The holidays are such a cozy, lovely time of year! It’s a time to be with family, take vacations days, and celebrate with loved ones. However, all of those things tend to be inextricably linked to indulging on unhealthy and sweet foods- so much so, that if you aren’t intentional about it, December 31st can find you feeling heavy and sluggish. I’m a personal trainer and nutritionist and here is how I enjoy my December without completely undoing my progress from the year.
Plan your indulgences. December is full of events, from holiday parties to specialty drinks at your favorite coffee shop, to holiday markets FULL of “must try” sugary and cheeses items. If you aren’t careful, you can easily end up overeating at every meal. It’s important to take a look at your calendar for the next month and decide which events will be the most enjoyable, where you’ll want to indulge, and which ones are more meh, that you can stick to your plan for.
Prioritize your sleep. This is so important. Not only does sleep help to balance your blood sugar (I’m looking at you, Christmas cookies), but it also helps you to resist your sugar cravings the next day. Now on top of that, studies have shown humans to need an average of 1 hour more of sleep in the winter. Missing your sleep now will have even worse repercussions when it comes to causing next-day cravings, especially in a month when you’re surrounded by messages telling you to eat more sugary goodies at every turn.
So how does one get better sleep? Some simple changes you can make literally tonight are :
- No alcohol before bed. This means trying to keep it light at weeknight holiday events. Going home drunk on Christmas cosmos is going to interfere with your deep sleep, which is where a lot of the important work happens.
- Better yet, dip out early from weeknight events or say no to anything that’s less than a complete blast. You can tell them your trainer told you you had to sleep more. You’re welcome.
- Buy some blue light blocking glasses and start wearing them when the sun goes down. Blue lights from our screens and even indoor lighting can disrupt our circadian rhythm, making our body think the sun is out when it isn’t, and this interferes with our nightly wind down. Blue light blocking glasses will help remedy some of that rhythm- interruption.
Change up your workout routine to go with the season. It sucks to feel like you need to choose between enjoying festivities and taking care of your body. We definitely don’t want you to start resenting the gym. Why not bring some holiday flare to your workouts?
You usually do mat Pilates at home on Thursdays? Go on Youtube and set up a holiday ambiance on your TV to make it festive.
Your family is in town when you have a HIIT class? Use that as a chance to bond with your brother’s girlfriend and bring her!
Your meal plan has you eating overnight oats this week? Great! Add some cocoa, chocolate protein, and sprinkle it with goji berries and pistachios. Even better, put it in a mug! Now you have “hot chocolate” overnight oats.
When there is a will, there is a way. Get creative!
Find healthy versions of your holiday favorites. Sure, grandma might have the best sugar cookie recipe, and you might absolutely want to make them Christmas Eve night, but what about that random Thursday you’re watching Home Alone with your husband? For days you don’t want to indulge, find healthier versions of your holiday favorites.
My personal favorites are:
Cookie dough- Sweet Loren’s
Egg Nog – Malk, Holiday Nog
Hot Chocolate – Vital Proteins, Chocolate
Accept you wont have your perfect routine
No matter how hard you try, December will throw curve balls your way, and a lot of these curve balls are pleasurable things you don’t want to miss, like making memories with family and friends. Do not allow yourself to dampen these moments with feelings of regret over a missed workout or going off of your meal plan. The body won’t change because of just one or two or even FIVE missed workouts. Your body changes by analyzing your trends, and if you’re still going to your workouts more often than not, you’re still trending towards health and fitness! So take a deep breath, accept your missed workout, and go enjoy that family dinner.
