How to Stay Healthy in Holidays Season?

For those who are on a diet, Halloween can be the beginning of a multi-month nightmare with treats appearing everywhere during the holiday season. Not to mention that overeating seems to be an American holiday tradition. However, there are ways that you and and your family can stay healthy and avoid gaining weight during the holiday season.

• Holiday parties: Holiday parties seem to be centered around treats. Besides avoiding all social events!! here are some tips to keep friendships and a small waistline.
  
  >> Don't go to a party hungry
  
  >> If there's a buffet line, choose only the food that looks most appetizing to you (that way you don't feel forced to eat everything on your plate)
                             
  >> Watch portions and limit loading on sauces and dips, which are typically high in calories
                                    
  >> Exercise before the party.
  
  >> Don't stand by the food table
  
  >> Offer to bring a healthy dish.
• Instead of waiting to eat at big meal eat small little meals to help curb your appetite.
• Slow the pace when eating meals. "It takes at least 20 minutes for our brains to signal that we're actually full, which means a slow eater will consume less calories before feeling full than someone who races through their meal''
• Savor the first few bites. "When looking at brain chemicals signaling 'pleasure,' scientists have found that we receive less pleasure the more we eat of a food,So rather than feeling like you must eat a full serving of every desert at a holiday meal, take a bite or two and receive 90 percent of the pleasure at 10 percent of the calories."
• Find nutritious holiday foods: Some popular holiday food are actually nutritious too:                
  >> Chestnuts are actually one of the healthier nuts, that doesn't contain as much fat. It also contains fiber, vitamin C and folic acid, which reduces cardiovascular disease and helps the immune system.
  
  >> Turkey is a great source of protein. White meat is known to be the most nutritious part, but the dark meat contains the most iron. Keep turkey nutritious by avoiding the outer skin.
  
  >> A sweet potato "provides over 100 percent of our daily needs for beta-carotene,". It also has a high amount of vitamin C and E.
  
  >> Cranberries fight against cancer and heart disease. Adding it to sweet treats can reduce sugary content by 25 percent.
• Get enough sleep: You know how run down you feel when you don't get enough sleep, and during the holidays with all the social obligations, it can be even more difficult to get the right amount. That means your immune system isn't at it's best. Make more of an effort during the holidays to get an adequate amount of sleep - 7 hours of sleep per night - if you want to up your chances of remaining healthy during the holidays.
• Avoid shopping online: It's so much easier to shop online, but one problem is that you're sitting while you're doing it. When you're shopping in the stores, you move around and walk all over. You'll get a workout without even realizing it, especially if you're walking around a mall. If you live in a large city, such as New York City, forget about subways or cabs and get a really great workout while you do your shopping.
• drink alot of water and green tea.
• Play with the Kids:  During the holiday season, you're likely to be around more small children than usual. Take advantage of having the little ones around, and try to feed off of their holiday excitement. Instead of being burdened by the extra responsibilities of having tiny tots around, play with your nieces and nephews. You can chase the active toddlers around the house or take the older kids on a stroll around the neighborhood to check out holiday decorations. You'll be squeezing in a workout during the manic holiday season, and it's likely that the kids will put you in the holiday spirit.
• Workout Indoors: Working out can be difficult during the holidays for people who like to exercise outdoors. Taking a walk or going for a run might be next to impossible in freezing temperatures. Instead of being a couch potato while you're stuck indoors, come up with a workout you can do inside. Climb up and down the stairs in your house for a good cardio workout. Focus on weight training, Palates, yoga or invest in some fitness videos to stay trim during the holiday season. You could even put some of these items on your gift wish list.

Happy Holidays! :)