The last holiday weekend of the summer is officially here.

Labor Day is on Monday, marking the unofficial end of summer and heralding the start of fall.

You may already be scared to screw up in a situation you know will be challenging. 

I'm here to let you know that you are okay. Using a few simple strategies you don't have to stress holiday weekends and other social events.

If we go about them well, we can have the best of both worlds. We can indulge in the things we like with the people we love and avoid unnecessary weight gain.

Here's how:

1. Exercise.

If we know we are going to be indulging a bit and taking in some extra calories, we have to plan to burn a few more as well.

Planning some quick workouts that we would normally miss around the holidays can help with damage control.

Traveling? Bring a Jump Rope and maybe a few exercise bands. Check out the local gyms in the area or your hotel ahead of time and plan a visit. Go for a walk. Plan some 20 minute bodyweight circuits you can do wherever you are staying.

2. Follow Portion Control Guidelines.

One of the problems with the holidays and events is not necessarily the foods we eat, but the amounts of these foods we eat. We can enjoy foods that we don't typically eat daily without over-doing it.

Follow these guidelines to help control calories when creating larger meals:

-Protein: 1-2 palm sized portions

-Carbohydrates : 1-2 Cupped hand sized portions

-Vegetables: 1-2 fist sized portions

3. Pick One Treat.

If you have a food or drink that you look forward to, don't feel badly about indulging for the occasion.

Cut out the fillers and enjoy that ONE thing and remember you don't have to eat it just because it is there.

4. Control Eating Throughout the Day. 

If you know you may be indulging at dinner, it's probably not a great idea to overload on breakfast.

Choose a breakfast and lunch that are not as dense in calories. An egg white omelet with vegetables for breakfast and salad/veggies with a serving of protein for lunch are two good simple options.

5. Don't Turn the holiDAYS Into EVERYDAY:

Some of us either travel or have house guests for the holidays. This makes it easy to turn what's suppose to be maybe a few days of indulging into weeks of a new habit that starts to form with our eating and exercise routines. 

Be careful not to turn one day or weekend of indulging into a week of poor habits. A few meals do not throw you totally off your track and add unwanted pounds. A few weeks of healthy habits not done, however, can really cause some problems.

You can do this. You can enjoy yourself, not stress out about food and drinks, and enjoy time with your friends and family without the unwanted extra pounds.

Follow these guidelines, stay in control, and get yourself right back into a normal routine when the holiday or event is over. 

Keep these 5 tips in mind as you also head into the busiest holiday time of the year! 

Coach Jen