Vvvvvvt!  Yep… that was your willpower heading straight out the window, normal though frustrating this time of the year. Between cocktail parties, holiday cookie baking, and a decreased amount of free time to hit the gym due to all those aforementioned fêtes, many find it difficult to battle the bulge come the holidays.  Here, tips on how to master the art of balance avoiding holiday weight gain—without missing out on cocktail hour.

Indulging while still keeping that balance
Stick to a clean lifestyle as often as possible—it’s your baseline. But that doesn’t mean you can’t be the first at the table to grab for the French fries and martinis; the holidays are a time for enjoying these indulgences with the people you love!  But by eating a lean meats, plant-based, superfood diet the majority of the time, your body can handle these treats.

Load up your plate with greens at every single meal. Not only will this ensure you’re getting all the essential vitamins, minerals, and amino acids you need to power you through these long winter days, but they also do wonders for your skin, hydrating you on a deep cellular level.   4 to 8 cups of greens a day helps keep a glow in your skin. Pair your greens with superfoods; that’ll give you a lot of bang for your buck (aka keeping you fuller longer). Also, drink plenty of mineral water and teas between meals to help satiate any emotional snacking that creeps in midday.

Changing your fitness routine in the holiday months
Winter is a period for reflection, grounding, and introspective, so we often find ourselves naturally craving exercise that mirrors that. Yoga is obviously a perfect match for that. And given the demands the holidays put on our free time, opt for short but more intense workouts.

Eat seasonally
Fall has some awesome goodies from Mother Nature. Pears and apples are amazing fall fruits that are packed with fiber, water, and vitamin C, and that you can mix in any meal any time of the day. There’s also an abundance of all kinds of squash, like butternut, acorn, kabocha … they contain beta-carotene, which your body converts to vitamin A and uses to build that strong immune system, you’ll be needing as the seasons change. Pair these guys with warming spices, like cinnamon, turmeric, ginger and cardamom, and you’re sending your body some solid anti-inflammatory, detoxifying love!