# Holding Yourself Accountable Over the Holidays>> ***By: Mandy Moseley from Three15 Studio***The holiday season is one of my favorite times of the year. In all honesty, who doesn’t love an opportunity to dress up and spend time with their friends and family? For a lot of us, the holiday season can be an extremely difficult time to stay healthy. I have learned the more prepared you are for the next few months ahead, the easier it is for you to have fun and enjoy yourself without undoing all of the hard work you have put in the past 10 months. So the question is, how do we tackle the holiday season?___
### #1. Set realistic goalsJust a heads up, you have two more months before you have to come up with that lofty New Year’s resolution! This doesn’t mean you do not need to hold yourself accountable, because you do. The best advice that I can give you is to find a workout that you really enjoy and set a realistic goal for yourself. Maybe it is attending classes four times a week. If so, write it down and make it visible to yourself on a daily basis. If you check off the days that you go and you find yourself slipping, you are more likely to reign it in if you can visually see it on a piece of paper.### #2. WATER, WATER, WATERDrinking water throughout the day can help you feel fuller, which can keep you from consuming as many calories when it’s time to eat. A small change in your drinking habits over the next few months can save you a lot of calories. Try drinking water throughout the day versus juices or sodas. Another tip is to try drinking a glass of water between each alcoholic beverage when you are at a party. ### #3. Listen to your bodyIf a female wants a piece of chocolate, there are very few things that will keep her from finding it! That being said, this is not the time to deprive yourself of all of the yummy foods that are associated with holiday eating. If your aunt Martha’s pecan pie is your favorite thing in the whole world and you have been looking forward to it all year long, then have a small piece and move along. Denying yourself of all of the goodies can sometimes make them more appealing. So have the cake, just don’t have all of the cake. Moderation is the key!### #4. Have a drinking plan I know that this might sound silly, but drinking too much can sometimes cause you to lose your inhibitions and make bad decisions around food as well. The more you drink, the more likely you are to rationalize eating that cookie you have been eyeing all night long. Try and limit yourself to 2 to 3 drinks per night. Another tip that I mentioned earlier is to have water in between each one of those drinks. Another way you can save some calories is by choosing wine, beer, or a liquor drink with club soda or water. One of the fastest ways calories can sneak up on you are when you are drinking a mixed drink. A glass of wine can be around 120 cal, where a delicious margarita can be close to 600 cal.---At the end of the day, we all just want to enjoy the next few months with “our people”. Enjoy yourself and remember that if you do miss your workout or you do eat that extra cookie, it isn’t the end of the world, so don’t beat yourself up! Instead, wake up the next day and try to be a better you. Control what you can control and happy holidays!P.S. make sure to get your hands on the next copy of About Town, where we tackle New Years Resolutions!
