‘Tis the season to be jolly. Part of this involves connecting with friends and family. Inevitably, this will happen around meal times. Three course meals become the norm, alcohol consumption goes up, and movement goes down. Let’s face it, not many of us like going outside in the cold and rain.

Theres a few concepts to keep in mind with making healthy choices over the holidays. The 80/20 rule and how our bodies take in and use energy are the best way to keep you on track. I’m a fan of KISS – keep it simple stupid!

Our bodies basal metabolic rate determines how many calories we burn at rest. Meaning if you did nothing all day and stayed in bed, you would burn a certain amount of energy. Our NEAT, non exercise activity thermogenesis, is the amount we burn by running our normal daily tasks. From cleaning to taking the dog for a walk. If it’s part of your normal daily routine, it gets counted here. And finally, we have exercise. This is a tiny amount compared to our basal metabolic rate and NEAT.

Getting the 80/20 rule right might been setting a limit on alcohol consumption. We are looking at meeting standards a minimum of 80% of the time. The other 20% has some wiggle room. If we have 21 meals in a week, which is 3 per day, this gives you 4 per week to go wild with. Within reason. If you limit your alcohol consumption to 3 beers instead of 6, you can still enjoy the experience without going over board. Don’t beat yourself up over one missed workout in the week if you have 5 scheduled. You still have the other 4 to play with.

Try limiting the amount of course you have around meal times. This adds up a lot over the long run. Try and keep your NEAT as close to normal as possible. If you go for a walk every day for 45 minutes, keep this up! The biggest change we can have is through keeping our routine, exercise and dietary habits as similar to normal as we can. With the 80/20 rule, it allows space for change without going overboard.

 Heal > Adapt > Evolve