Navigating the Holidays with Ease
Feeling nervous about getting through the holiday season without totally derailing your efforts to stay on track with your health and wellness goals? Don't worry! Here are a few tips to help you along:
Tip #1: Avoid that over-stuffed, overindulged feeling by always creating a Balanced Plate at every meal. This means Thanksgiving dinner, too!
Fill 1/2 of your plate with above-ground veggies, leafy greens or salad, 1/4 of your plate with protein (meat, fish, poultry, eggs, lentils, beans, tofu), and 1/4 of your plate with your starch (whole grains like rice, pasta and quinoa, potatoes, yams, root veggies, ulu, poi). Dinner rolls and all breads fall into the starch category as well. For healthy fats, do some avocado or add a couple of tablespoons of nuts, seeds or a healthy salad dressing.
Voila! You have yourself a Balanced Plate of food that will allow you to enjoy all of the delicious holiday offerings without feeling terrible that night or the next morning, and you'll be less likely to overindulge because your body will have all of the nutrients that it needs to feel satiated and satisfied. When it comes to dessert, go ahead and partake! Just be sure you eat a proper meal first and don't overdo it. You're future self will thank you :-).
Tip #2: If seconds are calling your name but you're feeling conflicted about it, I recommend drinking a glass of water and waiting 20 minutes before digging in again. This will give your body and your mind a chance to catch up with each other. You might find that you're not actually hungry anymore.
Tip #3: If you end up overindulging and you're not feeling awesome about it, DON'T SWEAT IT! One meal or even an entire day (or a weekend) of eating and/or drinking too much is not going to derail you, make you gain weight, or create any kind of unwanted long-lasting effect. Everyday is a new day and you can always start fresh. Stay in the present moment, don't dwell on the past and be loving and gentle with yourself. It's not what you do sometimes, it's what you do most of the time.
Tip #4: Please enjoy yourself! The way that you feel while you're eating is just as important as the food itself. So have fun and partake without guilt or judgement.
Tip #5: Move your body! Even if it's just for 10 minutes a day, get yourself moving. Exercise makes EVERYTHING better. It clears stress hormones from the body, reduces cravings, uplifts mood, creates clarity of mind, improves digestion and gets everything circulating and moving! We all need all of these things during the busy and stressful holiday season, am I right?
Tip #6: Breathe! There is not an easier or more effective way to calm the nervous system and kick us into REST & DIGEST mode like deep, slow belly breathing. When the overwhelm of the season starts getting to you, as it does to me, just take a few moments no matter where you are to take a few, slow, deliberate deep breaths. You can do this while driving, while cooking a meal, while cleaning, taking a bathroom break, stuck in line on Black Friday, running errands with the family or right there at the dinner table. You can also make this into a beautiful solo practice by sitting or lying in bed and starting and ending your day with deep breathing. Take it a step further by putting a couple of drops of your favorite essential oil on a tissue and inhaling. The active constituents in the oil affect the olfactory nerves and instantly creating a shift in the nervous system. My favorites for calming down are lavender, chamomile and clary sage. I like to carry a bottle of lavender oil with me in my bag so I can sniff it whenever I need to. It really does help!
Tip #7: Please take care of yourself. Just because it’s the holidays that doesn’t mean that your self care practices are thrown out the window. Yes, the holidays are a time for giving and we are taught to put ourselves on the back burner and focus on others. But during this busy and depleting time of year I am asking you to GIVE TO YOURSELF. When things get overwhelming it’s more important than ever to dial in your self care. Take time to reconnect with yourself- listen to your body and honor what it needs- this is where your intuition comes in. You don’t have to be fancy or spend a lot of money. Just make sure that are meeting your own needs, taking breaks for yourself, doing what you need to fill up your own cup and feel balanced (as much as possible!). Invest a little time into your self care now and you won’t feel so rough coming out the other side. It’s okay to think about yourself during the holidays! In fact, it’s necessary. I promise.
I hope that these tips are helpful. If you are still feeling utterly overwhelmed and need support, please feel free to reach out to me. I am here for you!
With aloha,
Fauzia