Ready or not, the holiday season is here! This year has flown by and I can’t believe Thanksgiving has come and gone. Christmas is only 3 weeks away! If you are like me, your calendars are full of parties, dinners, brunches, and time with friends and family. All of these events and gatherings are fun and fill my heart to the top, but they can make us overwhelmed and tired. I want to share some ideas to help you end this year strong when it comes to your nutrition and health. These are 5 things I will be focusing on as I close out this year and head into 2020!

1. Plan your meals when you know you will be home. I know this might sound silly but it will help you have control over your eating. Remember to KEEP IT SIMPLE! Don’t add more to your plate by feeling stressed about cooking meals at home. Choose a protein and build the rest of your meal around it. On the days where you know you can control what you are eating, make a plan and stick with it. I know that life is busy and things will come up in your week, but when you have a game plan for meals at home, everything will run smoothly. 
2. Don't stress or worry when you are at the actual event or party. Friends, I know I have said this before but if you are at a party and you eat something “unhealthy,” it isn’t going to derail you or ruin the progress you’ve made. Don't punish yourself when you decide to indulge a little bit. This is something that I struggled with prior to the FASTer Way. I would have a piece of cake or fries and then I wouldn’t let myself eat for the rest of the day. This is not good for you. If you indulge in a meal, then focus on making your next meal full of those whole foods. It’s so important to continue to fuel your body properly through the holidays.
3. Pay attention to what you are putting on your plate. When you are at a party or event, don’t start throwing food on your plate without being mindful. Make sure you grab some veggies, protein and then add in the things you can’t live without this time of year. For me, that would be chocolate pie, chocolate chip cookies, my mother in law’s cinnamon rolls and cookie dough dip. We are not going to deprive ourselves of things we love this time of year but we want to pay attention to the foods we are eating.
4. Give yourself grace! You will not be perfect and that’s okay. You might have a plan and then it totally falls apart. That’s OKAY! Forget it and move forward. The beauty in our health journey is that each day brings a new opportunity to make a better choice.
5. Drink water. Make sure you are staying well hydrated. This will help you stay full and decrease those potential cravings. A good goal to shoot for is 100 oz of water per day.

Bonus Tip: Remind yourself that it’s all about BALANCE! This is what we focus on in the FASTer Way. Again, we know we aren’t going to be perfect and we’re okay with that. Practice moderation and be consistent in the things I mentioned earlier. It is crucial that you find balance in your health journey. We want to stay positive and motivated as we continue to learn and grow in this area of our lives. Check out my blog on FIND BALANCE IN THE DAY TO DAY to read more about this topic.

I hope this post has been helpful. I’m cheering you on through the next few weeks of 2019. Remember that at the end of the day, your worth isn’t in how good or bad you did when it came to your nutrition and eating for the day. We want to fuel our bodies with the amazing foods the Lord has given us, but allow ourselves to enjoy the things we love this time of year.