Over The Holidays

It's almost here! Christmas time! Presents, family, friends and food.......?

Being in the fitness industry for 9 years now and seeing what people can eat during the holidays I wanted to provide some Christmas party tips for everyone. The biggest line I hear is, "I don't want to offend anyone by not eating anything."

So the question is how do we go to a party, enjoy the party and get invited back next year....

1) Drink water all day before going to the party. Most people who snack at parties are not hungry but dehydrated. If you are hydrated you won't feel the need to munch on food constantly. A little is ok.

2) Head straight to the vegetable tray. Vegetables are your friend and raw veggies will fill you up fast and effectively. I tend to over indulge in the vegetables, which makes me full!!

3) 1 Serving is good 2 is pushing it. We all know what food is going to be served during Christmas dinner so try and read up on how much calories are in the food before you get there. So if you know stuffing is 230 calories for 1 cup stick to it!!

4) Leave stuff on your plate. The motto your eyes are bigger then your stomach is seen mostly over the holidays. Try and not finish the meal and stay a little hungry. If it remains get some water into you.

5) Liquor. Ok, now this is the fun part of the holidays. I suggested switching up every glass of wine or hard liquor with a glass of water every other glass. This will dilute the sugar and carbs from the drink and not leave you with a holiday hangover.

6) Understand the Statistics. Every year during the holidays an average 3800 calories is eaten in 1 sitting. That is a full day worth of food ...and some!

Be Smart and enjoy the holidays. You want 2010 to start off in shape and progress your fitness goals forward rather then starting over!!