5 Health Tips for the Holiday Season

December is usually synonymous with an abundance of eating and a lack of exercise. We want to encourage you to start this New Year on the right foot. The holidays are a time for celebration and family, not to put on weight. It's almost as if we've come to accept that we are going to put on 10 pounds during each holiday season.

Celebration doesn't have to mean gluttonous eating, or deprivation for that matter. It's time to bring the focus back to the purpose of the holiday. Enjoy your friends and family, the time off and the traditions of the holidays. 

The holiday season might not be a time to lose weight, but it doesn't have to be a time to lose your health. The key is to go into the holidays with a plan. Here are five ways to keep your health over the holidays. 

Tip #1: Shop Well For Yourself 
 It is more important then ever to stock your kitchen with healthy foods. Have healthy snacks handy. The more convenient they are, the more likely you are to eat them. Instead of thinking about what you shouldn't eat, promise to eat your 3 to 5 servings of vegetables each day.

Tips #2: Schedule Your Exercise 
Your schedule will be very hectic this holiday season. Schedule your workouts just as you would any other appointment. It's ok if you can't make it to class, but make sure that you get some activity in at least three days per week. 
 
Tip #3: Just Say No
You probably aren't aware how much extra food you consume just from people offering it to you. A sample at the market here, an extra cookie at an office party there and it all adds up. Just think twice before you take that food and decide if you really want it. 

Tip #4: Skip the Baking
Do you make baked goods for giving? Chances are you eat much of what you bake. Who wouldn't? Instead make non-food gifts, or prepare ingredients for baked goods and put them in pretty jars--let your gift recipient bake it up. That way, they can eat it when they want it and you don't have to be tempted in the kitchen. 

Tip #5: Hydrate
Keep your water bottle with you at all times. You should be drinking eight, 8-oz glasses of water each day. One handy trick is to buy a 64 ounce water jug. Fill it up in the morning and know that you need to finish it by the end of the day.

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Beat Winter Weight Gain

Do you dread the winter months and putting on winter pounds? Contrary to popular belief, there’s no scientific evidence to prove that we’re biologically predisposed to weight gain in the colder months. Unless you’re a bear, that is. Weight gain during this time is related to holiday eating and a decrease in exercise during the colder months. Research shows that we tend to gain one or two pounds between late November and early January. That may be a lot less than you thought you’d gained eating Grandma’s stuffing, but studies also suggest that we often don’t lose that weight year after year. “It may be that when spring comes around, you see a few more pounds on the scale than you saw the year before”

A great way to maintain your weight though the winter months is to cook meals from scratch.

The simplest way to control your weight is to eat more home-cooked meals made from whole ingredients, Freedhoff says. “There is probably nothing more straightforward than markedly reducing meals out, packing lunches every single day and avoiding the processed food aisle,” he says, adding that meals made with whole ingredients such as lean meats, fruits and vegetables will almost certainly have lower calorie counts than processed and pre-made food.

A wonderful way to embrace the colder months is to cook what is in season. Pumpkins and other fall squash are low in calories, and packed with fiber, vitamin C,making then a healthy addition to your diet. Here is a wonderful recipe for Butternut Squash Shells that is creamy and delicious without the guilt.
Are you interested in learning more tips on keeping your weight in check this season?

Join us at Sana Vita Studio for a FREE TALK with our Nutritionist Kelli Bonomo on How to Avoid the Holiday Fat Trap and Maximize your Nutrition.

November 8th at 1pm SIGN UP HERE space is limited. Sign up to win a FREE 7 Day detox here... only one will win and they must be present at the lecture to win! (99.00 Value)

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