The holiday season can be both a delight and a major source of stress for everyone. From finding the perfect gifts, to attending family gatherings, to drinking and eating till you are officially more than merry! Here are my five tips for not only surviving the holiday season; but also thriving this time of year.
Forget the “all or nothing” attitude:
This all or nothing mentality, when it comes to health and fitness can do sometimes more harm than good; especially during the holiday season. There are two paths people usually take; one is when people tell themselves they will be so strict over December. They usually say something to themselves like: “I’ll get every workout in and I’ll plan every meal and morsel that passes my lips to an inch of it’s life, so that when the holidays arrive I can reward myself by gorging on everything in sight…because I deserve it” I’ve said those words to myself many times! So when the holidays arrive, we eat ourselves into oblivion and we usually end up with bloating, tummy problems, skin eruptions and emotional issues. Not good!
The other path is that once we reach December we throw the fitness routine and healthy eating out the window altogether. There is so much temptation around that we’ve decided rather than fight it, we’ll join it and throw out any notion of health till January. We set ourselves up to gain weight, we lose energy and motivation and we hope…all going well….that suddenly come January 1st we will be ready to start back on our fitness and health journey and fingers crossed not do too much damage!
I’m here to tell you there is a better way. Forget the all or nothing path and take a moment to find a middle way; a balance between treating yourself, enjoying what the holiday season has to offer and loving yourself enough to choose what’s truly going to serve you nutritionally and physically.
Enjoy meals out with friends and family but plan ahead so that on that day you might cook a healthy breakfast and lunch for yourself. See food for what it is rather than building it up to something its not. Food is fuel for our bodies. The quality of what we put in counts because it’s the building blocks of who we’ll be tomorrow. Use this time to reconnect with the people who really matter. Choose to leave behind an all or nothing view. Strive for a little balance over the season and set yourself up for success in 2019.
Walk 10,000 Steps Per Day…everyday!
This time of year is busy…I get it! Everyone and everything is vying for your attention and your time right now so getting to the gym or even squeezing a home workout in can be tough. My suggestion to you is to increase the number of steps you take daily. This is a form of NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis). Increasing NEAT everyday by walking more, standing up more often, pacing, fidgeting, all contribute to increasing your energy expenditure and will help to keep those holiday pounds at bay. Aim to get up off your chair every hour and walk 500 steps. Take the stairs rather than the escalator or lift. Get off the bus a stop earlier and walk the rest of the way. Park as far away from the shops as you can. No excuses!
Leave Guilt Behind:
Guilt over indulgences and missed gym appointments can do more harm to you than the missing of these appointments in and of themselves. Read that again! Your mind is powerful beyond belief. I want you to reframe in your mind the outcome of indulging in your favourite holiday treat. There will be no epic fallout from this….especially if you follow step 1. Treat yourself, enjoy it fully and then move one. By moving on I mean getting back to your regular routine as quickly as possible. Balance….remember 😉
Feeling guilty releases stress chemicals into your bloodstream, such as cortisol which puts you at risk of headaches, back pain, diabetes and over time an accumulation of visceral fat around your tummy. This visceral fat is particularly nasty and can contribute to heart disease and other cardiovascular problems.
My Bag of Tricks:
I have a few things I like to keep in my bag of tricks to survive the holiday season and to help banish bloating, boost the immune system, reduce stress and reduce overall calories in a day.
- Every morning drink warm or room temperature water with lemon juice, cinnamon, raw honey and a couple of teaspoons of apple cider vinegar. Its a bit of an acquired taste but helps boost your immune system, rehydrates you and banishes cravings for high sugar foods.
- If I know I’ve a particularly busy week where I will be eating out a lot. I will replace one meal with a protein shake. I’ll be sure to include some veggies like baby spinach and some good fats like natural almond butter or flaxseeds in the shake to balance it out.
- Practice a mindful moment. Take yourself out of the situation you are in and for one minute, breath deeply in through your nose and out through your mouth. Count silently in your mind to 5 as you inhale and as your exhale, to equalise the breath. This will have a harmonising effect on you body and mind, combating the affects of the cortisol that I was talking about earlier.
Be Prepared to Say No:
To survive the holiday season, you need to make your stand and be prepared to say no…..to second helpings, when you know you’re stuffed already, no to attending parties or events that you just don’t want to go to even though there is pressure from outside sources.
My advice to you is to start listening to your gut, your intuition. We can lose ourselves over the holiday season and any time of year for that matter. It’s important to honour that small voice inside you that knows what’s best. I’m not talking about being selfish here. I’m talking about learning to honour your own journey and supporting yourself so that you can then give the best you to others!
I hope you find some of these holiday survival tips helpful. If you try any of them out, please let me know!
xoxo