Staying Healthy
The holidays are coming closer! It is a great time for your taste buds, but not the season for your waistline!
Enjoy the delicious holidays without sabotaging your health?
Follow these simple steps to stay healthy during the holiday season:
Eat mindfully. When you're eating, sit back and allow yourself to truly enjoy your favorite holiday flavors. Pay attention to the taste, aroma and texture of the foods. "When the attention shifts from your body, redirect it back to your internal fullness and satisfaction cues," says Alissa Rumsey, a New York-based dietitian, nutrition therapist and owner of Alissa Rumsey Nutrition and Wellness. Since it takes a few minutes for your stomach's "I'm full signal" to reach your brain, it's advisable to take a 10-minute break after your first helping, suggests Patrick Skerrett in a Harvard Health Blog article. "You might realize you are full or want only a small portion of seconds," explains the author. Other than that, don't attend a party on an empty stomach as it makes you prone to overeating. As for the dessert, eat only one or two dishes you really love instead of sampling each and every option available on the table.
Stay hydrated. "Water accounts for 60% of our body’s total weight and we need to stay hydrated in order to maintain this ratio. Water is also necessary for several bodily functions, including maintaining our cell’s fluids and delivering nutrients," notes Rumsey. Drink plain or infused H2O as often as you can throughout the day. Limit your intake of high-calorie drinks like eggnog, martinis and margaritas. "If you're consuming alcoholic beverages over the holidays, try alternating with glasses of water in between your cocktails. Your body will thank you the next morning!" says the nutrition expert.
Choose healthy substitutes. With a few simple diet tweaks, you can indulge in your favorite holiday foods without packing serious pounds. For instance, replace sour cream with greek yogurt in your favorite holiday recipes. Trade mashed potato with mashed sweet potato. And swap heavy dips like blue cheese dip and spinach and artichoke dip with these healthy bean-based dips and homemade hummus. In addition, choose broth-based soups over heavy, cream-based ones. And opt for lighter cheeses like cottage cheese, soft goat cheese and feta cheese instead of calorie-dense blue cheese
We hope you all have a wonderful holiday season!
Thank you for reading our recent article! We hope it added value to you and your workouts! If you are looking for a new gym to start your health journey then feel free to hop on over to our website - www.The-MAC.com and learn more about us!
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