It is the holiday season. We have one holiday down with Thanksgiving, but we still have two more coming up with Christmas and New Year. With all of the parties that come with these remaining holidays, it can be a very dangerous time of year. Here are 7 helpful tips to keep you on track with your goals this holiday season.

This is the beginning of the toughest time of the year. Starting at Halloween and ending on Valentine’s Day, Americans put on an average of about 10 pounds. The holiday season has many speed bumps that can slow down your health and wellness goals. This is why we need to be ready and make better choices during these challenges.

The first one is Halloween and with all the candy, it really starts us off with a bang. The best choice is to avoid all of the candy and sweets in the first place. This is easier said than done, so we can at least try to choose the better options for an occasional indulgence.

Summer time can bring more traveling into our schedules. Whether it is a weekend trip to see family or finally taking that week long getaway you have been looking forward to for so long. This can also be on top of all the traveling that you do for work. Anything that takes us away from home and ultimately out of our normal schedules and routines, can really throw us off of our health and wellness goals. What can be done to be sure we can stick to our goals when we travel? The most important thing to do in order to stick anything we do in life is to plan ahead. Like the saying goes "If you fail to plan, you can plan to fail". This really does say it all. This is also easier said than done. Planning can be time consuming and a bit of a hassle if you are not use to doing it. I also know that if you think back to anything you have ever planned a head for, you probably accomplished it with overall success. Eating healthy while traveling is no different. When we travel we do not need to eat at every truck stop or fast food joint we pass. We do not need to eat at the airport food court before we take off. When we get to our destination we do not need to eat out at a restaurant for every meal. If you do not do these things at home, why would you do them when you travel? (If you do these things at home, then we have way bigger problems to discuss!)