Do you want to avoid weight gain before these holidays? Follow me!

The last two weeks of 2016 are upon us! Seasonal decorations and shining lights are everywhere. These past few weeks some of us already attended few parties and many of us will attend family or friends gatherings this coming week. That means we will spend plenty of time around the table with lots of food and drinks!

Here, I wanted to share some useful tips how to avoid weight gain before the holidays. In few days I will give you more tips on what to do during the holidays if you want to stay in shape and free of digestive issues.

Check often my blog and follow me on Facebook for good and effective suggestions. https://www.facebook.com/allaboutyounutritionandlifestyle

Stop guessing what’s for dinner. Plan your food. Write in your schedule the exact day of planning food for a week. Is it today? Cook some food ahead of time. I usually do my grocery on Thursday (yesterday I couldn’t do it due to snowstorm) and cook some meals on Saturday or Sunday for the following week. You can prepare, for example, some lentil salad and roast few chicken breasts. You can cook stew or soup. After work, you will only re-heat the food or combine with other food items to create a new and easy meal. If you have to go to a party in the evening, your days will be much easier and in control especially this week! The most importantly, you and your family will eat healthy!

Exercise daily. You have to keep moving every single day. In your days incorporate a brisk walk, jogging, climbing the stairs or yoga stretches. Choose what you like. Yes, you have to make time for your mini session even if it is only 10 minutes. You will be more energized and happy. Who doesn’t want this feeling! Don’t forget, your waist line will be in shape!

Sleep. Do not neglect your resting hours especially during the holiday season. Sleep regulates hormones, adapts our body to stress and fades the wrinkles on the face. Sleep gives your overactive brain synapses a chance to settle down. That’s why you feel refreshed after a good sleep.

A recent study from University of Chicago says that the more disturbed your sleep pattern, the more likely you are to lose control of your eating the next day! I recommend 7 to 8 hours of sleep every night. Some people are fully rested after only 5 hours of sleep. Therefore you decide how much sleep you need for your well being.

Supplement. We need and should to compliment our eating with natural supplements to maintain our optimal health. Our fast paced lifestyle, daily stress, depleted soil (therefore low nutrients in food), many processed food choices available on the market cause depletion of nutrients in the body. I recommend quality supplements adjusted individually to a person’s needs.

Be thankful every day. Create a gratitude journal. Think what you are grateful for before going to bed. Louise Hay in her book Heal Your Body says: “What we are choosing to think and say, today, at this moment, will create tomorrow.”  You should write your positive thoughts down in the journal. The negative thoughts like criticism, anger, resentment, guilt are jeopardizing our health. Instead, learn to enjoy and appreciate!

Don’t forget, next week I will share tips, part 2, how to stay in shape and healthy during the holidays.

If you like these simple suggestions, please share this page with your friends and family.

Remember to ask me if you need help!

Maria Pawlicka  M.Sc., BAA, CNP

Certified and Registered Nutritionist