The upcoming holiday season is thought of by many as the happiest time of the year. For some, it brings up worries about not being able to “stay” healthy due to overindulging during holiday festivities. It starts with Halloween. Trick or treaters bring bags full of candy into our homes and pick out their favorites to keep for themselves. The discards are often left for the taking…and some of us are unable to “just say no” like the campaign says. Then there is the leftover candy because not as many kids were out this year or maybe we overbought…not wanting to run out (or, more likely, not wanting it all to be gone when the lights go out).
Thanksgiving comes up quickly, when it is customary to overeat to the point of having to fight for the couch for that tryptophan snooze. Many of us cook more than we need because the leftovers can be even better than the first “go around”. By the end of the long Thanksgiving weekend, we may be dreading Christmas or Hanukkah since we know we are unlikely to be able to not overindulge in the sugary sweet treats that often accompany the season.
What if this year was different? What if you can stay healthy all the way through the holiday season and into the new year? What might it feel like to get to the new year having maintained or even lost a little weight? What might that feel like? This can be yours. And it doesn’t have to be as hard as you think.
Information overload
There is no lack of information available on what the best way to lose weight. Unfortunately, so much is available and often there is conflicting material online and in the bookstore. We become confused and just stay with what we know whether it has worked for us in the past or not. Harry S. Truman many years ago said, “If you can’t convince them, confuse them”. This is very true in the diet and nutrition world as we know it today.
There is another old saying that I recently read, “A man with a watch always knows what time it is. A man with two watches is never quite sure”. The more opinions we get, the more confused we are. So what do we do?
Learn what the science says. What I tell my clients is to listen to the information, read more about it, check resources (and if someone stands to make money by selling you a product or the latest miracle diet/drug/supplement, you may want to skip this opinion) and then check with your gut. What makes the most sense to you? What FEELS like it will lead to better health?
Most of us agree that eating your vegetables and fruits are a good thing. Did you know that a diet high in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans and nuts and seeds is the only diet proven to reverse heart disease? If it can prevent and reverse the #1 killer of Americans, how might eating these foods help you get through the holiday season and stay healthy?
Carbs are not the enemy!
Complex carbohydrates such as those found in vegetables feed our bodies its preferred fuel, glucose. It could be possible that you are craving sugary treats because you are not providing your body with the fuel it needs to thrive. Consider these helpful tips to get you through the holidays with a whole new experience…staying healthy without weight gain!
5 Tips for Healthful Holidays
- Healthy food first – start with a salad with oil-free dressing, eat your veggies! Choose fruit to add some sweetness.
- Rework your favorite recipes – Swap out oils with water, broths or vinegars for sautéing or steaming. Bake with fruit, date paste, flaxseeds or beans as sweeteners and fats.
- Move your body! – This is great for your body and mind. Take a walk with a family member or neighbor, dance, do yoga. Moving your body is an excellent de-stressor!
- Remember your “WHY” – What drives you to want to “stay healthy” over the holidays. Create an anchor to help you remember. This can be a bracelet or a body part. When you are faced with a challenge, touch your bracelet or your wrist and remember why you want better health. This may be helpful in making a healthier choice for yourself.
- Shift your attention – If you are faced with a temptation, get out of the room. Go in another room and take some deep breaths or step outside and breath in fresh air. Shift the celebration from centering around food to centering around family and friends. Create an opportunity to help others during the holiday season. Giving is the best gift we can give ourselves and others.
Where do I go from here?
Taking a few minutes to consider how this holiday season might be different will serve you well as we move closer to 2024. You can create a whole new way of being during the holiday season. Getting the support you need makes all the difference. Consider hiring a coach to help you achieve your goals. Just like working with a personal trainer or a baseball coach, if you want to achieve your goals in the most effective way, partner with a health coach to achieve your health goals in the upcoming months.
