Surviving the Wilds of Holiday Destinations

Like anything else, mitigating the holiday damage requires planning. Tell your friends and family ahead of time you are on a food and fitness journey. Work it into conversations leading up to the visit, so when you aren't pounding down pie by the shovelload, they aren't offended or surprised. I have been known to be quite the eater in the past, but my whole entire clan knows I've lost 70 pounds to eradicate some deleterious health issues, so they tend not to act like sugary dealers when I'm around now.

But not all folks are as accomodating. For some, food = love and if you don't eat, and overeat, they are upset. Be nice, but firm. Don't give in, unless you have decided you do actually want the food. My point is don't eat more than you want just to be nice. The food = love thing is their issue, not yours, or mine. And if they get upset, that's their issue too.

How about those relatives who don't know what to get you and refuse to follow the "we just give presents to the kids" rule? And we end up with a giant basket from Harry and David's or a box of chocolate big enough for a platoon to share. DON'T OPEN IT! Once it's open the food just crawls into my mouth every time I walk by it. Take it home unopened and dump it at work on the other side of the building/dept/office from where your workstation is. It'll be gone. Really fast. And you'll be a hero.

Bring healthy snacks with you. There are a lot of options like Naturebox or Fruit & Fiber Bars. Just toss em in the luggage and go. Maybe grab an apple before Dad makes pies. Or my fav, eat all those apple skins while he's baking!

And move, move, move. Don't hang around shooting the breeze on a couch all day - get everyone outside walking. If the weather stinks, have a contest with the little ones to see who can walk up and down the stairs the most. (in my family, it was who could bounce all the way down the stairs on their butt!) Or dare the cousins to a burpee contest. Or play a dancing video game. Watching family videos? Great time to do planks or crunches.

If you show up with a mindset of moving, enjoying what you choose to eat while declining what you don't need and ensure healthy snacking you can't lose...er, I mean...gain! Happy holidays!

-DK