Holiday Tips and Holiday Workout

Wow Christmas is under 2 weeks away! Yikes!

Here are 10 Holiday survival Tips taken from my website:  www.ShapedByShawn.com

1) Allow yourself the treat day

You can still enjoy the holidays while maintaining your fitness and health accomplishments- treats are OK! I am a huge believer in treating yourself! The biggest time we run into challenges is when we tend to celebrate holidays over and over and over again.

If you go off track for one meal or one day, snap out of it the next morning with a fantastic healthy breakfast and a workout. Don’t beat yourself up for it, and  don’t harp on it, dwell on it, or let it define your success or failure.  LET IT GO! You will see results as an accumulation of your habits, not as an after-effect of one meal or day that wasn’t perfect.

2) Eat something healthy before the holiday party

Such as some soup or a large salad. Eat something nutrient dense or fiber rich before the party, then you won’t arrive ready to stuff the buffet table into your face. Or if it’s a bring a dish to pass…Bring something healthy. Make sure you drink plenty of water as well.

3) Remember all leftovers can be frozen

If you are tempted to carry over that feast, freeze the leftovers so you don’t continue to mindlessly munch.

4) Focus on People not FOOD

At most gatherings there are other people so get involved!  Talk more, eat less.  Play games and remember that the holidays are meant to spend time with family and not just a time to eat. Sometimes you only get to visit once or twice  year with certain people. Enjoy this time to visit.

5) Plan ahead

Don’t expect yourself to live on a food plan based on deprivation. Take the time to identify the treats you want to indulge in and choose the trade-offs that you are willing to make. What are the temptations you can have anytime that you can pass by over the holiday months? What portion size will you serve yourself?

6) Cook some healthy meals ahead

This goes along with planning ahead. Keep in mind that the holidays can be full of stress and we then rely on fast food to just get by, do not do this.  Cook some healthy meals ahead of time then you can still just relax and pop it in the microwave. Healthy fast food!

7) Stay on top of your stress

We all know the Holidays can be a very stressful time of the year. Take time to slow down and de- stress.

Set aside some “me” time

Ask yourself as you’re running around to please everyone else, “Have you set aside time for yourself” Get a massage, read a book…..whatever it is that “little well deserved escape”. You know what it is you enjoy

Take Slow, Deep Breaths
When we get stressed, we tend to breath more quickly, taking shallow breaths. Concentrate on your breathing (you might want to do this in conjunction with meditation or prayer). Imagine breathing from your stomach, not your chest. Take slow, deep, fulfilling breaths. Calming your body down physically in this way is likely to have a knock-on effect on your frazzled mental state.

Meditate or Pray
Often, the best thing we can do to instantly de-stress is to simply stop. Many life coaches recommend meditation. There’s no mystery to it, just sit and try to clear your mind of thoughts (try concentrating on a calming image or a word or phrase). I also like to pray, it can be a very powerful way to get outside of your own head and call on a higher power for some much-needed help!

Drink  Herbal Tea
If you’re feeling stressed, caffeine isn’t going to help. A warm, soothing mug of herbal tea might, though. The act of making yourself a drink can be calming: it gets you away from your desk, and it gives you a chance to concentrate on something physical. You’ll probably also feel a psychological boost from doing something positive and nurturing for yourself.

Watch something funny
I don’t know about you, but I just can’t stay stressed out when I’m laughing. If you have a favorite YouTube clip, or whatever makes you giggle, then give yourself five minutes to indulge. You’ll find that you return to your work – or whatever the source of the stress is – feeling much better equipped to handle it.

Get in some exercise

Exercise gets your endorphins going. Even something as simple as a quick walk can help.

8)Watch your liquid calories

Alcohol can pack on a lot of extra calories. If you enjoy holiday spirits just make sure you think about it. Pop and Punch are also high in calories. Look up calorie info for your favorite drinks….set your calorie limit and stick to it.

Drink more water, tea and coffee (very good low to no calorie drinks) .

9) Host the holiday party at your house

This is the best way to ensure that you’ll have something healthy to eat while celebrating the holidays with your friends and family. Hosting a party gives you a little more control over what kind of foods will be served. Suggest that your guests bring salads or some of the healthier family favorites. And you can provide the real stuff like homemade salad dressing, real butter, whole grain breads, and even an organic turkey- with real gravy! Now some may be thinking why should I spend the extra time and money to provide better quality foods when most of my guests wouldn’t even appreciate it? First of all, you still have to eat. And secondly, this could actually be the first time some of your guests have ever had good nutritious foods. Once they taste what real food is supposed to taste like, you may even get a few converts!

10)Exercise,exercise,exercise

Every week, try to have as many “normal” days — when you eat healthy foods and exercise — as possible. While a workout can’t compensate for overeating, it does help stabilize weight and gives you a psychological boost too. Of course, it’s frequently the first thing to be eliminated from a busy schedule. Write your exercise time in your weekly planner and consider it as absolute. NO EXCUSES

And speaking of Exercise .....

I will be teaching a special holiday workout Wednesday, December 21 @ 7 pm

It will be held at 1490 Torrey Rd Fenton.

This is my 12 Days of Christmas Workout......On the first day of Christmas my trainer gave to me ..... It's a surprise ;)

This special holiday workout is free of charge. Merry Christmas!