The holidays are here y’all, and we all know what that means…holiday parties galore! Instead of restricting yourself from all of the delicious food this holiday season, I have compiled a list of my top five helpful and easy to follow health tips!

Don’t starve yourself. Eat a light healthy meal to curb your hunger and cravings before the party; this way you’ll be less tempted to over indulge at the party as well! Starving yourself and then over indulging can really mess with your metabolism, which can take a while for your body to get back on track afterwards.

Eat until you are satisfied, not stuffed. You always here Uncle Larry or some other relative say, “After that meal, I need to loosen my belt a notch!” That is NOT a normal way to feel. And let’s be honest, when you feel that bloated, you just want to crawl in a hole and sleep forever. You will feel much more comfortable and energized after your meal, if you don’t overeat!

Control your sauces. You may not be able to control what is served at the holiday party, but you can control what you are pouring on top of those items such as gravy, melted butter, marshmallow, etc. These sauces can add anywhere from 50 to 300 calories on top of the food item you are eating!

Plan time for exercise. There is absolutely no excuse for not having time to exercise. Simply walking your dog is better than sitting on the couch! Like Elle Woods said, “Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people don’t shoot their husbands. They just don’t!”

If you are baking, substitute those unhealthy options for a healthier alternative. You know those fried onion rings on top of your green bean casserole? Replace them with sliced or crushed up almonds! I promise it will taste just as good. Another healthy alternative is replacing butter in recipes with unsweetened applesauce. This cuts the amount of sugar in the recipe almost in half!

I hope y’all found these five tips helpful with the holiday season approaching. I wish each of you safe travels this upcoming week and the happiest of holidays! xoxo