How many of y’all have totally blown your diet at a party, get together, or vacation weekend? It is something that I personally struggle with and I know many people struggle with sticking to their healthy lifestyle when too many temptations arise. Below are 5 tips to help you survive a party without blowing all your hard work during the week
- Don’t arrive hungry! This first one almost sounds counterintuitive because you know there will be plenty to eat at the party. However, think about this scenario – have you ever gone grocery shopping on an empty stomach and totally came home with a ton of junk food you normally wouldn’t buy? It’s the same concept for arriving at a party famished. If you eat before arriving at the party, you control the menu, and you are more likely to stay disciplined around the not-so-healthy options!
- Bring a healthy dish to share! If you are going to a party with people that do not share your nutritional and fitness goals, let’s face it, you make get teased a little bit about bringing a healthy dish. However, bringing a healthy dish to a party is important for a couple reasons. First, because you brought something healthy, you know if you get hungry, you have a healthy option. And second, you are setting a good example for the rest of the guests and who knows, just bringing a healthy option and sharing your nutritional knowledge, you may have a positive impact on someone else’s lifestyle. Great options for a healthy dish to bring are: fruit and veggie trays (stay away from the dressings and dips), salad, lean protein to grill, etc.
- Don’t hang around the food table! When you hang around the food table, more than likely you will mindlessly snack on all the delicious food items, even if you are full! It is the same premise on how it’s possible to finish a whole bag of chips of tub of ice cream while watching TV – we become distracted while conversing with our friends at the party and mindlessly eat as a social activity. And trust me, grazing on the snacks will add up quick! My suggestion is to grab one small plate (because you’ve already ate before arriving to the party as Tip#1 suggests right?) and stick with the healthiest options possible and THEN LEAVE THE FOOD TABLE IMMEDIATELY!
- Drink wisely! Regardless of whether or not you are going to indulge in an adult beverage, it is important to stay hydrated because the summer time heat in Texas is no joke! This is especially important if you are drinking alcohol because alcohol has a diuretic effect on the body which means your body loses more fluid than normal. There are a couple ways we can combat some of the negative effect s of alcohol so you can enjoy yourself responsibly at your summer time events. First, switch off between one alcoholic drink and one bottle of water. This will help you stay hydrated on those hot summer days! Second, stick with light beers and for you liquor connoisseurs out there, stick with low sugar mixers like regular and flavored sparkling water or a simple garnish of lemon or lime. Dark beers and mixers like sodas and fruit juices all add extra carbs and calories. For example, most pina colada recipes are over 200 calories per drink! And finally, plan ahead and limit yourself to a specified number of alcoholic beverages that you bring with you to the party and use your will power to stick with that pre-planned limit!
- Get Moving! Don’t just sit at a table for the entire party. Get up, move around, and socialize with other guests because isn’t that the reason we go to parties – to socialize with others? Examples of how to get moving at parties: go swimming, play outdoor games like cornhole or ladder golf, have a dance off or bring CrossFit into it and do synchronized burpees! OK maybe no one will want to do synchronized burpees but the idea is to get moving instead of being sedentary at table which is what most people do all day during the week at the office!