“MODERATION. SMALL HELPINGS. SAMPLE A LITTLE BIT OF EVERYTHING. THESE ARE THE SECRETS OF HAPPINESS AND GOOD HEALTH.”
– Julia Child
The holidays bring many temptations that otherwise may be easy to ignore throughout the year. Perhaps, you look forward to your favorite childhood candy on Halloween, Aunt Mabel’s pumpkin pie at thanksgiving, and homemade cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning. You wait with anticipation for these special treats with their strong associations to this particular time of year and find it excruciatingly difficult to resist such strong desires.
Trust me when I say that you are not alone. Over the decade I have spent working with clients on improved health objectives, I have seen all the best intentions fall off the rails during the last quarter of the year. Often, clients would show up for their session’s bad-mouthing themselves for succumbing to holiday temptations to the point of overindulgence. They commit to having more willpower “next time” out of complete self-loathing for their lack of discipline.
My response to them is, “why are you so hard on yourself? The holidays are special and should be enjoyed! Don’t deny yourself the things that make life enjoyable, but rather find a way to manage it better.” It’s funny to see them take a deep sigh of relief, as though I have permitted them to enjoy themselves.
I believe in living an authentic and imperfect life, the kind of life that makes us human instead of the unrealistic expectations of being superhuman. When you live your life in a way that allows you to make mistakes and be ok with it, try something new and fail, it automatically relieves undue stress and anxiety. Don’t create turmoil in an already busy time; be reasonable and enjoy all the holidays have to offer with better management. If you want to include “unhealthy” food choices so tightly bound to nostalgia, find a way to enjoy them reasonably.
If the overindulgence of holiday treats has a history of derailing your health objective, there is a way to enjoy them at the moment without letting them get you off track. Here are a few tips to help you better manage your personal food choices during the holidays:
Make a pact with yourself to slow down, be mindful and listen to physical cues.
As part of your better health holiday management plan, make a promise to yourself to eat slowly, enjoy your food, and listen to your body when it talks to you. When you eat slowly and pay attention, you can taste and enjoy your food more and feel satisfied without becoming overly full. Did you know it takes 20 minutes for the nervous system in your stomach and brain to communicate tummy fullness? Eating at the speed of light makes it easy to overconsume and become uncomfortably full before this message from the tummy to the brain is received. Not to mention the fact that you’ve probably barely tasted your food as you shoveled it in.
Slow down and enjoy the meal, go easy on your digestive system, and experience far less indigestion and tummy upset after eating. People who eat slowly are more apt to weigh less than those who eat quickly.
Follow the 80/20 rule.
As stated earlier, being “perfect” is an unrealistic expectation and one that adds undue stress and anxiety to life. Instead of shooting for 100%, which is difficult at best, why not give the 80/20 rule a try? This rule is a great way to manage expectations and give yourself a bit of grace, and it goes like this; if you are doing all the “right things” 80% of the time, the 20% of “not so right things” don’t matter as much. This rule goes back to my consistent message of “it’s what you do consistently, not occasionally, that matters most.”
Use the 80/20 rule and enjoy those special treats you may be looking forward to all year. Enjoy them in moderation and go back to your 80% “right things” on your next meal.
Plan before you go.
Check out the restaurant menu before you head out and preplan what you are going to order. While at the restaurant, keep the menu closed and enjoy the company of your table mates. When the waiter comes, order what you’ve predecided instead of looking and being tempted by other options. When your food arrives, follow the advice in tip number one!
Maintain complete control of your health habits where you have control.
Perhaps rich holiday meals are part of your family traditions, and hard for you to resist or deny that pushy auntie that won’t take no for an answer. Although what you put in your mouth is in your complete control, you enjoy these holiday meals and want to partake in them regardless of “healthiness.” Then, by all means, enjoy them because the holidays are a time to enjoy, spend with friends and family, and many of these traditions include special meals you only have once a year, and most likely why we tend to gorge ourselves on them.
When you know a holiday meal is approaching over the weekend, take special care in maintaining your well-established healthy eating habits throughout the week. Load up on fruits and vegetables, remove all processed food, and only consume whole and natural foods for the several days leading up to the festivities. While at the holiday meal, utilize the advice above and slow down, eat mindfully and listen to your body.
Set up the party environment for success.
If “mindless eating” takes over and you find yourself shoving chips into your mouth before you realize what you were doing, step away from the buffet table! Instead of camping out near the food, find a spot to hang out that is less accessible to the food and make it more of an effort to get to it. Take a different approach to holiday parties and get more involved with the activities than taking up kitchen space.
Try spending more time playing with the kids, eat something healthy (protein and fiber) before you go, eat from a smaller plate, choose the veggies and low-fat cheeses instead of fried and fatty snacks, and share deserts with a friend or family member. Enjoy the holiday buffet in moderation and put more focus on quality time with friends and family.
Be a leader and try something new.
Help your friends and family with the gift of good health. Take this opportunity of holiday parties and gatherings to bring a healthy dish to the family dinner. Introduce something new and talk about your health journey, what you are learning, and how this may help other members of your family struggling with nutrition-related diseases such as type II diabetes, heart disease, and arthritis. Of all the gifts under the tree, there is no more extraordinary gift with more value than good health and wellness.
Would you please share this post with your friends and family and share the priceless gift of good physical and emotional health through implementing positive LEAN habits? Lifestyle improvements for better health and wellness do not mean a complete overall, but rather the inclusion of small changes along the way that lead to big results with time and practice.
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