The holidays are here! Fun, food, family and friends…and health? The first four are easy to incorporate into your festivities, but what about health and fitness? Let’s look at some easy tips to stay healthy yet still thoroughly enjoy your holiday parties.
- Choose no or low calorie drinks. Such beverages as holiday tea and cinnamon coffee, spritzers, light punch or mineral water are some nice options which will potentially save you hundreds of fatty calories.
- Are you drawn to the buffet table? Fill up first on the vegie and fruit trays. If you are hosting a party, you can aim for the 50/50 rule: Make sure that 50 percent of your food table is comprised of a variety of fruit and vegetable dishes! Some appealing fruit ideas are: Melon cubes, canned pineapple, orange slices and fruit salads. For raw vegetables, some healthy alternatives are sugar snap peas, jicama and broccoli florets with a light dip.
- Speaking of dips, try making dips with nonfat sour cream, light cream cheese or low-fat mayonnaise. These options offer great taste without the extra calories.
- Use small plates for your appetizers and meal. Although it is possible to load up a plate with several layers of food, most people tend to eat less if they use smaller bowls and plates.
- Plan for Physical Activity. Taking walks, hikes and biking are always healthy activity choices during the day. If you are enjoying an evening get-together, you can include holiday caroling, a flashlight walk around the neighborhood or fun indoor games like ping-pong or foosball. Remember, even a little activity is better than none.
The PVCC Fitness Center offers a mini-session for only $20 for 4 weeks! Register today for non-credit Fitness section #41717. The Winter Session is $35.00, non-credit Fitness section #48784.
For more Holiday Tips, please go to: http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/features/10-healthy-holiday-party-tips