We love the holidays and all the treats to go along with it, but if you are trying to lose the baby weight poor habits will leave you feeling guilty and frustrated with the amount of work come the New Year.  Girl, You have worked too hard to “restart” come January 1.

A common mistake people make when trying to lose weight is to be too restrictive during the most joyful time of the year. While your intentions are in the right place and geared towards preventing weight gain and accomplish your fitness goals, it’s likely to backfire.  Your mood, experiences, and memories are too precious to ruin with the stress of high restriction. 

This does not mean abandon all healthy habits like drinking more water and making time to workout. The key to avoiding unwanted gain is to strive for a balance between treating and sticking to healthy habits. 

Try implementing these simple tricks during the hustle and bustle of the holidays:

1.) Plan for the chaos by sticking to healthy habits during the weekdays. Don’t let the hustle of the holidays keep you from your workouts and meal planning.  We make it simple for you with 30 minute workouts you can do anywhere and anytime and access to a ton of already made meal plans inside the virtual gym. Print and click play and done to get back to the festivities. Be sure to schedule one active event for each celebration you will be attending like games with the kids, a stroll in the neighborhood, or one of the great dance workouts that will have you all laughing and enjoying each other.  

You can even get a jumpstart on next year’s goals.  The key here isn’t to meet a goal weight at the end of the holiday but rather that you begin making small changes now that over time form a habit that will yield the results you want. No need to wait to get started.  Try swapping snacks for a healthier option or getting in 3 days of workouts for 30 minutes per day .

2.) Alcohol Moderation.  Limiting your alcohol intake will help out a ton as it is just a bunk of empty calories and encourages overeating.  Save it for the party and preferably after your meal so that you have food in your belly to soak up the alcohol and resist overeating.

3.) It’s all about the portions. You know that grazing is an invitation to overconsumption.  Standing around the table picking at the platters and dips makes it hard to actually know how much you are consuming.  Try grabbing a salad plate to serve up a few of your favorites.

4.) Eat the food you LOVE– and don’t tell me you love it all… pick your faves Don’t be afraid to bring a healthy dish to the holiday party.  Remember healthy does not mean bland. Check out all of the amazing recipes in the virtual gym under the blog section.

5.) Get enough sleep.  A lack of sleep not only puts you in a fowl mood it also makes you feel more hungry. I know it can be hard to get enough sleep as a busy mom during the holidays, but try your best so you are more equipped to regulate your hunger.

6.) Remember what matters.  The holidays are a time for connecting with those you love.  Focus your attention on your family and friends so that you can build memories with them and not of food.  Turn your mind from focusing on restrictions or rules of eating to the conversation, carols, and gift excitement.  You will feel much more fulfilled after the holidays and the party if you build positive memories with the ones you love. 

7.) Visualization.  A powerful tool in yielding results by action is using visualization to set yourself up to live out your vision for yourself.  Sit, take a moment to close your eyes, and visualize yourself waking up the day of the party and take yourself through the day and all the way to how you feel when you leave.  You can check out my IGTV (Instagram- @get.fit.with.brynne) for a guide on how to complete a visualization.

Avoiding holiday weight gain isn’t easy, but it’s not as hard as you may think.  Put these strategies I’ve provided into place and remember to focus on the joy of the holidays.  Come January 2, If you maintain your weight through the holidays, let’s call that a WIN!