Surviving the Holiday Season

Oh, the holidays.  Such trouble for our waistlines!

But instead of telling you to avoid parties with buffets, drink water not egg nog, maintain your usual workout routine, and load your Thanksgiving plate with green beans instead of stuffing, I'm going to be realistic.  Because who are we kidding?  We all indulge during the holiday season (even nutritionists).  So rather than telling you to stave off indulgence (only to make you feel guilty when you don't take the advice), let's just focus on how to recover quickly so you can go back to feeling and looking your best.

The day after you've overeaten: 
Make a point to be active, and return to a normal eating routine.  Do not skip meals!  Instead, focus on eating especially light foods, like fruits & vegetables and lean proteins, so that you don't end up starving at the end of the day, only to find yourself overeating again.

The day after you've had too many spiked egg nogs:  
Unfortunately, a hangover is like a broken heart in that the only thing that cures it is time.  Caffeine, greasy food, Vitamin B powders are not going to help.  So rehydrate with plenty of water and diluted juice/diluted Gatorade, get some fresh air, and rest up. 

The day after you've lounged on the couch for 16 hours straight: 
Go for a few short walks, restore your inner peace with a yoga class, do some stretching at home, or hit the gym.  Just get moving, in whatever way is most enjoyable for you.

And that's it.  Remember, one day of bad eating or laziness isn't going to kill you.  But a week's worth of days like this will take a toll on how you feel...and also how your pants feel when you're trying to button them up.  So try to balance indulgent days with normal days, because come January, you'll want to look back on the holiday season as a time when you ate your share of fudge, but didn't go up 3 sizes.

Happy Thanksgiving!