The leftover turkey isn’t even cold when we start cranking the Christmas music, scheduling holiday parties, and shopping for perfect gifts.

And the food -- Oh the food. All of our favorite holiday flavors are out on parade. From gingerbread-flavored everything and cookie assortments to cheesy appetizers and bacon-wrapped entrees.

The rest of the year, we say, “I’m watching what I Eat and Exercising,” but this month, we announce with confidence and a mouthful of sugar cookie, “It’s the holidays!” And we’re so right. It is the holidays and it’s okay to cheat a little. But, you don’t have to throw away 11 months of progress in the 25 days before Christmas.

Here, are few tips on how to fully enjoy the holiday season without starting the New Year off with pounds to lose.

1. Exercise in the morning to avoid scheduling conflicts: The holidays are an exceptionally busy time for most of us. Between the parties, out-of-town trips, and time spent at the mall, it can be difficult to fit in your regular exercise time. However, maintaining your routine is critical to avoiding holiday weight gain. If possible, opt to workout in the morning. Doing so will reduce the risk that your busy holiday schedule will keep you out of the gym. A morning workout will also set the tone for your day. You’re more likely to resist the random cookie or treat if you’ve started your day in a healthy way.

2. Hydrate to curb your eating: Many times, dehydration can trigger hunger pangs. Drinking water not only reduces dehydration-related cravings, it can also curb overeating. Before you indulge in a holiday meal or dip into the appetizers, drink a glass or two of water. The water will help you feel fuller faster, meaning you eat fewer calories.

In a study conducted by researchers at the University of Birmingham in the U.K., obese participants were asked to drink 16 ounces of water 30 minutes before each meal. After 12 weeks, the volunteers lost nearly 10 pounds each, on average. While it may not be your goal to lose weight, but rather maintain through the holidays, drinking more water is likely to help.

3. Plan ahead to stay in control: You’ve heard the expression, “If you fail to plan, plan to fail.” This certainly holds true when it comes to maintaining your level of fitness during the holidays. It can be easy to take the “all-or-nothing” approach when it comes to diet and exercise. But, don’t binge and be lazy throughout the whole month of December, or you’ll be sorry in January. Take control of your workouts and cheat in moderation. 

If you know you have extra commitments on the calendar or you’re traveling for the holidays, mark these dates and plan accordingly. Schedule every workout for the month of December and make it a point to stay on track. It might be helpful to give yourself a couple floating rest days so you don’t feel like a failure if you simply can’t make it to the gym.  And remember, traveling, if planned out right, even though you're on the road, or on a plane, you can still make use of just walking around and taking in some of the sites before you need to arrive at your committed festivities.  Using an Activity Monitor during all the busy rushing around is a great way to keep you motivated and tracking your movements, or lack there of, in order to remind you to get moving. One great Activity Monitor is the Fitbit Charge  Everyone needs some reminders to keep themselves on track and with the Fitbit Charge, the only thing you need to remember is to keep it fastened to your wrist!

When it comes to your diet, set guidelines for yourself, you know you’ll be indulging. Plan your cheat meals around the days when you know you’ll be dipping into some extra indulgent apps or drinks. To help you stay in control, set some limits for yourself before filling your plate. For example, resolve to put just three of your favorite foods on your plate.This will keep your cheat meal from turning into an all-night binge. 

4. Make a pact to stay motivated: During the holidays, it can feel like you’re the only one trying to stay on track. Watching everyone else pig-out or stay couch-bound will likely make it easier for you to follow suit. Be accountable to a fit friend or family member during the month of December. Encourage each other to enjoy your favorite treats, but in moderation and maintain your exercise routines, the best you can. When you’re visiting family or friends, try asking them to exercise with you!

5. Don’t avoid the scale: When you feel yourself slipping with diet or exercise, it can be all-to-easy, to dump your resolve until after you ring in the New Year. Instead of packing away your scale to avoid the guilt, continue to monitor your progress throughout December. If you see the numbers rising or see your muscle tone fading, don’t body shame, but do use it as a reality check to make some changes. Increase your water intake, be vigilant with your exercise, and eat a few more salads that week to help you get back on track.

6. Stock healthy snacks in the house and on the go: A house full of sweet treats and high-calorie foods will test anyone’s willpower, especially if your stomach is already growling. Make it a point to stock your fridge, car, and workspace with healthy options that you can grab easily when you’re craving some holiday snacks. Satisfy your hunger first, then if you want to cheat just a little, go for it!

7. Bring healthy treats to the party: When it's your turn to bring the goodies, don’t be afraid to bring some green. You can stick with an easy veggie tray or fruit plate, or get creative with healthy spring roll bites or cauliflower breadsticks. This way, you know you’ll have at least one healthy option to fill-up on at the party. Remember, for this the internet is your friend!  There are hundred of tasty, healthy foods that will still give you that crunch, just not the calories that go along with a bowl of dips and chips!

