Be the “Healthful Hero” of Your Holidays — and Your Body, Mind, and Spirit

Holidays can be both wonderful and challenging at the same time. That makes it hard for us to stick to our health goals.

Food, shopping, parties, decorating, lack of down time, and sometimes, even our families, can all contribute to creating chaos and stress. We simply can’t control everything. The house may not be as clean as we hoped when the first guest arrives. We may not be able to afford all the gifts we’d love to buy. And, if it’s his habit, “Uncle Gil” will probably tell those really dumb jokes again this year during dinner.  

So instead of looking at what we can’t control, let’s focus on what we can! Let’s be intentional about caring for our bodies, our minds, and our spirits. 

In Part One, we’ll focus on…

CARING FOR OUR BODIES

FOOD

Holidays always center around food! It’s way too easy to toss our real priorities for healthy and balanced eating out the window and give in to the temptations, so it requires—here’s that phrase again—being intentional.

Let’s start by looking at three options:

1. Do you want to maintain where you are now, and avoid gaining any weight this season, even if it means exercising some self-discipline around those wonderful treats?
2. Do you want to compromise, and continue to eat healthily, or at least normally, for all but the three-to-four main dinners you’re likely to have, then immediately go back to good eating?
3. Do you want to throw all resolve out the window and eat what you want between now and the new year?

Let’s think about what each of those commitments will look like. What are the benefits, and what are the costs? We’ve got to be realistic. How do we want to feel when January 2nd rolls around?

Now, let’s commit to the end results we want!

If we opt to show some constraint, here are just a few tips to help us stick to our guns:

— At parties, take a water bottle and always hold it in your dominant hand

— Don’t go to a meal hungry; have a healthy snack before going

— At dinner, use the smallest plate possible, and…

• be mindful of portions 

• ask yourself, “Is eating this in my long-term best interest?”

• tell yourself you can go back for seconds, and when the time comes, it’s likely (and better if!) you can do without more later

— Eat slowly, and savor the textures and flavors of every bite

When we constrain ourselves now, we’ll thank ourselves later! I know from many a miserable January that regrets come with consequences—in how I look and feel physically, mentally, and emotionally. This year I intend to make great choices!

SLEEP/REST, EXERCISE, AND STRESS REDUCTION

Especially because the holidays are hectic, we have to protect our times for sleep, rest, and exercise. These three activities are so beneficial for our bodies, and also help keep stress at bay. A combination of lack of sleep and stress impact our weight as well.

In an article published for Psychology Today, Dr. Seth J. Gillihan states: “A study published in the International Journal of Obesity found that people who reported less than 6 hours sleep and the highest stress levels were around half as likely to reach their weight loss goals than those with 6-8 hours sleep and lower stress.” We’ll talk a bit more about stress in Part 2 of this series, but you can see how important both sleep and stress management are to our health goals.

Gentle exercise, like walking, bicycling, yoga, light gardening, and swimming, will help us feel more relaxed. And when we’re relaxed, we sleep better. I like to get outside in the fresh air when I can. There’s just something about watching the change of seasons and listening to birds and the wind in the trees that is both invigorating and relaxing!

Here are two great great tips: 

— When you have a big night coming up, give your body a chance to rejuvenate—both before and after the event—by getting enough sleep, doing some sort of exercise, and eating good healthy meals

— After the big meal, instead of couch-potato-ing in front of the TV or taking a nap, tape the game and go for a nice, leisurely walk. Not only will it offset the lethargy-producing tryptophan from the turkey, it’s a warm, wonderful way to spend time with others.

So that’s it for Part 1. I hope you found this encouraging in at least one small way! Remember:

Being intentional is the BEST FIRST STEP!

NEXT TIME: PART 2:

CARING FOR OUR MINDS—Attitude, Stress, Self-Care, and Relationships

See you then!