This is a hard time of year for a lot of people for a lot of reasons. One of which is the sheer amount of calories consumed (or available for consumption) that make us feel bad about ourselves. Let’s all agree this year to give ourselves a little grace, and have a happy, healthy holiday. But how????

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Tips for a Guilt Free Holiday

Listen, I want you to have a happy, healthy holiday season. I want to have a happy, healthy holiday season. I don’t want to be weighed down (pun intended) with guilt because I *grabs pearls* ate a cookie. SO, while I have some tips for you below, I want you to really embrace my first, most important tip:

Remember that you are worth more than your weight, your jeans size, and how YOU see yourself in a photo.

Especially remember that last part. I see pictures of myself and I pick apart every inch of myself in a millisecond. Want to know what my husband sees? His hot wife. My kids? They see “MOMMA!” My friends, my Instagram followers? Ya’ll just see Sam. You don’t see the parts of myself I hate. Why? Because NO ONE on this planet cares what your body looks like as much as you do. Want me to prove it?

Think of the last Instagram picture you saw. What were the persons flaws?

If you’re honest, you struggled to even think of the last Instagram post you saw, let alone its flaws. I’m writing this post telling you to do this and I can’t even remember the flaws. We are ALL more focused on ourselves, no one thinks of you as much as you think they do.

That shouldn’t be disheartening, that should give you encouragement! Thankfully, those tiny flaws you see are only seen by you!

OK, now let me get to some actionable tips that AREN’T mental health based. I love a good mental trick, but I love actionable tips much more, because I am a woman of action. That’s how I combat my anxiety. So here we go, lets do this…

Happy, healthy holiday tips:

1 – Drink a LOT of water

Why? Because water helps to curb your appetite. It does NOT replace food, but it does help to curb cravings and keep you from over-indulging. Plus, its a good distraction. It puts something in your hands so that you can’t hold a plate if you don’t want to be! It’s less tempting (for me, at least) to want to grab a plate if I don’t have a hand to eat with. ALSO, as if you needed more bonuses about water, when you are dehydrated, it leads you to feel more hungry, and thus consume more. So drink your danged water! Half your weight, in ounces, per day.

2 – Be picky!

My dream meal is all appetizers. So I understand the joy of seeing a spread of tiny bites in front of you and wanting to eat them all. There’s ways (one included below) on how not to gorge on all the food, but for this tip, I want it in your mind as you stare at the glorious displays of snacks: be picky. Picky with a small plate.

Grab the small appetizer plate, not a dinner place. Then mix it up, try everything you want to try, but don’t grab 11 of each. Grab 1-2 pieces of each item that actually looks good (don’t just grab it all like you’ll never eat again) and don’t pick up what doesn’t. Plate full? Perfect, you can come back. I know that’s shocking, but you can! And like we’ve already established, no one is watching you close enough to know or care if you – gasp – get a second small plate of food. Honestly, your host would probably love that, less leftovers that they have to wrap up! It’s all about balancing yourself – enjoy yourself, but make some wise choices so your stomach and your pores don’t hate you forever.

3 – Snack before you go!

Going to a fried food fest (aka the best type of food fest)?? Moderation boo, get a salad in your system first! Why? Because you will not be AS hungry, so you might not gorge, and you’ll have had the balance so you don’t feel like you throw off your game. (because remember, one night does not a healthy habit break) Plus, you know how if you go to the grocery store when you’re hungry, you walk out with far more than was on your list? Yeah, its like that. If you aren’t starving, you’re less likely to graze. And thus, consume what your body wants/needs, rather than ALL THE FOOD.

4 – Move your body.

At a party? Don’t plant in one place, move and socialize, like the butterfly you are! OK, more of a wallflower? Great, just also keep moving! Find a reason to move – drinking water so you need to refill your glass, helping your host, whatever the event allows, chose to move! When you are NOT at the party, find ways to fit in exercise in the cold holiday season! There are easy ways to add in simple workouts throughout your day. And if you don’t feel like you have time, let me suggest the dreaded one….wake up 30 minutes early and crush a workout BEFORE your day begins! You’ll have already accomplished something before most people are out of bed and you will have a worry free day!

5 – Balance it out.

You have three meals a day. You going to a party one night? Your family go big on Christmas Eve dinner? Rad. Eat two great meals that day, and you’re set for enjoying the third! You don’t have to indulge all day long, you can be smart and not deprive yourself! There’s what, between 5-10 BIG nights between Thanksgiving and New Years, where people may be serving more decadent food? You wont break your belt with those, especially if you are planful and give yourself some grace, you’ll enter 2020 weighing the same (or less) that you entered Holidays 2019.

I am purposefully not telling you anything about alcohol. Why? Well, because the smartest way to not gain weight during the holidays would be to abstain from alcohol. Aside from that, do what everyone always says to do: drink a lot of water and stay away from the “drunk snacks”. Consider those bonus tips.

There you go.

Those are my quick tips for you to have a happy, healthy holiday season. While I could list a thousand more, and I am sure there are 50 million blogs on healthy holiday seasons, I’m book-ending this post with the reminder that 5 pounds doesn’t change who you are, how loved you are, and how worthy you are of everything life has to give. Fill your time with love, family, community, friends, giving, and joy. That’s what this is all about anyways.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!!!!