8. Set a challenge: The turkey trots may be over, but you’re likely to find a candy cane run or Santa dash near you. Make a 5k or 10k a holiday tradition with family and friends! It will help you burn off extra calories and motivate you to keep up with your training. Not sure where to find a race? Did I not mention the internet is your friend??

9. Fill up on the good stuff: When you’re indulging in holiday meals, fill most of your plate with lean proteins and veggies (FYI: green bean casserole and fried onions don’t count as veggies). Cut the hunger pangs with the healthier options and then reach for your high-calorie favs. You’ll end up feeling more satisfied and less guilty at the end of the meal. Pairing the carb-laden goodies with healthier proteins will also help keep your blood sugar in check, which means you’ll reach for fewer leftovers later on.

10. Limit alcohol: It might be difficult to resist the big bowl of spiked eggnog and warm-you-to-the-core hot toddies, but make alcoholic drinks like these the treat, not the norm. These winter warmers can contain upwards of 500 calories each.

Even if you’re enjoying the low-cal drink options like vodka sodas, the alcohol can lower your inhibitions, which means you’re more likely to snack on higher calorie foods or reach for holiday leftovers a bit too soon.

11. Have a backup plan: It’s a good idea to plan your workout schedule for the entire month of December, always come prepared with a backup plan. If you didn’t anticipate skipping the gym, you can still get in a great workout just about anywhere -- even if you’re short on time. Be prepared for kinks in your workout schedule, but remember, things do happen and in the long run its worth the effort to think things through so you can have the time you need to get your workouts in.

The average person gains 1-2 pounds during the holidays and doesn’t ever lose it -- but you don’t have to be “average.” Maintain your weight or even shed a couple pounds this holiday season by tightening your routines and remaining accountable to your diet goals.

Everyone looks forward to sitting down with family and friends for a Thanksgiving meal. But for those of us who are working towards a healthier you in 2016 you may have some reservations about really enjoying the meal plan. The key to still enjoying your favorite holiday fare and still keep true to your fitness goals is “MODERATION” and keeping to your exercise routines.

Now you may think that, hey, it’s only one day of the year and it really is. But it seems like Thanksgiving is the start of the holiday eating campaigns that take place everywhere around the United States. That’s why we say moderation is the key to you NOT putting on an extra 5 lb. or more during these two months of festive parties and get-togethers. Remember, having that stuffed feeling after the fact is only good if you’re the turkey!

One of the best things you can do to avoid packing on the pounds this holiday season is to increase your activity / exercise, a bit more during this time of year. Now, this may not seem as bad to you at first but, remember, at this time of year, people, you included are going to be spending more time shopping for gifts for family and friends. Now is a good time to use your walking shoes instead of taking the car or the bus to your favorite stores. Now, we hope you're going to visit our on-line store at http://www.heartratemonitorsusa.com to purchase a fitness item to help you or your family and friends stay on top of your progress. But besides the convenience of shopping on-line, you can still go to the mall this time of year, even if the weather does not corporate, and stretch those leg muscles. The mall is an excellent place to walk. Walking is probably one of the best low-cost fitness exercises you can do. And you can take the opportunity to window-shop as you walk briskly in front of all those stores located within the mall.

Along with walking through the mall for exercise, you can also get some fresh air as it is usually a tradition for a lot of people, after the Thanksgiving meal is over, instead of vegging out on the couch, maybe watching a football game, why not get out, and take everyone with you for a group search for that perfect Christmas tree. And we don’t mean driving down to the local Christmas tree lot to do your searching. There is nothing better than to drive out to a local tree farm, getting everyone out of the car and tramping up and down the fields trying to locate that perfect tree. Now we are not saying that you should go far and wide with the hopes of seeing the sun’s ray shinning down on your tree like the Griswald’s in that holiday favorite movie ‘Christmas Vacation” but just getting out and walking around in the clean, crisp air while your looking for the right tree will help you in losing a few calories from that big meal you just packed on.

Now those are just two ideas, but the focus is to ramp up your activity a little more during this time of year so you won’t feel bad about eating that fancy Christmas cookie your favorite aunt baked just for you.

And if you do partake in regular exercise, make sure you are tracking your daily progress so you can make sure you're increasing your activity levels between now and New Year’s Day. You may want to try an activity monitor like the Fitbit Charge 2 Activity Tracker. This one even has a heart rate monitor so you can see just how well you are doing and how well you're taxing your heart as you do so.

Remember, even though we say you should increase your activity to help you avoid the strain of gaining some holiday poundage, even exercising more does not give you a free license to just eat and eat and eat. That’s why we said earlier that moderation is the key. Yep, it’s Thanksgiving and it does only come around once a year so go ahead, take a helping of that stuffing that grandma made and finish off that dinner with a slice of pumpkin or my favorite pecan pie. But ask for a small slice and stop at just one slice, not seconds.

If you keep moderation in mind this holiday season, you won’t need to make that same New Year’s resolution again this year about losing weight and getting fit, because you are already on that right path to healthy!!

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family, from our family here at HeartRateMonitorsUSA.Com.