Three Ways to Enjoy the Season with a Healthy Mindset
Happy Holidays! It’s the most wonderful time of the year. The not-so-wonderful part is that this is the season when we tend to throw our hands up and say something like “F&*k it.” or “I’m done.” or “I’m going to enjoy the holidays and I’ll get healthy, lose weight, get organized, be a better person or [insert life goal here] in the New Year!”
It’s like we treat the holidays as the Wild West of the year – everything is chaos and rules don’t matter anymore.
I get it. Lately I feel like I’m living on the corner of Stars Hollow and Hanging on by a Thread. It’s exhausting monitoring calories and macros and workouts and gratitudes and meal planning and gah can’t we just take a break and have some fun?
Yes, yes, we can. But a break is different from a breakdown. A break is not abandoning all forms of self-care.
We can relax or refocus our priorities without abandoning all principles.
We can make healthy choices and still enjoy the happy in Happy Holidays!
What is healthy?
A healthy choice nourishes your mind, your body and your joy. Moving your body for physical, mental and emotional benefits. Eating for nourishment and enjoyment. Feeling empowered and nourished to move your body. Feeling gratitude and joy for the choices you are making.
Just like there are some days that are about strength and endurance and some days that are about rest and recovery, there are some seasons that are more about surviving and maintaining than thriving and achieving.
We are on a health journey, one step at a time. So, how we live into healthy might look different this time of year. But, we’re still going to do the things.
What are the things?
Move your body.
You don’t have to go all out at every workout. You don’t have to be training for a marathon. If you’re moving, you’re winning.
And the best way to make sure that happens is to plan for it. Look at your schedule for the week, what can you realistically make room for? Sign up for the classes. Put the time on your calendar. Make a date with yourself or your workout buddy and keep it. New Year you will be so happy that you did.
And remember, working out isn’t just about the physical benefits. It also clears your mind and reduces stress so you can focus on the things that really matter this time of year.
Eat to nourish.
Food is love and food is medicine. Most of all, it is nourishment. Every time you eat, it’s a chance to nourish, heal and energize your mind and body.
Every. Time. Even when you’re at a party and it all looks like nonsense. Even at the end of a long week when you feel like you just can’t with any of it. You can make a choice to nourish, heal and energize.
Yes, there will be more treats and more opportunities to indulge this time of year. And that’s okay because you still get to choose when it’s something you want to enjoy and when it’s something you don’t. And for all of the indulgent opportunities, there are even more healthy opportunities.
Quick math break.
Let’s say you have a dinner party every night between now and New Year’s (I mean if you do you have a wild social calendar and that might be something we should talk about another time), even with 30+ dinner parties, you have at least 2x as many opportunities to make healthy choices every day.
That’s a lot of opportunity for healthy choices.
Three healthy choices you can make every day:
*Eat a variety of protein, fruits and vegetables.
*Listen to your body.
*Drink lots of water.
Need more on what to eat?
Check out my series on How to Eat.
It doesn’t all have to be sweets and treats because someone offers you a cookie.
Pause for joy.
Better yet, look for the joy. Today and every day, name at least one thing you are grateful for.
Practicing gratitude is like building any other muscle. The more you do it, the easier it gets and the more you will want to do it because it changes your attitude and your outlook.
Thoughts and feelings of gratitude literally light up the part of the brain that releases positive neurotransmitters like serotonin, and dopamine – the feel good hormones. While this is good for your long-term health, there are also practical everyday benefits.
If you’re practicing gratitude throughout the day, you’re more likely to be in a better mindset when you sit down to eat. And more likely to make better decisions about what and how much you eat.
Why am I so obsessed with gratitude?
Get more on gratitude in The Greatness of Gratitude.
Pausing for joy can also be about giving your mind and body the rest that they need. Getting a good night’s sleep, taking some time to meditate or standing in the sunshine.
As always, your wellness journey is your.
Your mind.
Your body.
Your joy.
I’m just here to remind you that you deserve to enjoy the holidays and you’ve been working really hard to be healthy. One does not have to replace the other. So, let’s do both! Let’s enjoy the holidays. And be healthy, too.
Be well, my lovelies, this season and every season.
Ready to sparkle this season?
Check out my Personalized Health Coaching options or check out my guide for reflecting on your wellness for the year in: High, Low, What Do You Know?
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