5 Easy Ways a Holistic Nutritionist Stays Healthy During the Holidays

(Pssst….You can do it too!)

We’ve made it through Thanksgiving! So for many of us that means an upswing in holiday outings. Whether you’re heading to office parties, dinners out with friends or family parties, it most likely brings with it food, food and more food! Throw in the alcohol (if you partake in that) and it can mean our health and nutrition take a direct hit over the next month or so.

For many of my clients, the temptation of tasty holiday foods and desserts can be overwhelming. So today I’m sharing 5 easy ways I personally keep my health on track through the holidays.

Oh, and if you’re looking for a little extra help in addition to the tips, grab my FREE 7 DAY MEAL PLAN to help keep your nutrition on point.

So read on and feel free to borrow a couple of my habits to help prioritize your health AND have fun over the holidays!

1. Stay Hydrated (with water!)

While staying hydrated should always be a top priority for your health, it’s especially important during the holidays. Alcohol and sugary drinks are one sneaky way we consume more calories than we realize.

We often don’t know how many calories are in that cute holiday-themed cocktail or that festive red punch we’re served at parties. I know sticking with just plain water can seem boring so I like to make mocktails with flavored seltzer water to spice things up a bit without increasing my sugar intake. Many times drinking is a social act, so by making a fun mocktail, you won’t feel “left out” or tempted to drink if that’s what you’re trying to avoid. Truth be told - sometimes I use the seltzer waters as a mixer and add alcohol to them as well! Which is another great swap to avoid the sugary mixers like soda and juice that we sometimes use.

Additionally, we tend to eat more when we are consuming alcohol…I’m looking at you, late night pizza runs! There’s no reason why you can’t imbibe a little, just don’t go crazy and maybe throw in a mocktail between those alcoholic drinks.

2. Prioritize Movement in Some Way

Movement for our bodies will help combat the sluggish way we feel after over-indulging in our favorite foods. It is also proven to help aid our digestion which is definitely helpful after consuming a large meal.

Now when I say movement, I’m not talking about a crazy 2 hour workout to “erase” the foods you just consumed. Not only is that mindset unhealthy, but you’re just setting yourself up for failure. You’re going to make yourself feel “bad” for the foods you ate and that’s not what we’re about!

What I am all about is picking an activity that works for you and sticking to a plan. It could be getting in daily 20 min walks on your lunch break or hitting up that fun boxing class at your gym 3x/week after work or coming home and pressing play on a youtube workout after you drop the kids off at school. Whatever is going to help you stick with regular movement, go with that!

3. Be Mindful of Your Eating aka Eat When You’re Hungry…Not Just Because It’s There

So many times we eat or snack because there’s nothing else to do…essentially we’re bored! You know what I’m talking about, right?! That mindless munching we do while watching Netlfix after a long day or visits to the vending machine throughout the day because we’re bored at our desk.

Next time you’re at a holiday party, try not to stand by the food table and munch away. Oftentimes we continue to eat because it’s available and we’re just filling the time. I like to make myself a plate of snacks/food so I see the portion size I’m eating and then walk away from the food area. If, after some time, I’m still hungry, then I will fill my plate with more food.

It’s the mindless munching that gets us in trouble, so check yourself and be honest about how hungry you really are!

4. Follow the 80/20 Rule

I’m sure you’ve heard this rule before and there’s a reason it’s so popular among nutrition professionals. That’s because life is all about balance! I tell my clients that the best nutrition plan is the one they will stick with for the rest of their life. It’s not about being “perfect” all the time because that is impossible and will only set yourself up for failure.

It doesn’t matter what you ate last night for one meal at the office party. What DOES matter is what you eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner the rest of the week! We can’t look at nutrition in such a black and white, all or nothing way. We have to realize that if we’re eating whole, nutritious foods for the majority of our week, then one party isn’t going to ruin our overall health.

In order to ensure the majority of our week is full of healthy and nutritious foods, we have to make sure we have a plan. Which brings me to my last suggestion…

5. Have a Nutrition Routine/Plan During the Week

If what matters most is the food we consume over the majority of the week, then it would benefit us to have a plan or well-established routine of what we are eating, right?!

Personally, this is where meal planning comes in for me. If I didn’t have a plan each week of what I was going to be making, it would mean I would be more likely to lean on processed foods and quick take-out when our lives inevitably became busy with sports practices and other commitments.

If you’re not sure where to start with meal planning and prepping, check out my FREE 7 DAY MEAL PLAN to help jumpstart your healthy eating over the holidays.

It’s just like any habit, once you make an effort to integrate it into your routine, the easier it will become!

And that’s it! Those are my 5 simple ways to prioritize your health AND have fun over this upcoming holiday season. If you’re still feeling overwhelmed, don’t be afraid to reach out! Shoot me an email or check out my services, which include meal planning packages. I’m more than happy to work with clients over the coming weeks to help keep your nutrition a priority the majority of the time so you can enjoy the other 20% of parties and get togethers!

Wishing you health and wellness,

Ashley