Healthy Living: 3 Tips For Staying Healthy During The Holidays

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We’re all guilty of it. Overindulgence is synonymous with the holiday season. From the calorie-laden cocktails to the salt and sugar-packed family favorite dishes, it’s pretty hard to avoid indulging during the season. You’re indulging at the store with your gift shopping and such, why not indulge at the dinner table, right? You’ve waited all year for this!

The truth is, the fact that you’ve been good all year is an even better reason NOT to veer off your healthy regimen. Why mess thing up by heading into the new year with extra pounds? And even if you haven’t been the best and healthiest version of yourself, you will no doubt have health and fitness as a New Year’s resolution, right? Negate the need for stretchy pants at your next holiday function. Here are three ways to avoid packing on inevitable pounds during the holidays. Thank me later.

1. Plan Ahead To Avoid Temptation

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You KNOW you’re going to Grandma’s house for Thanksgiving just for her famous pumpkin pie. And why should you deprive yourself? It’s award-winning after all. Well if you know that’s the biggest indulgence of the evening, save your calories for it. Pack healthy snacks to munch on instead of those chicken wing appetizers. Pile your dinner plate up with mostly veggies and salad. Minimize carbs and gravy-soaked meat dishes on your dinner plate. Once you finally sink your teeth into that pumpkin pie, you won’t feel nearly as guilty because you planned ahead and saved your indulgences for dessert.

2. Cut Calories With Mocktails

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Let me let you in on a secret. Juices and alcoholic cocktails have a TON of calories. Many of those extra pounds you gain during the holidays come strictly from the sugar-based drinks often accompanied by our favorite meals. The sangria, the egg nog, the spiked fruit punch. All of it is packed with calories. Opt to bring your own low-calorie substitution like Crystal Light Liquid. I LOVE their Peach Bellini flavor for a little holiday cheer. You can even introduce your family to a few low-calorie mocktail recipes using the different flavors.

3. Listen To Your Inner Fitness Guru

Ok so maybe you don’t think you have an inner fitness guru, but we all do. The same one that tells you to eat your salad before you nose-dive into dinner. Or the one who told you to drink more water at dinner instead of more champagne. Remember that time you stopped eating because you knew deep down you were full and only still eating because the food was in front of you? Yep, that was your inner fitness guru. The key is to recognize when you’re about to overindulge and stop before you regret it.

Staying healthy during the holidays doesn’t have to be a chore. With a little preparation, dedication and the right tips, we can all successfully get through the holiday season without piling on extra pounds. Check out this post from my friend Kelly Augustine with a 3 Day Cleanse Shopping List for some more inspiration!

What about you? What tips do you have for dodging extra pounds during the holidays?

This post is sponsored by Crystal Light in partnership with People Style Watch. Opinions expressed herein are my own and not those of the company. 

Christina Brown

Lifestyle influencer and digital mompreneur Christina S. Brown is a New York native, LA resident, and the founder of LoveBrownSugar.com and BrownGirlsLove. She's an award-winning storyteller, a motivational speaker and an advocate for confident millennial black women.