Guest blogger, Jae Berman, a registered dietitian in San Francisco, has written for all your readers about keeping fit and in those skinny jeans for the holidays.
Right now is when our social calendar fills up with fun parties, great opportunities to celebrate with family and friends and the weather makes it so easy to get cozy at home. This is also the time of year when our routine gets off track and our healthy eating habits tend to go to the wayside.
It is very easy to just go crazy this month and tell ourselves we will get back “on the program” January 1st but consider how phenomenal it would feel if you could manage your nutrition, prevent holiday weight gain and start 2013 feeling fantastic. 
Some tips from Jae to help you through the next few weeks…
#1 Exercise
Do not stop working out. Even if it means walking around the block or doing some extra stairs at your house/office/relative’s house. Try to get at least 30 minutes of a workout most days of the week. Walking is always great or consider using DVD at home or in a hotel room, a workout app on your phone or go to a class or gym where you can power out an hour sweat session. Bring your relatives with you! Not only will you burn calories but exercise if a great stress reliever as well as important for your immune system and digestion.
#2 Eat every 3-4 hours
This is key! No matter the schedule or how many parties you have in a day still eat within an hour of waking and every 3-4 hours thereafter. Ideally there would be protein and carbohydrate present so you can give your body everything it needs and you will feel satiated. The ideal scenario is you never walk into a party starving. If you save your calories for the day and start your evening hungry, you are destined to overeat! How to prevent this? I strongly suggest eating right before a party. Say grab a mini-meal at 4 or 5pm before a 6.30pm event. It works! Set yourself up for success and eat every 3-4 hours to prevent getting into a sticky situation
#3 Watch your alcohol consumption
If you drink too much this month you are going to gain weight. It is that simple. Set yourself either a number of drinks per week or a number of drinks per event so you don’t over do it. Drink water in between cocktails to keep yourself hydrated. Lastly, avoid the sweet stuff. Stick to simple cocktails over ice or mixed with soda water or go for wine or beer rather than drinks filled with juice, sugar or cream. Spiked egg nog is so yummy but your hips and butt don’t agree!
#4 Limit your sweets
If you eat every sweet that is presented to you this month you will pack on the pounds. Do you really need every cookie or every piece of chocolate? Just say no sometimes! When you really want a sweet – go for it! But often we eat just to eat or because we feel we should or because someone made homemade cookies or….there are so many excuses! Also, when you have that sweet tooth you may just be hungry! Check in on how long it has been since you last ate and consider getting a snack with protein and carbohydrate and then see if you still need that sugar fix. 
While this may sound a bit strict, I am confident if you are a bit more mindful in your decisions this time of year you will find even more to celebrate. Enjoy the holidays! Cheers to a wonderful year ahead!!!
For more information about Jae, please go to: www.jaebermannutrition.com
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