5 Things to Focus on During the Holidays

1. Focus on Fun -- Not Food: Organize crafts, games, coloring and other activities for people to do while talking and socializing. Put away the food when you are done eating, don't leave snacks out for hours and encourage grazing mindless eating.

2. Make Decisions- be mindful of choices. Don't just eat whatever is there. Decide what things you want to indulge in. Ask yourself what do you want to eat and how much would you need to eat to feel satisfied? Total deprivation rarely works long term for health. So learning to make a conscious choice and only eat as much as you need to be satisfied works better.

3. Plan your workouts -- schedule the in your planner or phone calendar. Take the time for yourself to relieve stress and set up more healthy choices.

4. Set Boundaries Early. How many drinks? before you have the 1st one. How many parties can you go to without feeling overwhelmed? How much to spend on gifts before starting shopping.

5. Maintain your sleep. So much of how we feel, react and can function is controlled by how tired we are. Try to keep sleep as a priority throughout the holidays.