With summer comes entertaining. Sunshine, back yard BBQs and togetherness. But sometimes this makes it difficult to stick to a healthy lifestyle. It doesn’t have to. Here are my top 5 tips for attending parties with ease.
- Set yourself up for success—this happens long before you even get the invitation to a social event. If you eat well and take great care of yourself on a daily basis, one meal that’s indulgent or out of the ordinary will make less of an impact.
- Know your crowd – not everyone is on the same health journey as you (I’m sure you’re well aware of this by now). So know what you’re getting into and make a plan to take care of your needs. Bring a salad, mix your own healthy drink, or arrive with a bottle of water. If you’re weary of arriving with your own food or drinks, let your host know you have allergies (or preferences) and you’ll bring something to contribute. You won’t offend your host, they will be happy that you’re looked after, even if you brought your own meal. Remember, spending time together is the goal of any gathering. It doesn’t have to be about the food.
- Visualize to create your guidelines—much like a pro athlete uses visualization to see themselves winning a game, use this technique to plan how you want your evening (or trip) to go. If you visualize yourself in the situation you can anticipate your needs and make sure you have what you’ll require to take care of yourself. Set guidelines for yourself based on how you want your event to go. Want to make it to the early morning yoga class the next day? Set an expectation on what time you’ll be in bed.
- Know your drink number— remember a time when you had “a few too many?” Get to know what your drink number is—this is the number of drinks you can have in an evening without going overboard, and still feel great the next day. Before you leave the house, decide how many drinks you’ll have that evening. You’ll be more likely to space out your drinks and have water in between if you know your guideline is 3 glasses for the night.
- Focus on connection—make it a priority to truly connect with people at your next gathering. Try to learn one new thing about each person in the room. When you feel engaged and connected, it’s fulfilling on a deep level. The satisfaction you’ll feel from connecting with another person will fill you up more than food or drinks ever could. After all, isn’t that why you’re out?
Living a healthy lifestyle and taking great care of your body isn’t all about rules and restrictions. It’s about setting boundaries that stand up for what you really, truly want—to feel and look great now and for years to come.
Enjoy the BBQs, road trips, and patio parties this summer. Use these tips to help you stand up for what you really want—to be healthy and feel great. The boundaries you practice now will become comfortable habits that in time will feel effortless.