It's less than 2 weeks before Thanksgiving. I feel like a broken record. All this month I've been talking about how you have to put a plan in place to get through the holiday season without gaining weight or becoming super stressed out.
No matter how many times I say it, (more than) one of you is going to say something like "wow, the holidays really snuck up on me this year...." (which is a crazy excuse this year particularly since Thanksgiving is literally the latest it can be.) Also if you keep getting snuck up on by the same thing every year....you are the problem.
Anyway, instead of telling you to make a plan (again), I'm going to give you some tips you can use to get through holiday party season. Here goes...
Reschedule Your Workouts: listen your party schedule is probably going to affect your workout schedule. Whether you workout in the evening when parties are scheduled or if it's harder to wake up in the morning because you had too much fun the night before. Take some initiative and look at the calendar to figure out when you can make up that workout.
Don't Party Hungry: this might seem counterintuitive but you should eat before you get to the party. The parties I enjoy the most abide by the adage "if it's green it's trouble, if it's fried get double." That's to say party food usually isn't the healthiest. Plus if you're drinking on an empty stomach it will lead to you eating more of the aforementioned unhealthy food.
Keep a Non-Alcoholic Drink in Your Hand: you've probably been told to drink water between "drink" drinks. That's good advice you should definitely do that. It will slow down your drinking and limit the affects of the alcohol. That being said, keeping a non-alcoholic drink will limit your drinking even more. It stops people from wanting to get you a drink from the bar. (Pro tip: don't let the bartender out you by giving a giant water glass, ask for your club soda to be poured into the same glass a vodka soda would come in.)
Set a Time to Leave: this is giving yourself a curfew. This way you can get in, see the people you need to see (damned office politics) and get out. Getting out early means you'll have less time to eat and drink. It'll also make sure you're making the most of the interactions that you do have.
Enjoy Yourself: listen it's the holiday season, not the "no fun" season. The reason you've been invited to all these parties is so that you can celebrate with family, friends and co-workers. Enjoy yourself. That doesn't mean you have to get wild and crazy at every party. However if things do get out of a hand at some point, make it worth it. Then use the next day to rehydrate and get back to your healthy living lifestyle.
There you have it. You've been warned. You've been given tips. If you choose to not take any preventative measures, realize you've done just that: you've made a choice. That choice is yours.
