7 WAYS TO STAY HEALTHY THIS HOLIDAY SEASON

Have you ever woken up on January 1st a bit disappointed in how you treated your body during the holiday season? I know, I get it I understand being in the country of junk food is difficult, in any case after moving to another country we always find a way to satisfy that remembering our latino culture through food, my husband who is from El Salvador and he always finds the right way to invite me to a barbecue and eat pupusas or from my country the natilla and the buñuelos are never lacking but come on, be honest! Without a plan in hand, it's really tough to stick to your healthy living goals with all the pan rellenos and sugar cookies floating around.

Enter The happy and healthy Latino moms with a bagful of tips and tricks…

1. Don't Skip Meals. It's tempting to skip meals when you know you have a big party to go to or a holiday dinner to attend. But this is the worst thing you can do. Skipping meals always leads to overeating. Plus, you run the risk of getting really drunk if you head to the party hungry. Instead of skipping meals, plan appropriately by adjusting your daily calories. Eat a lighter breakfast, lunch and snack to give yourself some room for a moderate splurge. Use these 400 calories wisely and make sure it's worth it.

2. Bring a Healthy Dish. If you're headed to a private residence, offer to bring a healthy dish. This will please the host who is probably over-stressed with all the preparation. And it will also guarantee that you have something healthy and enjoyable to eat. Winning! Need a healthy recipe? Then be sure to check out our Facebook group. I'll be posting my favorite recipes next week while we are doing the 12 Days of Happy Holidays for moms.

3. Pass on the "Good" Foods. I want you listen to me saying that indulgences must be amazingly good. So if you take a bite of something and the reality of the taste doesn't meet your expectations, stop eating it. There's no reason to spend your precious calories on something that's only “good”.

4. Drink Wisely. All those fancy cocktails and spiked egg nog contain a ton of calories. A ton! A Piña Colada or Cadillac Margarita or any other colorful drink with a floating holiday decoration sounds great – but could be in excess of 500 calories! Know what you’re drinking and work it into your plan. A light beer, a glass of wine, a vodka soda or tequila on the rocks would be a much better choice, calorically speaking. And if you're in weight loss mode, be sure to review 3 Reasons Alcohol is NOT Your Friend.

5. Plan Seconds. It's perfectly okay to indulge moderately, in fact, I totally advise it. But you need to be very selective about what earns its way onto your second helping. If you're going back for seconds, the food has to earn its way onto your plate. How? By amazingly good, of course. Even then it's probably not worth it. Studies have shown that the "food orgasm" only lasts for approximately 3 minutes. Think about that second holiday treat, is it worth feeling poorly for only 3 minutes of joy? Probably not.

6. Ignore the Guilt Servings. At every party or food celebration, there is certainly going to be one or more food pushers who make it their mission to get you to eat something off plan. You're an adult, so act like one! Nobody can guilt you into eating anything without your permission. It's NOT rude to politely say no. Your health, your goals, and your skinny jean are way more important than the food pusher's desires. You are also the number one example of your children!

7. Move it, Love it, Rest it. As the holiday season gets hectic, it's really easy to justify skipping your workouts, self-care and even cutting down on your sleep. This is the danger zone. Lack of sleep will lead to poor choices. And I don't have to tell you what happens when you give up your self-care routines -- goodbye skinny jeans!

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