I have a few traditions that I practice to keep myself feeling healthy during holidays. I take my family on an early morning walk on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years day, I limit alcohol, and I indulge in treats with some caveats.
‘Tis the season for stress, overeating, and skipping regular exercise. Health coaches aren’t immune. I’ve not been sticking to my regular way of eating lately. I usually don’t do much sugar or processed carbs. I don’t think there is anything wrong with them in moderation. My mood takes a big hit whenever I overdo it. My anxiety will spike withing 24-36 hours of eating too much of that stuff for me. That’s me. Your mileage is going to vary. I encourage everybody to make a note of how they feel right after eating something they don’t usually consume then check in with themselves 12, 24, and 36 hours later. Ask yourself, “how is that food working for me?” For me? Not so good. I’m feeling sluggish and my baseline mood has become a bit sad and grumpy with a case of the worries. I didn’t practice my treat caveats.
- Allow myself to eat guilt free. There’s no good or bad food. There are good and better times to eat them. I eat a well balanced meal and include my treat as a dessert. The protein, carb, and good fat in the meal ensure that my treat is satisfying. It also means my insulin will spike less from the sugar.
- Choose only my very favorite things. Thanksgiving included several pies, a lemon cake, cookies, and even more cookies. I had to choose between my fave pecan pie and tasting the gluten free lemon cake my friend baked.
- Choose only “one thing” at each meal where you choose to indulge. I suck at making choices sometimes. I split the difference and had a half-slice of pie and half-slice of cake. At brunch I had the french toast casserole instead of toast for my carb.
- Portion control. Monitor your serving size. Give yourself 20 minutes before having seconds. Seconds should still be serving-sized.
- Use some low-alcohol consumption tips: choose less caloric options (maybe a glass of wine instead of that egg nog?, a sugar free mixer?), alternate alcoholic drinks with water or a mocktail (sparkling water with a splash of cranberry and a slice of orange for garnish looks pretty in a highball glass)
- Carry on carrying on. Don’t compensate for any extra calories you consume. One or two meals don’t make or break you. It’s what you do day after day after day that impacts how you feel and whether your clothes fit. Use some creativity to carve out time to stick to your regular exercise routing. I like to use Amazon Prime and avoid the crowds. Time I save shopping equals more time for the gym.
- Bring side dishes to the event. A salad, a vegetable platter, a sugar free desert allow you to fill up with nutrient density and avoid the richer stuff.
Little things add up. Doing a group activity with friends and family takes the focus off of food and on to sharing time with loved ones. Creating some healthy traditions can help you continue feeling well over the holiday