Holidays, Minimizing Stress and Changing Health and Nutrition Goals

The holidays are upon us!  Well known for being high stress, and filled with sugary treats, short cuts on meals, and then beating yourself up for sliding backwards in your health and nutrition goals.

What if I told you that you can minimize all of this?  What if I told you that you do not have to abstain from all the delicious treats and parties, that your goals do indeed need to change for the holidays.  Maintenance, instead of trying to plow through with your current goals and deprive yourself, think maintaining what you have already achieved. Or maybe you are just now thinking about setting health goals?  In that case now is the time to maintain where you are at and not slide further down the rabbit hole.  No need to create more work for yourself later!!  This is important, because once you have fully met your goals, you will be in maintenance mode the rest of your life (with little tweaks here and there!).  What better way to practice this, then during the holiday season?

First and foremost, we need to minimize stress.  People often overindulge in all sorts of things when they are stressed.  Too much shopping, too many sugary treats, too much alcohol, too many prepared foods (sound familiar?!)

Plan ahead.  We all KNOW the dates of the holidays we celebrate, waiting until a month or a week before to begin planning, buying, etc., can certainly add stress to our lives. 

I begin shopping for gifts in August!  I also happen to have almost all the birthdays in my family falling between October and January, with another grandson due to arrive in February.  As I purchase the gifts, I remove the price tags, file the receipts all in one spot, and stack the gifts in piles for each person.  I DO wait to wrap them, as I usually still need to decide what is birthday and what is Christmas as I get closer to the end, but if you only have Christmas or Hanukkah, by all means, wrap as you buy to save that stress!

Make freezer meals!  As you are cooking meals, make extra of ones that can be frozen.  Label them as to what they are, with a piece of masking tape on the container and write directly on the tape.  Now you have homemade, healthy quick meals to heat in the oven and serve on those days you had work, went shopping for gifts after, picked up the kids at after school activities and are too tired to even think about creating a healthy meal for all of you!

Hosting holiday meals.  Share in hosting holiday meals if you can!  Our children are adults now, which makes this much easier to do!  But this can be done with other family members and/or your friends too.  Our daughter hosts Thanksgiving, she asks each of us to bring something specific, but handles the majority of the meal on her own.  One thing I absolutely love about this, is the combination of her boyfriend’s family, our daughter in laws Mother and our family all together enjoying a holiday meal together.  What better way to spend a holiday, than with all the families together?!  Many hands make light work!

I host Christmas dinner, and we also invite our daughter in laws mother to join us.  I often make a ham, that can literally be prepped and put into the oven and no fussing over the stove!  Making foods ahead of time and simply heating them up before serving is really a MUCH easier way of doing things.  Vegetable casseroles, winter squash, mashed potatoes, all can be made in advance and heated in the oven before serving.  I serve Christmas cookies for dessert, vs pies or cakes (and I send everyone home with some!)  This allows you time with your family and friends.

Again, planning ahead for the holiday meals, buying food when it is on sale can relieve much stress.

As a gift you can give to yourself over and over, here are some truly simple techniques and suggestions that you can do anytime, anywhere. The trick is remembering to do them, set an alarm on your phone, Fitbit, whatever you use to remind yourself of something.

Be where you are. Are your thoughts somewhere in the past or rushing toward the future?

Relax regularly. As in, several times a day. It will become a wonderful habit.

Eat foods that nourish your body. What foods really fuel you?

Attempt new ways of doing the same old thing. Use your non-dominant hand, go a different route, switch up your routine.

Take time every day to move your body. It doesn’t have to be at the gym. Take a walk. Turn on music and dance.

Have fun. What’s the first thing that comes to mind that makes you smile? What makes you giggle?

Enjoy what you do as you do it. Find fun or joy in the small things and notice the good.

In other words… BE IN THE PRESENT AND BREATHE.

Take in a slow deep breath. Better yet, several times a day try this: (Tip: set an alarm every hour or so, so your brain doesn’t have to remember!)

• Uncross your legs, feet, and arms.
• Feel yourself sitting (or standing). Feel yourself being supported by your seat, or, if standing, feel where your feet connect with the ground.
• Notice any tension or clenching (the forehead, jaw, butt, hands, and feet are notorious for clenching).
• Breathe into that space. You don’t have to “do” anything, or “fix” anything, just breathe.

 
The simple act of slowing down your breath lets your body know it is safe.

Did you know that our bodies don’t know the difference between life-threatening stress and, “I’m late for work and there’s traffic” stress? To the body, it’s all the same. When the body receives stress signals, it will go into “fight or flight” mode. It really doesn’t matter what the cause of that stress is. The body produces hormones and other chemicals to protect itself during times of stress. Over time, if we live in a perpetual state of stress, our body simply cannot function properly. 

