In my efforts toward healthy holidays this year and in preventing weight gain, I’ve come across a strategy called the 50% rule. At first, I admit that I rolled my eyes when I saw the name of it. Any programs with numbers in them typically sound extreme and unrealistic to me. But, at the risk of sounding cliché, this one is different.
The 50% Rule for Healthy Holidays
The 50% rule is far more straightforward than it initially sounds and makes it simple to keep up an overall healthy holidays and still indulge without overdoing it. It also makes it possible to keep up with everything else that I feel is an important part of my lifestyle without feeling overwhelmed by it.
The idea is to focus on doing things by halves. So, if I feel like I can’t face the 30-minute workout I’d usually make myself do at another time of the year, I tell myself just to do half. I’m not off the hook, but 15 minutes is definitely more achievable than the half hour. In this way, I’m not giving up on my workouts. I’m keeping up the habit. But at the same time, I’m keeping it within reach during the busy holidays.
Similarly, if I’m looking at a plate full of cookies, if I’d usually take three or four, I take one or two. Half as many, but I still get to enjoy some sweet treats.
Sounds Goofy, but It’s Really Working!
Whatever the goal is, by cutting it in half, it places it within my reach. Nothing feels like it’s too much in terms of the obligations I’ve made to myself, and nothing feels like too little in terms of my rewards. When it comes to a healthy holiday season, that’s really the balance I need. It helps to keep my stress down, which is key, and it also keeps away feelings of guilt, regret, and disappointment in myself.
Since I’m still keeping up all my good habits, I feel proud of myself. Also, I’ve found that once I get started with a workout, I don’t usually find it as difficult to keep going. My main barrier is in getting started. So, by telling myself that I just have to do 15 minutes, I don’t hesitate to get started. Then, I find myself doing 15 minutes at the very least, but more often 20 minutes or even the half hour that I usually would, to begin with!
Since I’m using the 50% rule for healthy holidays in the kitchen and at parties, it means that I still get cookies, eggnog, and other treats. I’m not depriving myself. But at the same time, I’m not eating six cookies while knocking back my third eggnog on my eighth straight day without a single physical activity (don’t judge me).
Sure, I’m not keeping up the full-size habits I would during the rest of the year, but I’m still keeping up the habits in a form that is manageable in this busy and stressful season.
