Thanksgiving has come and gone, and Christmas/Hannukah/Kwanza/whatever you celebrate is right around the corner. You are most likely getting caught up in all of the “holiday excitement” by shopping, attending holiday themed parties, and encountering abnormally happy people in the office. However, the temperatures have drastically dropped (or are about to) and you’ve been packing on more and more layers of clothing each day. Because of this, your tans have completely faded, making the pale side of your arm look no different than the sometimes-tan side. And the worst of it all – when you combine all of these things together, the outcome is not good.
Thanksgiving is the beginning of the end. And I don’t just mean the beginning of the end of the year… Everyone loves Thanksgiving because it is a day where you get together with family and eat lots of great food… but what if you’re on a diet? You can’t be on Thanksgiving. That’s just way too awkward. So now you’ve broken your golden rule of (not) eating… and the rest of the holiday weekend doesn’t do you any justice. You’re seeing more family and reuniting with more old friends – and what is the only way you can socialize? Drinking and eating, duh.
After Thanksgiving, the holiday countdown is on… or actually – it’s just continuing. People at work are happy and holiday themed candies are everywhere. There are holiday parties every weekend full of food – yes, food… not just alcohol. And because you already broke your diet, you’ve now totally lost it. Not to mention your gym routine has been destroyed due to your new busy schedule and new diet-less self. But this is all okay for now, you think. You’re wearing jackets on jackets every day and you’re not going to be in a bathing suit any time soon, so what’s the point?
Now Christmas and Hannukah (and Kwanza too?) have passed and you are well on your way to New Years Eve. You need to find an awesome dress that looks somewhat okay next to your ghostly white skin (unless you’re not white – but in that case, even you are still lighter than usual). After trying on a bunch of dresses that don’t look good at all, you wish you could lose the 10-15 pounds you gained in the past month… but it’s not looking like you’re going to because you’ve got dinners planned with friends, no time to work out, and you just can’t stop eating! If you cared, you would get your ass to the gym… but you don’t care about it more than you care about shopping, going out to dinner, and taking road trips to see college friends… so you make “losing 10 pounds” and “working out more” your “New Year’s Resolutions” and make the best of the last few days of the year.
So now New Year’s Eve is over. You spent your night trying to get a drink in a crowded bar, eating all the free apps you got with your 100 dollar cover (this is obv the last night you can eat bad foods such as apps). You wake up the next morning with absolutely nothing to look forward to (except Summer in like 5 months)… and many things to dread (winter, snow, snow, winter, snow, and snow). You browse through the pictures from last night – and the past month – and watch yourself transform into a white, gross person. You then try to head to the gym and realize 1. it is closed and 2. you are really hungover from the two drinks you were able to get last night. So you make your resolutions – and of course say they will start tomorrow. And you begin your journey into the next year.
It doesn’t have to be like this though. Sure you had fun during the holiday season… but guess what?! You don’t need to eat badly and replace all workouts with lounging, drinking, and shopping to have fun. Even if you’re not physically gaining weight, you will probably start to feel gross, bloated, and lazy if you’re not being healthy.
Instead of making a “New Year’s Resolution” to “lose weight,” “work out more,” and/or “be healthy” start doing it all now! A New Year’s Resolution is really a thing of procrastination… and you really shouldn’t procrastinate being healthy… because once you break a diet and/or work out routine, all bets are off. It is so hard to motivate yourself to get back at it – especially during the rough, depressing, slow, and tiring winter months. Yeah, summer and bathing suit season seem far away right now – but they won’t seem so far away when you start feeling extremely self conscious about your body and are only 2 or 3 months away from beaches, tank tops, and shorts.
Here are 10 tips for fighting the holiday 15:
– If you have plans after work, try to work out in the morning.
– If you weren’t able to work out much during the week, try to make up for it on the weekend. Even if you go for a 15/30 minute run – it’s something.
– If you know you’re going to a holiday food-filled party this weekend, be sure to eat healthy the rest of the week to make up for it. Sure, it’s okay to indulge sometimes (especially during the holidays) – but don’t let your 1 or 2 weekly cheat days bring you down.
– Lay off the beer. Beer is full of calories and in return is very filling. It is so filling, that it will automatically make you feel bloated and gross. Not to mention, you have to drink a lot of them if you want any chance of getting drunk.
– If you are going to drink beer and/or other high calorie drinks, make sure this is just a once-in-a-while type night OR try to count the drinks into your day’s calories.
– You’ll probably find yourself getting takeout, going out for meals, and being surrounded by food at friends’ houses during the holiday season since you are too busy and on-the-go to have it any other way. Instead of caving for fries, pasta, and bread – get a salad… unless, of course, you’ve eaten healthy most of the week and/or have worked out enough to make up for it.
– For some reason, holidays scream carbs. Possibly because they are the easiest, most appetizing foods to make… but if you find yourself in a carb only situation, eat slow. You will get full – it just may take a while to set in.
– Buy yourself a set of free weights. If you don’t have the time or energy to get to the gym, work out in your room while watching TV.
– If you’re traveling, bring some gym clothes with you and try to go for a quick run before you shower. There’s always time for a quick run.
– Also if you’re traveling, bring some healthy snacks with you so you don’t have to succumb to only unhealthy food.
– Remember: People leave Santa carrots for a reason…
Have you ever experienced the holiday 15 before? What do you do to be healthy during the crazy holiday season?
