Everyone deserves a little time off, but at what cost.  Sometimes we get tired of the good behavior, rigorous workouts or tracking food.  Sometimes a road block is in our path - Thanksgiving, a holiday party, Christmas, a bad day at the office.  There always seems to be something that is blocking our path to being the healthiest that we could be.  Here's the bad (or reassuring) news...no one's perfect and we're all going to slip up at some point.  So, what do you do after indulging a little too much? Here are my simple tips to move forward:

1.                                Get back on track: Remember how I mentioned "Guilt Free Thanksgiving"?  Well, how you get rid of that guilt post-indulgence is by getting back to your old routine.  It's not going to be easy - have you ever noticed how after a bad day or two, the thought of eating all the healthiest foods or getting back to the gym can be less than intriguing.  Many people feel that way.  It is true that others want to get back faster than full throttle so that they can feel better sooner, but most people feel sluggish and not-too-inspired.  Getting back to your fitness routine can be the best way to feel better about what you did on Thanksgiving.

2.                                Journal: Keeping a log of what you eat, when and why (how you are feeling at that moment) for a week or so is a great way of getting in touch with your eating patterns.  When you get in touch with your eating patterns you are able to learn to eat more intuitively, which is how you get healthy. 

3.                                Get in touch with cravings: Many people will crave things that they recently ate.  Have you noticed how you can stay away from junk food for weeks and as soon as you eat it you want more, like there's a monster in your belly?  This is not by accident.  Did you know that food recipes for "junk" food are actually made to make you want to eat them more?  It makes sense when you realize that the food supply in America is almost 3000 calories per person and most of us only need 1200 - 1700 of them.  If you would like to know more about this I recommend "The End of Overeating" by Dr David Kessler.

4.                                Keep Your Health Goals in a Visible Place: Being constantly reminded of what you want to achieve for your health, while tracking your food is a great deterrent when you want to eat that extra piece of pie.

5.                                Arm yourself with knowledge: What is the actual cost of "taking a break" over the holidays?  Most people gain between 7 and 10 lbs over the holidays.  I found a really interesting blog post on Spark People that highlights some wonderful examples of what different decisions will do to your goals.  To read this blog post click here.

6.                                Make it FUN!  There are some wonderful tools out there to have some fun with staying healthy with your friends.  Sites like www.dietbet.com allow you to make bets with your friends.  A little healthy competition never hurt anyone