I know for me, this time of year is really hard to hit the gym regularly and eat healthy when holiday meals, parties, and desserts are EVERYWHERE. I thought I would put together a little list of ways you can help stay in tip-top shape even if you can’t do your regular training schedule.
1. Grab a workout buddy! It’s so much easier to stay motivated if you have a friend working out with you. This way, if either of you start to feel lazy, you can give each other that extra boost to put on your jackets and go for a brisk fall run.
2. Sign up or attend a weekly scheduled class. If it’s a fun class like spinning, kickboxing, or yoga, you’re more apt to go. Also, if it’s already fit into your schedule each week, it becomes harder to make the “I’m too busy” excuses.
3. Next time you’re holiday shopping, don’t waste time driving around looking for the closest parking space to the entrance. Park further away so you get a little walk in. To take it one step further, avoid all escalators, elevators, etc. and walk up the stairs manually. While these little things seem trivial, it’s better than nothing!
4. If you want to watch your calorie intake keep in mind portion control. When at dinner parties, it’s so easy to binge eat (I do it all the time). By using a smaller plate, you help limit your portions and control the amount you eat better. If you want or have to stick to strict diet, then taking off one day a week as a “cheat day” may help. Just make sure you control your portions as well.
5. Look and see if any of your favorite holiday recipes come in lower-fat forms. This DOES NOT mean that it won’t taste good. Cooking Light magazine has great recipes that have less fat than their counterparts and still taste delicious. It’s actually one of my favorite food magazines 
6. Finally, consuming a lot of alcohol during the holidays is a killer. (FYI, it’s not the actual calories of the alcohol that cause you to gain weight, but the conversion of alcohol to acetate by the liver which is then used as a fuel source instead of fat. Basically, you’re burning off acetate instead of the fat you want to). It helps to alternate each drink with a glass of water or some other low-calorie drink. I prefer Diet Coke because if anyone says something to me about not drinking, I just claim it’s a rum and coke. This also keeps you from getting too drunk and telling that annoying co-worker that you can’t stand him!
Hope that helps and if you have any other ideas feel free to add on to the list
-Gillian
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