When we breathe slowly and deeply, it signals the body to relax.

On the other hand, when the body feels safe and relaxed, it functions better. For example, the act of digesting your food must happen in a calm, relaxed state. We literally cannot digest our food if we are stressed. Proper digestion will set up all the other systems in our body to do their job well. By just taking those few seconds to breathe and shift from stressed to relaxed, you can feel an enormously positive impact on your overall health.

Trying to make good choices when it come to the food we eat and how we take care of ourselves can be a real challenge during the holidays.  Remember, maintenance, this does not mean abstain, it means making healthy food choices more than not.

Making good food choices during the holidays can be done!

• Focus on the people and your connections with them, rather than the food.
• Employing the good, better, best strategy can make those choices, no matter what they are, easier.
• Crowd out the junk with good choices and you won’t miss or even want the other stuff. Have real food choices such as a vegetable tray or charcuterie platter that can satisfy your palate.
• Make food yourself vs buying pre-made. When you are in control of the ingredients that go into your holiday dishes, you can make better choices for you and your family.

Tips for Holiday Gatherings

• Before you go to the gathering, VISUALIZE yourself there; talking, laughing, having a great time. Imagine the food and what you will choose!
• Keep a glass of water in your hand at a party, it is much harder to grab another cookie or piece of cake or the temptation of another alcoholic drink, and you remain hydrated!
• Fill your plate with the healthier options and place two cookies on top!  ENJOY those cookies thoroughly!

 
Holiday Self Care Ideas

• Be gentle with yourself. Are there any unrealistic expectations that you can let go of?Make a mindset shift… “I can’t” vs “I choose not to” . . .
  You always get to choose.
• Remember, it’s just one meal and you get to start again with the very next bite. Give yourself permission to be human.
• You can restart your day at any time you choose.  Go ahead and restart your day if you need to!

Remember, we all have choices and what is right for you may not be what others think, feel or believe. Staying true to YOU and what YOU need is the best self-care and gift you can give yourself.

​​Strategies to Avoid A Holiday Sugar Crash
How does your calendar look these days? Is it filled with holiday gatherings, parties, cookie swaps, or any other food-focused festivities? If so, here are some simple strategies to help you really enjoy the day and avoid that sugar spike and crash!

1. Make all your choices conscious ones. If you are at a gathering and decide to eat more than you usually would, that is your choice. Know that there may be consequences and let that be ok. It won’t do you any good to beat yourself up or feel guilty for your choices.
   
   2.   If you are going to someone else’s home, eat before you go. Have a good balance of proteins, fats, and carbs so that you are not overly hungry when you get there. Don’t “starve” yourself all day or “save up your calories”. That really doesn’t make any sense if you think about it.
   
   3.   Before you take that first bite, take a few slow, deep breaths and make sure you are in a relaxed state. This is the only way you can properly digest that scrumptious food. Saying grace or sharing things you are thankful for can also help you get to that relaxed state.
   
   4.   When you do start eating, chew, chew, chew your food! Really taste and appreciate those wonderful flavors. This will also help your digestive system work more effectively.
   
   5.   Drink water before the meal begins. Then sip small amounts of your beverage of choice during the meal but try not to drink too much (of anything) during or immediately after the meal. It dilutes your digestive juices.
   
   6.   If you choose to enjoy sugary sweets, really enjoy them. Notice the taste, notice how sweet they are, enjoy them thoroughly, then be done.
   
   7.   Above all, enjoy your time with family and friends. While the food often takes center stage, let your focus be on the people you are with. Give someone a genuine compliment. Tell them something about themselves that you really admire. We often get so focused on the things that “have to get done,” that we forget why we’re doing them in the first place. By all means, enjoy the wonderful food, but really be present and enjoy the day and the people.
   
   8.   When you get home, keep hydrated with water throughout the day and move your body. Take a walk, build a snowman, go to the gym, dance, or move however your body likes. But do move. Even just a little. Your body, heart, mind and spirit will thank you.
   
   Maintenance, not abstaining for the holidays. This is in mind, body and food.  You will be much happier enjoying the holiday gatherings if you are in a relaxed state and not telling yourself NO throughout.  Let’s face it, you can only say no so many times before you talk yourself into a yes.  So, go ahead and say yes to two cookies and a beverage of empty calories, just make sure you ENJOY them fully!   Try your hardest to eat healthy foods in between the gatherings, the shopping and the chaos (this actually helps with cravings for sweets!) 
   
   Overindulging in stress will lead to overindulging in foods and drinks that really have no nourishment, which will lower your immune system capabilities and you will end up being sick for the holidays!
   
   Remember what the holidays are really about, love, family, friends, togetherness, focus on those.