The holidays…decorations, family, friends, cheer, and relaxation as we near the end of the year.  Oh, and probably feeling a bit sluggish from high sugar/alcohol intake, stress, lack of exercise and subsequent weight gain.

What if we embraced all that’s great about the holidays and just left the rest. Wouldn’t it be great to start the New Year feeling fit and fabulous, instead of heavy, lazy and filled with regret about all those bad decisions?

I’m sure the answer is a resounding YES!

Step 1: Join our Winter Waistline Challenge

This challenge runs from 11/26-12/31. Measure yourself around your waist (in line with your belly button) keeping the tape snug, without causing the skin to spill over. Stay on track by joining our Facebook Page and participating by posting a before (optional!) image + your waist measurement.

Step 2: Learn to say no

Easier said than done, sometimes, but key to success during a time when temptations run rampant.  Believe me, I was raised in the South and food is directly correlated to love. It’s not always easy to say no, especially if you feel you’re offending someone, but you can do it nicely! Learn how to say “I’ll pass, thanks” or “I’m full at the moment, maybe later” or perhaps “Can I take a piece home with me?”  Just because you are offered something doesn’t mean you have to eat it.

Step 3: Always be prepared (7 P’s!)

Prior proper planning prevents piss-poor performance. Yup, straight from a US Marines mouth. And guess what? IT’S TRUE. NEVER leave your house without water, a bag of nuts or chopped veggies. There is nothing worse than thinking you’ll be gone for an hour, and then 8 hours later you’re ravenous…probably because you’re dehydrated! Eat before heading to a party/social event, or bring a dish that you can munch on without guilt.

Step 4: Clean House

The temptation is hard enough to avoid without having it hiding in your own house! I hear a lot that ‘I keep it around for my kids, and then I end up eating it.’ First off, why are the kids allowed to eat it, but not you? If it’s so terrible for you, what possible benefit is it giving them? Plus, think about the habits you’re putting in place that they’ll struggle with for the next 30 years (I’m still battling a need to have dessert at the end of EVERY dinner).  Don’t keep it in the house. Stock up instead of chopped veggies, berries, fruit, nuts, hummus and avocado. Redefine fast food for yourself and your family.

Step 5: Limit the Alcohol

Yea, yea, I know. ‘It’s the holidays! I’ve earned it!’ I’m not here to argue about THAT (again, Southern family. I get it.) All I’m saying is, just limit the intake. Instead of 5 glasses of wine, go for 2. Sub in bubbly water and see how you feel.

“Not only is alcohol full of sugar, it contains no nutrition, is full of empty calories with seven calories per gram and can often enhance those food cravings.  Pre-mixers or RTDs are often worse because they are full of sugar to make them taste nice and sweet. Alcohol with the least calories and sugar tend to be dry wines and spirits. The body also metabolizes alcohol before any food is digested – which is another reason why alcohol contributes to weight gain.”[1]

Take part in all or some of these steps, and you’re guaranteed to head into the New Year with a whole new take on resolutions…instead of health/weight loss, it might be travel, asking for a raise, learning a new skill. Instead of heading into the New Year from a place of dislike, let’s head in with excitement for what’s the come, knowing we did our best to end this year!

“What the New Year brings to you depends a great deal on what you bring to the New Year.”