Give Yourself the Gift of Health!

'Tis the season for over indulgences; meat and cheese trays, cookies, dip and chips, etcetera. This is the last two weeks of holiday parties and we need to keep at the forefront of our minds that the most important thing is the time we get to spend with the people we love and NOT the food we're piling into our mouths. I am posting a list of ideas to help you maintain over the next few days. Remember that the most important gift you can give yourself is health (mental and physical)!

1. Drink lots of water (at least 8 glasses a day)!
2. Load up on the veggies from the veggie trays and lean proteins (and lighten up on the dip).
3. Don't avoid your favorite treats, cut them in half.
4. Let everyone else go through the line first.
5. Avoid mindless munching.
    a. Keep your hands busy by playing games or holding a glass of water in your hand.
    b. Get up and walk around (or go on a short walk outside, if it's nice out).
6. Wait 20 minutes before going back for seconds.
7. Determine whether the food is "worth" the calories. Take a bite, if it's not good, don't finish it! (The kids starving in Africa won't starve any more just because you threw away a partially eaten piece of pie- unless you were planning on shipping it there).
8. Bring gum to chew on while deciding if you really need that second plateful.
9. When not at a holiday party, eat healthy food (fruits, veggies, lots of fiber).
10. Pre-plan your exercise to make sure you stay active! Not only will it help to balance your eating, it will also help to relieve holiday stress.
11. Bring healthy dishes to share. Healthy doesn't mean it has to be bland!
(31 Days of Healthy Holiday Desserts)
12. Take time for yourself; a long walk, a good book, a bubble bath, etc.
13. Be a kid!
      a. Get down on the floor and play games with the young ones.
      b. Go outside and help build a snowman or snow fort.
      c. Look at this season with all its magic and joy.
      d. Go sledding or ice skating.
14. Lighten up on the adult beverages. Too many can not only make the next day not fun, it can also cause your self control to falter and over eating to ensue.
15. Get enough sleep.
16. Don't bring up politics or religion with your family! The less stress the better!
17. Pray. Take the time to center yourself and remember the true reason for the season, Jesus was born!

Hope these help some of you, I know I'm going to try my best to follow my own advise! ;)