Even though we will be lying low this holiday season, practicing a little strategic prevention will be a gift to yourself come New Year’s resolution time.
I’ve been working at checking my self-talk. You know; that internal dialogue loop that repeats and repeats inside your head. A teacher recently pointed out how difficult it is to make great things happen in your outer world if your inner dialogue is nasty and mean.
So I thought maybe you’d appreciate some tips on getting through Christmas without the usual weight gain and bloating and hopefully help prevent that January nasty talk?
Download or print your handy reminder HERE
Top tips for surviving Christmas:
- Aim to maintain. Stress has been high, it’s winter in Canada and we can’t leave the house. Be kind to yourself! The holidays aren’t a time to be trying to lose weight but you can aim to maintain the weight you’re currently at.
- Continue weighing yourself every day. Keep yourself accountable and make micro-adjustments rather than falling asleep at the wheel and then waking up like an angry bear in January.
- Drink water. Getting enough pure water is one of the most important things for easy weight maintenance and allows your body to flush out accumulated toxins. To calculate how much water you should be drinking: take your weight in kilograms multiplied by 35. This will give you how many milliliters of water you should be drinking every day. If you weigh more than 250 lbs. or 113 kg, cap your water intake at 4 liters per day. Try to get most of your water in between meals to avoid diluting those precious digestive juices.
- Eat slowly and chew. Almost no one chews enough. Poor chewing or eating when stressed or distracted is the root cause of so many digestive problems. Set down your utensils between bites and fully chew the bite that’s in your mouth before filling your fork, aim for 20 chews per bite. Really savor your food and if you’re lucky enough to be enjoying your food with other people, enjoy them too.
- Take some extra time over the holidays to do the things you love and don’t always make the time for. Read, pray, meditate, walk, paint, draw, sing… Pay attention to how you feel after doing that thing. You may be inspired to schedule it in more regularly.
- Alternate alcohol and water. Drink and be merry but be kind to your liver. Our livers bear the brunt of our overindulgences and you’ll need it in good shape come January. Alternate alcoholic drinks with a big glass of water or keep some sparkling water handy to enjoy between toasts.
- Be moderate. Have a bit of everything but check your portions and go back for seconds of the really good stuff. My daughter has this concept nailed. We always know if Kiana has had a go at a box of chocolates because of the tiny bites that are missing out of each one. She’s not wasting her precious chocolate quota on less than delicious choices. If it isn’t absolutely decadent – pass.
- Avoid snacking between meals. Allowing a break between scrumptious meals without snacking will allow your body to fully digest the previous meal. Digestion is demanding on the system and can take energy away from repair, detoxification and maintenance. This will also help keep insulin levels (the fat building hormone) stable.
- Stay regular. Keep your bowels moving daily. Constipation puts a huge burden on the body. Eat plenty of vegetables and take extra fiber such as chia, ground flax or psyllium.
- Catch up on your sleep. Stress and sleep deprivation have a cumulative effect on the body, particularly on weight gain and aren’t given enough screen time in our culture. Take the steps for great zzz
There are so many things that are out of our control these days, think of this as a reminder of what you still do have control over.
Download your printable reminder HERE
Positive change never comes from punishing, hateful self-talk. Sustainable change happens when we step into our lives and become a little more mindful of what’s going on behind the scenes as well as what’s in front of us in the present moment.
Wishing you a restful and kind holiday season.
