Between the Holidays — Skip the Weight Gain and Stay on Track

A December without any holiday indulging is not a December we want to be a part of, but that doesn't mean you need to go overboard at every meal. If you want to leave space for indulgences and still stay on a healthy track, the 80/20 technique lets you do just that. It allows you the space to go out socially and enjoy a meal, and it makes the whole clean-living thing feel doable during (and long after) the holiday season.

The breakdown is simple: 80 percent of the time you focus on eating clean, good-for-you foods, and 20 percent of the time you have the freedom to indulge as you please. The math is simple: if you eat three square meals a day, three of those meals every week are your 20 percent cheat meals; if you eat five small meals a day, then seven of those small meals are up for grabs.

Jessica Alba's trainer Yumi Lee credited the 80/20 rule when it came to Jessica's ability to maintain her healthy weight. "You can't be 100 percent all of the time, but you can be 80 percent all of the time," she explains.

Combat indulgent nights and all that partying with an amped up workout schedule. Tacking on extra workouts will help you burn more calories, stay on track with your healthy eating routine, and beat the inevitable stress that comes along with holiday shopping and party planning.

Spend a few minutes mapping out your weeknight schedule for the upcoming days, and write them down in your calendar to help them stick. This way you'll be able to strike the ideal balance of fitness, fun, and relaxation during this busy season.

Most people already know that drinking water in Summer's heat is important, but getting yourself to drink enough water in the Winter is a totally different story. Staying hydrated through the cooler months can suppress your appetite, keep your skin looking gorgeous, and even boost your metabolism.

You probably know to fill up your water bottle during the day, but it's just as important to stay hydrated when you're out and about, and the technique of water backing is a great way to make that happen. After each alcoholic libation you consume, back it with an 8-ounce glass of good old H2O. Drinking booze dehydrates your system, and drinking water helps your body recuperate faster.

When you arrive at a big, potentially indulgent meal famished, you're much more likely to overeat and grab whatever is in sight. Instead of showing up ravenous, snack on high-fiber fruits, veggies, and whole grains before you go out to keep your hunger in check for meals. If you can avoid arriving feeling starved, you'll prevent some major overindulging and postparty guilt.

Alcohol is full of empty calories and tons of sugar, which can mess with all the hard work you put in with eating clean and working out. We're not saying that you need to skip out on the libations all season long — we'll certainly be enjoying our fair share of cocktails over the next few weeks! — but it's important to choose wisely. Those random glasses of late-night wine and happy-hour cocktails add up; once you have a little buzz going on, making unhealthy choices about food doesn't seem all that bad.

Instead of hitting up every happy hour or boozing night out, save your calories for special occasions. And once you're out, choose smarter with a low-calorie cocktail or go for a glass of brut champagne, since it only clocks in at 91 calories per glass.

Even though it can be tough to drag yourself away from late-night festivities, do your best to get home at a decent hour and aim for at least seven hours of shut eye a night. Sleep is precious; it resets your body and keeps your immune system strong, so you can stave off cold-weather bugs and infections and keep on having fun. For the best sleep quality possible, try to maintain an environment that is between 60ºF and 68°F in your bedroom.