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The word holiday comes from the combination of the words holy and day which is appropriate since most of our holidays are holy in the true sense of the word (e.g. Christmas and Easter) or hallowed in a broad sense (e.g. Independence Day and Veterans Day). In addition, holidays are typically times of happiness, family, and festivity. However, for people trying to lose weight or maintain a healthy eating and fitness plan, the holidays can seem a little less wonderful.
We've all been there: the seemingly endless food, the constant lounging, and perhaps worst of all, the silent peer pressure to engage in it all (or maybe this is just my family!). I think one of the primary reasons the holidays are often so stressful to dieters or those trying to remain healthy and fit is that the regular schedules and habits we try to develop are often severely disrupted. So, the challenge of the dieter or the person trying to maintain healthy habits is to find a way to keep up the healthy habits throughout the holidays (yes, even one day often gets stretched to days or in the case of Christmas, weeks).
It's not always easy since, for many, holidays involve staying in other people's homes, eating other people's cooking, and even if we are the ones in charge, we still have to deal with other people's expectations which are often quite stringent (try serving fruit instead of pie at Thanksgiving and see what happens!).
So, how can you keep to your healthy eating and fitness habits? Here are a few tips, but they assume you have the habits to begin with!
1.Keep your own schedule intact
I believe that keeping your routine relatively unchanged is vital to survive the holidays. If you eat yogurt and banana for breakfast and go to the gym at 11:30am during most weeks, try to keep up those habits during the holidays too. Not possible? See #2.
2.Be flexible with the times, but not the content
Ok, maybe Grandma Ethel insists that everyone gather for a family photo at 11:30am. That's fine. Then, plan on going to the gym at noon. Family boggle game at noon? Then absolutely insist on 1:00pm. Be flexible with the times, but if you go to the gym every other day during your normal life, keep to this during the holidays.
3.Be firm
If you interact with family members during the holidays, chances are many will not share your health and fitness vision. Fine, and you should respect that. But, they must respect you too. If Grandma Ethel insists on a family photo and boggle, then you can also insist on a healthy addition to the family meal and time for a walk. Give and take, but don't just give, give, give and gain five pounds.
4.Find allies
Maybe cousin Bernice is also into health and fitness. Team up with her and work together, whether it's to fight temptation or go to the gym.
5.Don't expect others to do it
In most cases, your family isn't out to sabotage your efforts. They may either not care about health personally or not know how important it is to you. Don't assume the worst, but also don't assume others will do your work for you. If you want tofu turkey, don't insist that Uncle Gino make it in place of his usual turkey. Let Uncle Gino do his thing and you make tofu turkey too. People may think you're weird, but they won't think you're a complainer who expects everyone to hand you everything.
6.Adapt, adapt, and adapt
I know I said to keep your schedule first and then be flexible about time only. Now, I'm giving more contradictory advice. See #6 as a "plan C" option. If you can't keep your normal schedule, be flexible about the times. If you can't keep to your normal content, then adapt. For example, if you travel to see family and they don't have a gym that allows visitors (rare, btw) nearby, then run or walk. If it's the middle of winter, then jog in place. Boring as hell? Sure. But, better than nothing and it's only for a couple of days. If your family only offers high calorie foods at dinner and you haven't cooked anything, then just eat small portions, even if you're used to eating bigger portions of healthier food.
7.Pick your battles
No one likes a whiner and getting labeled a health or fitness freak will just make others tune out your views. So, choose your battles carefully. Decide which issues you will compromise on and which you will fight (politely) for. Be willing to accommodate as much as possible, but stick to your guns on essentials. For example, if you don't eat red meat as a matter of conviction, then don't eat it, even if Aunt Gertrude insists it puts meat on your bones (whey protein powder is fine, thanks). On the other hand, if you prefer running in the mornings, don't skip church with the family on Easter when you can just as easily run in the afternoon. The former makes you look principled, the latter just petty.
8.Indulge a little
Have a piece of pie; enjoy the extra cup of coffee; eat grandma's stuffing. You may not normally do some of these things, but these are holidays. Enjoy the more decadent foods in moderation or small amounts occasionally and you'll be less likely to binge later. The holidays are a great time to let yourself indulge a little. Emphasis on a little, not indulge. Repeat that as a mantra.
9.Finally, enjoy the holidays
Holidays are supposed to be fun and too much strategizing about health and fitness could ruin that. Then again, so could gaining five pounds from Holy Thursday to Easter Sunday.
So, plan ahead, follow this advice, and it should make your holiday more fun, less stressful, and most importantly, from a health and fitness perspective, less likely to result in those jeans feeling a good deal tighter.
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Jonathan Bennett