With the holiday/food fests that are around the corner it is time to make a plan so that when January rolls around you are not starting all over with lifestyle and eating habits.  It is all about making choices and sticking to what you know will be best for your body and as a result your happy factor will stay elevated as you move through the season.

Six ways to stick with your lifestyle:

1. Plan ahead.  Eat a light meal at home before heading out to the cocktail party.  Make a plan to avoid the foods at the table that you know you will suffer from hours after eating. Stick to a commitment of eating foods that are the least processed and made of ingredients that are least likely to contain things your body does not like.
2. Make time to exercise. Say no to the television and hit the gym. Take a quick walk at your lunch hour. Set your alarm juts fifteen minutes earlier and roll out your yoga mat. Not only does exercise help with the happy factor endorphins, we know that exercise will also keep the extra calories off your thighs.
3. Choose.  What we ingest is really choice.  I am never held down and force-fed chocolate, and you probably are not either. Choose vegetables over stuffing, fruit over pie, sparkling water over cheap wine. Save the delicious foods and good wine for one special event.  It is not going to set you back if you indulge… so indulge once, maybe twice.
4. Hydrate. Water is your best friend.  Start your morning out with a cup of warm water and lemon, drink water throughout the day and have a big glass before you hit your bed. Not only will water help to keep you hydrated but it will also help you to eat less and will help your body flush out that glass of good wine you are indulging in.
5. Sleep. This time of year we might stay up past our normal bed time to entertain guests or to attend parties.  Be sure to make up for the lost sleep by grabbing a nap when you can, sleeping in when you can, and honoring the bedtime that has proven to work well for you.  There is nothing wrong with making an appearance and then leaving early to keep you healthy.  Sleep is so important to our health, don’t cheat yourself.
6. Be grateful. A happy heart makes for a happy person. Take time each and every day to list three things you are grateful for.  Authentic things that go beyond your family, your job, your friends, and your home.  Dig deep.  Acknowledge the kindness of others, the interactions, the silence, the colors that surround you, the challenges.  Being grateful keeps your perspectives open and real.