A Healthy Holiday Strategy

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Hey Brothers,

I’m Len. Welcome back to the LenDentonThrive Letter, where the focus is on helping men build thriving lives across all zones of their lives: Body, Soul (mind), Spirit and Treasure.

The holidays are here again! And, with the holidays comes another season…the Eating Season!

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, starting the most festive time of the year here in the USA. For most of us, that means parties and big traditional meals for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. It’s a time for food, fellowship, and celebration with friends and family.

It can also be a time when many people set aside their healthy habits and practices in order to fully enjoy the festivities. Then, they re-commit to getting back into shape after the holidays. That’s when many of us celebrate another annual tradition - the annual renewal of that gym membership!

If you’re a guy who’s working to get lighter and leaner, the holiday season can be a challenging time for you. But, it doesn’t have to be that way!

There’s a way to enjoy the fruits of the holidays without wrecking your fitness progress. You can actually thrive through the holidays!

Thriving Through The Holidays

The holidays and food are two of my favorite things. I love the big holiday meals. And, I am particularly fond of my wife’s amazing Christmas cookies. But, I also care about my health and fitness. I’m not willing to undo the progress I’ve made over the years.

So, here are 4 things that I’ll be doing again this year that let me enjoy the holiday season while maintaining my weight and fitness.

#1: Set a Holiday Goal Weight - let’s be real! The holiday season isn’t a great time to plan on weight loss. A more realistic goal might be to maintain your weight through the holidays.

Here’s what I do: I typically weigh myself the day before Thanksgiving. Whatever my weight is, I set it as my goal weight for the day after New Year’s. This weight becomes my target throughout the holiday season.

#2: Feasting Days - I designate 4 days during the holidays as Feasting Days, on which I allow myself to eat whatever delicious food I want. For me, those days are Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day. (Your Feasting Days might differ.) On these days, I say yes to my holiday favorites. I try to avoid overeating, but my selection window is open to my holiday favorites.

The days after Feasting Days are Normal Days for me. That means that I’m back to healthy eating and working out on schedule.

#3: Party Responsibly - Parties are a big part of the holidays. They often bring lots of delicious, but unhealthy food, and lots of booze. To minimize the downside impacts of holiday partying, here are a couple of things I do:

1. I never go to the party hungry. I’ll eat a healthy meal before the party. Then, I will lightly snack on the party foods.

2. I drink responsibly. I might have one or two drinks, then switch to a club soda or non-alcoholic beer if available.

(Note: If you are planning to throw or attend a particularly lavish party, you might consider making that one of your Feasting Days.)

#4: Keep Moving - I focus on staying active with my workouts throughout the holidays. I maintain my workout schedule, even on Feasting Days. This helps me recover from Feasting Days more quickly and reinforces my commitment to hitting my holiday goal weight.

I hope the upcoming holidays are a happy time for you and the ones that you love. And, I hope that these four tips on thriving through the holidays will help you to get the most enjoyment out of the upcoming festive season while maintaining your progress toward living your ThriveLife!

Happy holidays to you and your loved ones!

Thanks for reading today!

And remember... God loves us. He wants us to thrive. So, let's go! 

Len

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