5 Ways to Maintain Balance During the Holidays (Giveaway)

As much as I love cooking during the holidays and hosting parties, the one place where I am weak at is the eating part. I will eat myself sick at holiday parties. I mean, the food is just so darn good! Not to mention the company.

It’s just part of the party process — you make the food, you invite friends, you laugh and hang out, and all the while this is going on, you eat the entire time! I honestly think it is written in the party handbook that you must eat like a horse the entire time — or not?

There are some things that you can do to keep from over eating and maintain balance during your holiday get togethers. Kelsey Nixon (Cooking Guru) and Jennie Finch (Family Activity Guru) are working with HERSHEY’S Moderation Nation to share their tips to help you manage and find balance during the holiday season!

5 Ways to Maintain Balance During the Holidays

1. Aim for Petite Portions

Rather than filling up a whole plate with your dessert, bake or serve them in small containers like shot glasses or mini mason jars to help you keep the portions small, but fun.  It also makes them fun to give as gifts or party favors over the holidays. Try Kelsey’s recipes for perfectly portioned desserts like Maple Cream Chocolate Brownie Shots and Pumpkin Pie in a Jar.

2. Get Everyone In On the Action

The holidays are great for combining things on your to-do list with fun, family activities. Turn unpacking groceries or holiday gifts from the car into a bucket brigade that gets everyone moving and involved. You’ll get a hand with the chore and have fun with your kids at the same time!

3. Moderation Not Deprivation

Don’t forgo the things you like most about the holidays!  Instead of skipping the holiday party buffet altogether, think of it as a “tasting” and sample one or one small spoonful of everything!  Instead of skipping the mug of hot cocoa after coming in from the cold, have a cup instead.  You’ll get the experience of indulging without breaking the calorie bank.  In fact, research shows that whether you prefer something sweet or salty, you shouldn’t deprive yourself of the foods you love.

4. Play Games

Games aren’t just for kids!  They’re fun for kids and adults alike and keep everyone entertained.  At your next get-together, add fun, themed games into the mix, like a pumpkin ring toss where everyone throws rings onto pumpkin stems or scarecrow races where teams compete to fill old clothes with newspaper to make scarecrows.

5. Create Traditions

Create family traditions that get people active and having fun together. After a big family meal, initiate a friendly flag football game instead of TV time. Make it into an annual tradition you can look forward to year after year.

Enter Hershey’s Pinterest Sweepstakes

Hershey has teamed up with How Does She to create the Good Life Holiday Pinterest sweepstakes where you can share all the ways you’re planning to live the “good life” this holiday by pinning pictures, recipes and articles.  Here’s how to enter:

1)     Get started! Create a board on your Pinterest account called “Moderation Nation Good Life Holiday Sweepstakes Sponsored by Hershey.”

2)     Pin! Fill it with pins that represent your idea of a Good Life Holiday and how you plan to live a balanced lifestyle this holiday season.

3)     Explore the Moderation Nation Website! Find your favorite three images that represent a balanced lifestyle from www.TheModerationNation.com and pin them to your board.

4)     Hashtag! Tag each pin on the board with the hashtag #ModerationNation.

5)     Share! Visit the “Moderation Nation Good Life Holiday Sweepstakes Sponsored by Hershey” board, and post a comment containing a link to your board, so we can see what your Good Life Holiday looks like!

The sweepstakes ends November 30, 2012 so be sure to create a board for your chance to win!

We’re giving away a Body Media Fit Armband

BodyMedia FIT is an on-body monitoring system that consists of the BodyMedia FIT Armband monitor, online Activity Manager (subscription required) an optional Display and free downloadable apps for mobile device users. BodyMedia FIT Armbands automatically track the calories burned during your daily activities, works as a fitness monitor to measure the intensity of your workouts and monitors the quality of your sleep, an important factor in weight loss. (Retail: $149.00)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

HERSHEY’S Moderation Nation is a go-to source for balanced lifestyle tips and tools to enjoy happiness through well-being every day.

These tips and this giveaway are provided by Hershey. All opinions remain our own.

Tagged as: balance, Christmas, Health and Fitness, holidays

Email Author    |    Website About Jennifer Sikora

Jennifer is the Advertising and Communications contact here at 5 Minutes for Mom. When she is not busy answering emails here, you can find her sharing about her life on her own blog at www.jennifersikora.com. You can also find her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/jennifer_sikora or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/jenandherfinelife.

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