MBE: Fit and Healthy Holidays

Monday Brain Exchange (MBE) is sponsored by Jill, who blogs at Finishing Is Winning. This week's topic is Staying fit and healthy during the holidays.


Question: How do you manage diet and exercise during the holidays?


This is a great question, and I actually managed to do this very thing and even lose some over 10-15 pounds  between Thanksgiving of last year and February of this year. The key is moderation and determination. Below are some specific ideas that may help you.

• Register for a big race in January or February to prevent you from slacking off on exercising during the holidays. I was training for the marathon, so missing a run was not an option. This meant that I had to run 10 miles by myself and do some runs in freezing weather. But I was determined to meet my goal, so I did what needed to be done. 
• Do a race with your family, such as a Turkey Trot or Holiday 5k. I always find motivation when I motivate others to be fit and healthy.
• Find workouts you can do at home in 30 minutes or less, so that you can squeeze them in between festivities and regardless of how frightful the weather is outside. Check out my At Home Workouts Page for ideas. 
• Make exercising social and fun. This Thanksgiving after dinner, Jason and I went for a photo walk with his sister around his parent's neighborhood and played in the playground at the park. We got some exercise, but the focus was on having fun and taking cool photos. You could go on a hike, or for a bike ride. The possibilities are endless.
• Don't deprive yourself of holiday treats, but don't over indulge. Saying no to that piece of pie you love is not the answer. Simply have a smaller piece and savor it. 
• Keep healthy snacks around. You will probably be spending a lot of time at home with nothing to do and it will be easy to just snack all day. It won't be so bad if they only things you have on hand are healthy snacks like fruits and veggies with humus.
• Stay busy. If you plan a lot of activities, specially outdoors and away from the kitchen, then you won't have as much time for mindless eating and will also burn off some of the calories you consume without even trying.

I'm sure I have more, but that is all that comes to mind right now. What are your ideas?