Don’t Skip Meals—Especially When You’re Extra Busy!

When life gets busy, we often resort to quick snacks or skipping meals. No doubt, the holidays are über busy! Snacks are an important strategy for hunger control when you are on the run with a major to-do list. Your goal this month is to have a strategy on hand—a strategy that helps you deal with the busy days so you can make good choices and stay balanced.

Keep these quick tips in mind as you cruise through the rest of the month:

1. Don’t skip meals. While it is okay to eat lightly on the day of a party, you don’t want to eat too lightly. Skip snacks that day, but eat a sensible breakfast and lunch.

2. Drink lots of water. It’s easy to get dehydrated in the winter because furnaces are running and we don’t get the urge to drink in cooler temperatures. Be sure to keep a glass of water by your workstation or bring a travel bottle in the car. Think to drink—keep a water bottle handy.

3. Plan, plan, plan. Healthy snacks can replace lunch when you’re pressed for time. Keep fresh fruit and yogurt cups in the house, and stock up on a few nutrition bars to pack along. While nutrition bars are not a suitable substitute for real meals on a regular basis, they can serve a balanced nutrition purpose when your schedule is really hectic.

4. Try to make time for a real dinner. While adding “cook dinner” to your to-do list may sound daunting on some days, there are lots of quick meals that you can get on the table in less than an hour. (See my quick pork tenderloin recipe in the last newsletter.) Eating a good meal in the evening energizes you and will prevent evening snack cravings from sabotaging you.

5. Exercise at least five days a week. Fitting in at least 15 to 20 minutes daily is better than no exercise at all. Don’t allow yourself to use “lack of time” as an excuse. Don’t have 15 minutes? Do ten. Go for a sprint workout: sprint for 30 seconds to one minute, then walk for one minute. Do this for ten minutes, and you’re done. You can do the same on a bike or an elliptical trainer. Working harder for shorter periods has been shown to be an effective metabolism boost.

6. Think “weight maintenance.” You can still enjoy getting together with family and friends, eating special foods and enjoying a few cocktails—without gaining weight. Just don’t splurge every day. Get back to normal eating the day after a celebration, and be sure to fit that walk, run or weightlifting session in.

Enjoy your holiday season! And I wish you a happy, healthy and fad-free new year.