There's No Time Like the Present

With a little over three weeks until Thanksgiving, it's tempting to start procrastinating on creating a healthy lifestyle. We push it off and say, "I'm going to be too busy with the holidays right around the corner." Or, "I'll wait until the first of the year and make being healthier part of my new year's resolution.

But, ladies, why put off for tomorrow what you can start today? I'm not advocating for launching into a mission of losing pounds despite the holiday glee...what I'm promoting is taking advantage of the time that's left between now and the holidays so that 1) you're taking care of yourself and making sure you're not run down during a peak time for frazzle and 2) you're able to start off the new year from a place that's at least a step ahead of where you'd be if you'd otherwise throw caution to the wind and make the holidays a time to eat whatever you want and stop exercising.

Take these few weeks and establish a solid base. One where you make time for physical activity, where you make healthier choices in what you eat, and make time for yourself and your mental well-being.

I'm a believer that it takes 21 days to establish a habit. Here are some tips to put your "Maintain Don't Gain" Holiday plan into action!

1. From today forward, start a healthy habit. Schedule in your workouts like they are meeting appointments so that you're sure to keep them. Sit down with your calendar for between now and Christmas block in at least 3 days a week of at 30 minutes where you will be active. Here's an activity calculator from Discovery Health that helps you determine how many calories you're burning (it even includes holiday related activities such as cleaning, wrapping presents and unloading your car!)
   
2. Create your grocery shopping lists in advance and make healthier choices at meals. You know that when the holidays roll around that you're going to be surrounded by a ton of goodies. Boost your immune system now and fuel your body with what it needs. Fruits and veggies, whole grains, and lean meats. The American Diabetes Association has a handy online tool for creating a shopping lists from healthy recipes, comparing foods, tracking your nutrition and finding healthier alternatives.
   
3. Reduce your tension and help protect yourself from injury by stretching. Here's a cute guide where Kermit shows some stretches.