Tips For Staying Well Through December!
The holidays will be forever known as a trying time of year when it comes to health and wellness. Have you ever found yourself saying, “I will eat better/drink less/workout more in the new year!”? I think we can all relate. Here are some tips and tricks for continuing to show up for yourself during this holiday season!
Diet
· Fill your plate with lots of protein and non-starchy vegetables while limiting the stuffing/potatoes/sugary sauces and desserts. It’s ok if you overindulge. You are not alone in that! Just avoid doing it repeatedly. Once is a good night but twice or more leads to an unhealthy pattern!
· Take a few deep breaths before eating. It can be very exciting to dig into a meal you’ve been prepping all day, or dreaming about all year, but your body will digest more easily if you are in a relaxed state!
· Digestion starts in your mouth so make sure to fully masticate your food.
· The next stop is the stomach where your stomach acid further breaks down the food. Often when we get indigestion it is due to a lack of stomach acid rather than too much acid. Therefore, try taking digestive bitters before eating, or a Betaine HCL tablet (make sure to read the label as it can be dangerous if you take certain medications). If you’re typically a Tums eater, try this route instead this year, and let me know if it is effective for you.
· Aim not to drink on an empty stomach, or consecutive days in a row, but let’s be honest you’re probably going to! Nourish your body with electrolytes throughout the day. I enjoy adding LMNT Electrolytes to my water as it is not sugary like most of their competitors.
Know that if you overindulge you are completely fine. You can get back on track tomorrow. It’s the cycle of eating too much one day and then feeling bad about it and eating more the next that will harm your health. If you decide to step on the scale, please remember that one meal isn’t going to increase your weight by multiple pounds (Yes, even if you ate the whole turkey!)… there are other factors going into that number such as water retention from alcohol/travel, caffeine intake, ect.
Mindset
If you’re one of the lucky ones that get to spend time with family this holiday season please remember that family can be triggering. Speaking from personal experience, nobody can turn me back into a five-year-old quicker than one comment from a family member! This time of year can also be triggering without family as well. That’s why keeping a self-love and mental health routine (yes even while traveling and even while you’re “too busy”) is even more important this time of year!
· Here is a link to some quick meditations that will help you get from your head into your body. You can meditate anywhere, and it takes five minutes, so I’m not interested in your excuses!
· If anything triggers you then write it down (please note this also includes feelings of aloneness/missing loved ones/wanting a partner ect). People and situations are placed in our lives to show us where we’re not yet free. Nobody can make you feel a certain way, he or she is just saying words, and it’s your interpretation of those words that are causing a reaction in you. I bet that if you didn’t already have some limiting belief that their words are providing more “evidence” for, then you wouldn’t believe (or even care) what he or she was saying. When you get back into your own space or are feeling ready, make sure to examine those moments that triggered you and take some time to reflect. Major growth opportunity!
Remember that love is not a limited supply inside of you and give yourself and your loved ones lots of love!!
Move Your Body
Just keep moving! Not at all necessary to run a marathon or even a 5k for that matter, but certainly go for a nice walk or do some lite stretches! Recently I’ve been thoroughly enjoying solo dance parties! Plug in a song that lights you up and dance around by yourself, with the family dog, or in a group for a few minutes… I promise no matter your dancing skills it feels sooooo good!!!
Finances
I love gift giving and my bank account usually begs to differ! Travel expenses aside even, this time of year gets expensive. Want to do something for new years? Even the Uber traveling less than a mile can be $200.. that is if you can get one! So don’t downplay the homemade gifts. Do you know what was a great gift for our parents when we were little? Coupon books! When did that stop and why? Also, many people’s love language is quality time or acts of service. When you’re around your loved ones put your phone down and be fully present with them. It’s the greatest gift no matter their love language. Change a light bulb while you’re at it and you’re winning!!
The holiday season is tougher for some than others. It can bring back memories of loved ones we no longer have in our lives. My heart goes out to those of you that are experiencing this. Cherish the memories and live in gratitude for having loved so much. We get a limited amount of time on this planet, in this life, so even when your uncle is asking why another year goes by and you are still single simply laugh it off and love with your whole heart (giving love to yourself first of course!)! Cheers!
Xoxo,
Sabrina
