The weather is heating up and summer is about to be in full swing! Get ready for fun-packed festivities, belly-busting barbecues, and festive friends and family gatherings. The first thing that comes to mind at any summer gathering is the plethora of food and drink fare. Chips and dip, a juicy burger, sizzling hot dogs, a nice cold one… the list goes on. Why not begin Summer 2017 off on a healthy note? Here are a few things that you can do to stay safe, have fun, and give your beltline a little break.
1. Plan ahead.
Whether you’re a disciplined list-maker or a ‘let the universe decide’ kind of person, we can all agree that there are benefits to planning things in advance. When it comes to nutrition, planning ahead comes to your side in meal plans, grocery lists, and performing a menu check before you arrive at a restaurant table. Staying slim during any holiday requires a little bit more than you think.
A nutrition calendar is helpful to staying fit and healthy. Keep the barbecue, picnic, and other food conquering to 1 gathering a week. You can take comfort in knowing you can have fun without overdoing it. Should you attend your parties back to back, just think about what you want to indulge in and keep it to that single guilty pleasure. Stay sound, not round.
2. Proud like a potluck.
Make your summer hangout a potluck! Doing this takes the stress out and puts the fun back into hangin’ out with the peeps at the party. Get everyone involved in the meal and make it team effort.
Be sure to create a place to communicate with your guests on an online invite so that you don’t end up with an overabundance of pasta salad or chocolate brownies. It’s important to make sure that the potluck is balanced with proteins, veggies, some carb-based sides, and, perhaps, fruit with dessert. Bon appetit!
3. Stay hydrated.
Call it a cold adult bevy or a bubbly soda, the calories can add up. Regardless, it’s important to stay hydrated throughout your day and nosh on water-rich fruits and vegetables (watermelon, cucumbers, bell peppers, etc.). All foods and drinks have a place in your diet, but it is key to enjoy them in moderation.
4. Don’t arrive on an empty stomach.
Now I know that it doesn’t make much sense to eat before you go to a party, but it’s one of the most effective ways to avoid overeating and chowing down at the sweets table throughout a summery shindig.
Before you venture over to the party, allow about 30 minutes prior to satiate over a piece of fruit and some nuts. By getting some proteins and carbohydrates into your diet, it will save you from hitting the buffet the second that you arrive.
5. Give your feeding frenzy some space.
We’ve come into some amazing weather and the outside activities are plentiful. Instead of parking yourself at the table and mindlessly munching away throughout your day, make sure that you are staying active. Round up a fun group of people and play some bocce ball, take off for a local day hike, chase your dog around at the park, or go for a decent stride in a pool or at the beach. Make sure that you are balancing the calories you’re loading up on with the calories you’re burning off.
Above all, stay healthy, live healthy, and have an incredible SUMMER 2017! Thanks for reading up.