My Stay Fit Trick for the Holidays

Unless you plan on wearing Pajama Jeans for the holidays, you need a plan to stay in shape. Christmas is coming and that means parties and dress up clothes. It's time to meet new people and reconnect with friends, and, if you're like me, you want to look good.


Although I'm not super-skinny, I've stayed relatively the same weight for twenty years. (That's not counting baby weight with the kids--wow, I gained a lot!) You might assume I have some elusive secret or a magical metabolism. I don't. Like most people, I work at it.

But listen...it really isn't as hard as it sounds.

Through the years, I've learned a few secrets to maintaining a healthy weight. Do I fluctuate by five pounds? Absolutely. Do I deny myself the treats of the season? No way!

 So here is my stay fit trick for the holidays:

Make Monday through Thursday Count.

Most parties and events take place on the weekends, so balance them with good habits during the week.

Nutrition:

* Plan and cook healthy meals. If you absolutely have no time to cook and don't own a crockpot, purchase healthy frozen dinners and add a large salad.

* Aim for 5-7 fruits and veggies. Maybe baby carrots and a sliced orange don't tease your taste buds, but your body will thank you for the fiber and vitamins. You can always wash the celery down with a cup of hot cocoa. I'm serious. Cocoa has like 100 calories or something--go for it!

* Drink tons of water. Have a glass of water when you wake up. Have one mid-morning. Have one at lunch. Have two in the afternoon. Water prevents water retention. I like to be able to zip up my jeans.

* Watch portion sizes of high calorie snacks. I daily enjoy non-nutritious snacks like chocolate bars and barbecue potato chips. The key is to watch the portion size. If the serving size says 17 chips, go ahead and count out 17 chips. The 34th chip doesn't taste better, trust me.

* Take vitamins. This is entirely up to you, and the experts disagree on their benefits, but I take vitamins. Ladies, if your hormones are off, consider adding a B complex to your routine. I take a B50 (I do notice a difference if I skip a week), fish oil (this made a huge difference in my nails and complexion), vitamin C, magnesium, and zinc. The last three work together to balance hormones plus they are immune system boosters. Who wants to spend the holidays sick? Not me!

* No fast food. We're only talking Monday through Thursday here. If you work outside of the home, pack food that will fill you up and that you enjoy. It doesn't have to be a boring sandwich. Yogurt, string cheese, summer sausage, soup, leftovers, wraps, salad--take your pick. Just make sure you bring enough to sustain you through the day. A 200 calorie lunch won't cut it.

Exercise:

* Do ten minutes of cardio. You can walk on the treadmill, do a couple Just Dance routines on your kids' Wii, march in place, ride your bike, swim, roller blade--whatever will raise your heart rate. If you want to do more than 10 minutes, great! Your body will love you even more. But 10 minutes is your minimum goal.

* Create a quickie strength routine. I do two--just two--sets of exercises for my stomach, arms, and legs. I do these every Monday through Thursday.

     Set 1:   25 crunches, 25 push-ups (full body), and 25 squats.
     Set 2:   25 bicycle crunches, 25 push-ups (girl-style), and 25 plie squats (that's what I call them at least!)

I feel the burn, but they only take a commercial break to get through.We're talking 5-7 minutes. How can I blow off 7 minutes? I can't. And these exercises have done more to tone my body than anything.

So that's it. Make Monday through Thursday count and the weekends won't throw you into another dress size.

What are your stay fit tricks for the holidays?

Have a wonderful Monday!

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