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It’s my favorite time of year!!
For many, the holidays are packed with shopping, cooking, outings, parties, energy, decorating, prepping, food, guilt, nostalgia, stress, anxiety, more food, guilt, exhaustion, fatigue, overeating, even more food, guilt, no exercise, busyness- wait!! why is this my favorite time of year again? I don’t know ya’ll; can’t explain it, I just love this festive season with all it’s parties, gifts and holiday music no matter how much stress it all comes with.
It’s almost like we drive ourselves to the breaking point and run ourselves down simply to keep up the joy and cheer during the holidays!! That makes sense right? Right… not ironic at all. And the eating! OMGoodness, I become more of a vulture during these few weeks than I already am! Can you relate? With parties popping up any day of the week, I would often neglect sleep; cake and pastries became breakfast and if I wasn’t working out while still inebriated, I was skipping my workouts altogether! TRUE STORY!”
So, I’ve definitely been there and although I haven’t quite figured out the right balance, I’ve learned a few tricks to simply help me manage.
This won’t be a list of what NOT to do to make the holidays amazing; simply a share of a few tips on how to keep YOU feeling amazingly guilt free (with regard to your fitness and nutrition, of course)- hopefully during and even after the holidays!
5 TIPS TO IMPLEMENT TO AVOID THE GUILT OF THE HOLIDAYS
1. Indulge!
Allow yourself to eat and absolutely indulge in everything that enters the mouth. But take your time, chew and truly enjoy the experience of taste and texture.
2. Be mindful!
Move away from the food table while socializing- I know it’s a fun place to be but you’ll take in a lot less calories and you’ll fill up less if you engage in the conversation and not the mindless eating.
3. Plan to Exercise!
Set yourself up for success! Secure your exercise routine for the weeks ahead immediately! 20-30 minutes, 4 days a week and stick to it! Plan your meals in advance so you don’t scavenge, graze or binge on less than optimal foods. And go for a quick brisk walk after your meals- especially those heavier meals!
4. Eat before you go!
Mom always told us to eat before we went to a party and we thought it was ridiculous but it ensured that wouldn’t gobble everything in sight because we’d starved ourselves beforehand! And we were better able to say no to what would otherwise entice us to keep eating.
5. Forgive yourself.
Whatever’s done, is done and you can’t change it so tell yourself that you forgive yourself for eating that extra serving of stuffing or the extra piece of the pecan pie when you knew you had enough.
And don’t forget water!! (I did! Let’s call this last tip a bonus!) The age old trick: drink plenty of water before your meal to fill yourself up! It’s that simple!
So, with that, I’d like to say that I’m so very thankful for you and the gift of your support. Smooches! 🙂
Carmelle Jean-Francois
Need support? inspiration? motivation? or just a cheerleader? I’m your girl!
email me at carmelle@cfitcoaching.com
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