(CNN) \u2014 When she used to visit her in-laws during the holidays, Dana Santas and her husband kept to their schedule and went to the gym every day.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re on a dairy farm in Wisconsin, in the middle of nowhere,\u201d said Santas, a CNN fitness contributor and a mind-body coach for professional athletes. \u201cWe were leaving for a 35-minute drive to the gym, spending an hour at the gym and then another 35 minutes back.\u201d<\/p>\n
It can be hard to maintain the habits that make you feel good and promote health over the holidays \u2013\u2013 especially when traveling to see loved ones. How do you leave the board game to get a workout? How do you say no to grandma\u2019s legendary cookies when you already had pie?<\/p>\n
Maybe you shouldn\u2019t do either, our experts say.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s important to keep up behaviors that make you feel good over the holidays, but it isn\u2019t worth throwing away all your enjoyment of the season, Santas said.<\/p>\n
The answer may be to let go of your expectations that you will eat and exercise as normal, and instead do one small thing to stay connected to your good habits. In this case, you can add some healthy micro-habits into your holiday celebrations.<\/p>\n
Holiday enjoyment comes first<\/p>\n
Guilt over neglecting an exercise routine or failing to maintain a strict schedule can interfere with your enjoyment of the holiday season.<\/p>\n
But it\u2019s important to keep some healthy behaviors in place to ensure you feel good, Charlotte, North Carolina, dietitian Natalie Mokari said. Not having fiber and protein in your diet can affect digestion and energy levels, which means you might not enjoy your holiday time as much.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, eating what you enjoy, sharing in family recipes and being flexible while with your loved ones are also important, Mokari said.<\/p>\n
Being too strict on what you can and can\u2019t eat might also backfire, because such rigidity often leads to overeating things you\u2019ve labeled as taboo, she added.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe place boundaries around food, then we want more of it,\u201d Mokari said.<\/p>\n
Guilt you feel around straying from your health routines \u2014 which might not be feasible while traveling and celebrating the holidays \u2013\u2013 might also lead you to throw out any attempts to feel good at all, Santas said.<\/p>\n
Instead of focusing on how little you have moved or how few vegetables you have eaten, celebrate the ways in which you can incorporate healthy habits while still enjoying time during the holidays, she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt doesn\u2019t mean that you let go of being healthy, but it means you let go of (a rigid routine), and you let go of any guilt associated with that. Otherwise, you\u2019re just sabotaging yourself,\u201d Santas said.<\/p>\n
Add fruits and veggies but enjoy Christmas cookies, too<\/p>\n
If you want to feel good after holiday eating, don\u2019t cut the goodies \u2013\u2013 just add some fruits and vegetables, Mokari said.<\/p>\n
Traveling to visit family and friends for the holidays can often mean not being fully in control of your dietary options, whether it\u2019s because you are going to restaurants or eating at other people\u2019s houses, she added.<\/p>\n
When looking at a restaurant menu, order what looks good to you and enjoy it, Mokari said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlso, is there an option to get some side of a vegetable, even if it\u2019s like a side salad to get some greens in?\u201d she said. \u201cOn a sandwich, adding lettuce, tomato, avocado or getting a side of beans with tacos (are) different things that you can do to kind of add some extra nutrients and fiber.\u201d<\/p>\n
You can pair things together to make sure you are getting the fun holiday foods and drinks as well as ones that are more nutritious. For example, whenever you have a caffeinated or alcoholic beverage, also order a glass of water, Mokari said.<\/p>\n
Similarly, if you are on a road trip, it\u2019s OK to have your favorite car snacks. If you want to make sure you stay feeling good, see if you can add in a fruit as well, she said.<\/p>\n
To eat more vegetables while at someone\u2019s home, you can always pick something up at the store or offer to make a side dish such as a fall vegetable or a salad, Mokari said.<\/p>\n
To ensure you aren\u2019t going overboard, keep in mind what you are most excited to eat and stay aware of your fullness level so you don\u2019t feel uncomfortable, she said.<\/p>\n
But don\u2019t spend too much time thinking about the proportion of holiday favorites to more nutrient-dense foods, she added. The most important thing is to enjoy your holiday with your loved ones.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne meal, a few meals, a few desserts \u2013\u2013 it\u2019s not a make-or-break situation for your health,\u201d Mokari said.<\/p>\n
Pair movement with family time<\/p>\n
Getting in healthy movement over the holidays doesn\u2019t mean you have to work up a sweat or even leave a gathering, Santas said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAny movement that you can get during this time is great, and it\u2019s almost like gravy, because \u2026 what most of us do is we just say, \u2018OK, well, I can\u2019t do my rigid routine that I always do, so I\u2019m not going to do anything,\u2019\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Travel can be hard on the body, so any movement is helpful that can counteract the stiffness, prolonged sitting, and aches and pains.<\/p>\n
\u201cAny time that you can, stand up and move in ways that your body intuitively is telling you to. That might be stretching out really long, rotating, squatting down, like just move your body and reconnect with it and just get a sense of what it needs,\u201d she said. \u201cDon\u2019t wait until you can get back to the gym to give it what it needs.\u201d<\/p>\n
If you need to, stand up for family games and long catch-up chats to change your posture. Or tell everyone to bundle up and get outside for a walk, she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt can be a 10-minute walk out in the cold, crisp air,\u201d Santas added. \u201cAny opportunity to take little movement breaks.\u201d<\/p>\n