Y’all know the drill, Hayden here!!
With the holidays coming up, there’s so many things to be excited about! One being all of the yummy food that is coming! Secondly, getting to spend time with your friends and family. Lastly, that just because you eat all the foods on one day for a family gathering, doesn’t mean that you are going to lose all of your progress that you have previously made.
When you enjoy yourself for Thanksgiving, you simply are just putting your body in neutral. You’re actually not reversing your progress in your health and fitness at all!
I recently found this picture on Instagram, but I believe it is so true! A couple meals out of a lot will not hurt you.
Many people believe that because you have a family party, holiday dinner or work party, that you can’t eat yummy food’s because it is going to ruin your diet! In reality, it is not going to hurt you (of course, if you don’t over eat and make yourself sick by all means).
I specifically used to be one of these people! When I first started getting into eating healthy, I didn’t want to attend any functions or anything that wasn’t going to have food I could eat. This means church events, birthday parties, holiday parties, family functions, and more. I missed out on a lot of time with the people I loved, because I thought that eating a few things I usually don’t, would be detrimental to me.
I now completely realize that this is not the case! A couple days out of the whole year, I am allowed to enjoy myself while spending time with the ones I love! And this especially used to be true for me and date nights. I used to only want to go to certain places because I knew I could eat there, but that got boring for my boyfriend and I. When I had decided that a meal here and there would not hurt me, and we got to go eat at more places that were way better than what we were previously doing.
Another thing that people believe, is that they can’t start being healthy until the holidays are over! Meaning January 1st. Many people also don’t realize that you can still be healthy through the holidays, have a few yummy treats, and get back on track the next day. Really, now is the time to start your health journey if you have been considering it! Being healthy is a lifetime journey, and the best way to live is an 80/20 lifestyle. This meaning that you eat healthy and clean 80% of the time, and yummy not so healthy things 20% of the time.
This 80/20 lifestyle helps you truly enjoy your life without feeling deprived whatsoever! This means no missing out on family functions, “Friendsgivings”, Christmas parties, birthday parties, and more! In my opinion, this is the best approach to being healthy and making it sustainable for anyone.
With all this being said, start your health journey now! The holidays are not going to stop you from your progress moving forward, and as I mentioned earlier, it just puts you in neutral. Enjoy the holidays and your families, love y’all!
A Better You 