In just under a week, the country will begin celebrating St. Patrick’s Day. This Irish holiday celebrates the Irish patron saint of the same name and is celebrated by those of Irish ancestry. St. Patrick’s Day is an extremely festive holiday, boasting a wide array of traditions from the parades to the food and beyond. However, many of these traditions aren’t exactly the healthiest of activities. St. Paddy’s Day has become almost synonymous with excessive drinking especially that of green beer, and it also has a menu of traditional Irish dishes that don’t boast the healthiest of contents.

Other holidays that some consider unhealthy occur during fall and winter, but St. Patrick’s Day falls around the time when many people are aiming to shed a few extra pounds in preparation for the upcoming summer months. With all that being said, there are still plenty of options to celebrate this festive holiday to the fullest while also being conscientious of your health. Visiting your local Arlington fitness center is certainly one way, but here are a few more ideas on how:

• Eat Green Snacks: Some of the more traditional foods prepared for this Irish holiday include corned beef, cabbage, and potatoes. While not necessarily extremely unhealthy, these dishes can be quite heavy and send you heading the wrong direction in your fitness and weight loss goals. Why not go green? Indulge in some festive, green dishes that celebrate the holiday while also remaining healthy and filling. Include lots of green vegetables along with an array of colorful fruit mimicking the colors of the rainbow for a delicious and healthy St. Patrick’s Day. Try some of these recipes yourself!
• Make Green Drinks: And we aren’t talking about green beer. Pair your healthy, Leprechaun theme snacks with a powerful green smoothie. Whipping up a kale or spinach smoothie provides you with a drink full of powerful nutrients like fiber, iron, potassium, and calcium as well as cancer-fighting antioxidants. Not only are you getting a delicious drink that detoxes you, but its natural green color also fits perfectly with the holiday. Here are a number of options for you to try yourself!
• Drink in Moderation: In all the hundreds of years of this holiday’s celebration, excessive alcohol drinking has managed to find itself a staple in the celebration of St. Patrick’s Day. However, you don’t have to indulge in the heavy drinking to enjoy your St. Patrick’s Day. Try to tone down the drinking to just a few drinks or none at all. If you do decide to have a drink, grab a Guinness. A traditional Irish stout, a Guinness dark brew contains antioxidants like those found in wine and dark chocolate. It also has fewer calories than other festive drinks like eggnog with the Irish stout having 125 calories in 12 oz to the Christmas drink containing 180 calories in 4 oz!
• Get Active: While you can enjoy this Irish celebration of St. Patrick with a party filled with drinking and eating, you can also celebrate it by getting out and being active. All across the country, there are parties being thrown, but a little less known are the more active events going on. Instead of participating in a bar crawl, opt for joining a St. Patrick’s Day marathon or 5k. These are great ways to stay fit, and many of these are for great causes and charities.

St. Patrick’s Day is a great time to celebrate with friends and families in a fun and festive way. While the holiday doesn’t boast the healthiest of traditions, you can still stay active and healthy on this year’s Irish celebration. If you are looking to continue your fitness journey or may be planning to shed some St. Paddy’s Day weight, come visit your local Arlington gym, Fitness Nation!