knowing you already got a sweat in and have made healthier choices throughout the day, you’ll be able to just enjoy yourself as opposed to feeling guilty. 

Keep Moving Your Body. Anything is better than nothing.

Whether you like to go on walks, you run, spin, enjoy weight lifting, pilates or whatever it may be – just keep doing what you’re doing. Don’t stop now. Stay active and keep moving. You don’t have to be over the top crazy about it but be mindful. My normal rule of thumb is that I try not to go more that two days without a workout. Sometimes it’s just a walk in the neighbor, other times it’s a full weight lifting workout. Anything is better than nothing. Even if it’s only 15 minutes.

Enjoy your favorite foods but be mindful

It’s the 80/20 rule my friends. All the yummy food is one of the best parts of the holiday season and while I highly encourage living your life, try your best to be mindful. Instead of filling my plate with only starchy casseroles and carb loaded dishes, I aim to fill my plate with mostly proteins and vegetables but still leave little bit of room for my favorite “not so healthy” dishes. It’s choosing the healthier option 80% of the time but living the other 20%.

Bring Your Own Healthy Dish 

If you already know there won’t be any healthier options at your holiday gatherings, then I suggest being the person to bring a healthy dish or two!! That’s me at all of our gatherings and people will be more appreciative then you know. I shared a few healthy Thanksgiving options on this last blog post. 

Start an Active Holiday Tradition

Every year, my family walks/runs in the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning! Yes, we’re “that family that runs 5ks on holidays” lol but honestly I love it.  We have run the Turkey Trot in Houston multiple times, Los Angeles, Dallas, Canton, Austin and Knoxville! I’m so sad this year was cancelled due to covid but we still plan on getting up getting our steps in that morning around our neighborhood. It’s all around a great way to start off your holiday. Not only are you moving your body first thing but you’re bonding with your family and making memories. 

Try Waiting 20 Minutes Before Getting Seconds 

It takes 20 minutes for your body to realize if it’s full or not, so instead of immediately getting up for more, give it time to digest and recognize everything you just put in it. Then if you’re still hungry, get yo seconds girl. 

Pick Your Poison

If you look forward to your Mom’s famous cinnamon rolls she makes every Christmas morning, then not having them is not an option but if you’re at a party where random cookies are just laying out… decided whether you really need one or not. That’s unless it looks like really good lmao. 

Self control is hard but I try to remind myself that just because something is in front of me doesn’t mean I have to eat it. 

Choose Your Holiday Cocktails Wisely

If you’re really trying to watch your weight or sugar intake, then I’d really try avoiding drinks like ciders, christmas cocktails, sangrias, and eggnog concoctions. Not only are they filled with sugar but will probably give you a gnarly headache as well. I’ve learned the more simple the drink, the better. None of them are great for you but if you have to choose, I’d go with wine or chilled tequila with topochico and lime juice! Shout out to my fellow ranch water lovers!

Life is Short – Eat the Cake (or pie lol)

Maybe just like.. try not to have an entire pie to yourself lol. One thing that Colton and I do is split dessert. I know that’s not an option for my dessert lovers out there but it’s just a suggestion. If you’re wanting to pick the “healthier option” this Thanksgiving, go for the Pumpkin Pie over Pecan. I personally like a sliver of each so I get to try them all without having a full piece…but to each their own.

Watch Out for the Starbucks Holiday Drinks 

Starbucks Holiday drinks are all the craze and I get it, they’re delicious but good lord are they horrible for you. The amount of sugar in them is unreal. If you have an absolutely favorite drink, then enjoy yourself and have one but you don’t need to have one every single day just because it’s that time of year. 

My Go-To Starbucks Order: Grande Blonde Roast ( or Pike Place ) Coffee, with Almond (or Non-Fat) Milk and dash of Cinnamon. I also love me a Skinny Vanilla Latte. It’s basic and still not great for you but it’s my life. 

Tomorrow is a New Day

So you indulged a little too much? That’s ok! We all do and just because you maybe had more than you were expecting too, it doesn’t mean that you have failed or did anything wrong. Just pick right back up where you left off. Just keep moving and doing your best to eat right. 

xo,

Lauren

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