Christmas is coming upon us fast! In just a couple days, Pearson and I will start our two week road trip! I am so excited to see everybody! We’ll see my parents, brother, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. We’ll see Pearson’s parents, siblings, grandma, aunts, uncles, and cousins. We’ll see my best friend from college and her husband over new years, and we’ll end the trip at my other grandma’s for the weekend. It’s a lot of driving, but it’s totally worth it! The only problem is, it’s hard to stay healthy in a situation like this. You’re away from home and your gym. You’re spending a lot of time sitting in a car or around the house doing nothing. And you eating a lot of Mom’s and Grandma’s good cooking! Well here are some tips to help a little. Remember, everything counts!

• Always eat breakfast. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. You’ve been fasting all night and it’s important to break that. And if you eat more calories in the morning, you have more time to burn them off before going to bed than say if you eat more at night.
• No soda. This is something simple to do that can make a big difference. Drink water at every meal. I might even say don’t drink anything but water. No sweet tea. No lemonade. No alcohol if you usually do drink alcohol. Seriously this really cuts down on your calories!
• Drink lots of water. Not just at meals but try your best to continue drinking your recommended amount even though you’re on vacation.
• Only eat one plate of food at each meal. Don’t go back for seconds. I know it was delicious, but trust me, one plate is all you need. And later when everybody else is in a food coma, you might still have some energy!
• (try to) Follow the 80/20 rule. That means 80% of what you eat is healthy and 20% isn’t. That means you can answer to your sweet tooth a little bit at a time so you don’t break down and stuff your face with pie later after not letting yourself have any. I think I’ll allow myself one sweet thing per day whether it’s candy or a slice of pie or a cookie or whatever.
• Bring your own snacks. Your family may think you’re crazy, but do it anyway. When you start to get hungry, instead of eating not-so-healthy leftovers and sweets, pull out an energy bar or piece of fruit you had stowed in your suitcase!
• Be active. Whatever you do, don’t just sit around all day! Shopping, playing football in the yard, and helping clean the kitchen all count as being active. Instead of sitting around and being bored, take your dog for a walk and take some of the family with you! In the mornings before the day gets started, do a little routine of stretching and jumping jacks when to wake you up. Or do a quick Blogilates video! That’s what I’ll be doing.