Oh man. Carnival season makes you forget you even had New Years Resolutions in the first place, am I right? Not to mention, Carnival season is followed by crawfish season. Nobody wants to miss out on indulging in delicious king cake, stopping for a late night Bud’s Broiler burger, eating your weight in crawfish, or drinking so many beers that you lost count. Before you know it, summer is back again and you find yourself wishing you had stuck to those New Years Resolutions. Since New Orleans loves to eat and drink, it seems impossible to enjoy everything the city has to offer and keep those calories balanced out. Well I’m here to tell you that it is possible! I threw together a few of my tips for how to stay fit in fat city.

1. Eat Fit NOLA, y'all!

Take full advantage of the Eat Fit NOLA menu items and your waistline will thank you later. Eat Fit NOLA is an organization that works with local restaurants to create a menu that fits the Eat Fit NOLA criteria. Some of my favorite Eat Fit NOLA meals are at Reginelli’s, Superior Grill, Uchi Sushi, and Copeland’s! Now you can still go out to eat with your friends while sticking to a healthy lifestyle.

2. Take advantage of free fitness classes in the city

I am constantly seeing Facebook invites floating around for free Yoga and Zumba classes. If you don’t have a gym membership, this is perfect for you. The Tchoup Yard is having free yoga every Wednesday in February at 6:30 pm. Big Easy Bucha is having a Detox to Retox free yoga class on February 20th with the opportunity to drink some kombacha and eat some healthy snacks! New Orleans City Park and Ochsner Fitness Center are doing free Zumba classes in City Park every Saturday at 8 am through May 27th. So get your butt moving and take advantage of free fitness classes!

3. Hit the weights!

If you do have a gym membership, then I better see you in that weight section. I'm looking at you, ladies! Cardio is great, but it only increases you metabolism for a short period of time. A good heavy weight session, however, will keep that metabolism on fire all day long! Plus, muscle is more metabolically expensive than fat, meaning it requires more calories to maintain itself. So building some lean muscle will allow you to sneak in a few more slices of king cake without them going straight to extra padding.

4. Swap a cocktail for kombucha

This has been one of my sneaky secrets. Kombucha is a fermented beverage that comes in tons of different flavors. It is packed with probiotics which help replenish the good bacteria in your gut and keep your immune system healthy. Alcohol, on the other hand, weakens your immune system. If you plan on going all out with some jungle juice one night, go for it. But the next time your friends are planning a chill wine night, try swapping it for some kombucha in a fancy glass. This will help balance out the alcohol intake and keep your immune system healthy. Try Big Easy Bucha for a local kombucha or look for it in places like Trader Joe's, Rouses, Whole Foods, or PJ's coffee.

5. SLEEP!

I know we all want to rally all night during Mardi Gras season, but don't overlook the necessity of sleep. Shawn Stevenson, the author of the book Sleep Smarter, states "Studies have shown that just one night of sleep deprivation can make you as insulin resistant as a person with type 2 diabetes." This means that our body is more likely to store fat when we are sleep deprived. We are often significantly more hungry when we are sleep deprived too because we are searching for energy in the form of calories (specifically sugar) rather than getting it from sleep. So make sure you get in some solid zzz's!

It is totally possible to still enjoy the city with your friends while sticking to a healthy lifestyle. If it's important to you, you'll make it happen. Now get out there and prove to everyone that it is possible to be fit in fat city.