- Celebrate the Day not the Week!
Let’s be realistic here, because we are using some of grandma’s recipes and other people may be bringing desserts; plan on making some choices on this day that will not benefit you in your long term health goals. It is OK, you don’t have to stress about it. You will have enough stress with your entire family and in-laws in the house at the same time. The key is to not overindulge and stay true to a plan. In the weeks leading up to this day, and the days after, you should have a plan to be mindful of what you are eating. Have a great workout plan, and your foods should be very healthy. Don’t keep the bad stuff in your fridge after the big day either. If it is there, then most likely you will eat it.
- Sugar Free Drinks
Sugar is the main cause of most of our holiday weight gain. Fat doesn’t make you fat, SUGAR MAKES YOU FAT! Sugar also creates inflammation in the body thus creating an environment for illness and disease. One of the easiest ways to limit the amount of sugar that we take in this holiday is to limit it in the drinks. I’m not talking about using artificial sweeteners like splenda or aspartame, because these can be very harmful to your health. Instead of the soda and punch, look to better alternatives. This Christmas, offer eggnog or a cider that is made without sugar. Look at soda alternatives like Zevia in place of soda or diet drinks when hosting holiday parties.
- Healthified Meal
Create a holiday meal that is focused on healthy nutrition. Prepare a feast that has limited sugar, damaged fats, additives, or grains. Start with the appetizers and focus on veggies with an array of dips like humus and guacamole. Add in a nut mix with dried cranberries. Salads should include a healthy olive oil dressing.
Your local health food store, or local farmer, can help you locate a free-range turkey to start your main meal. Add a healthy green vegetable (green beans, broccoli, or asparagus), and substitute those plain old high carb mashed potatoes with a healthier mashed NO-tators made from cauliflower. Find a grain less roll, and you have yourself the makings of a very healthy feast for all.
- Create Healthy Traditions
Remember this is YOUR holiday. We don’t have to sit around the table talking about how your relatives are all sick and diseased. You are focused on health, not how to treat symptoms. Feeling good doesn’t mean you’re healthy, and someone taking 4 medications can feel great, but you know they are not healthy. Your number one new tradition is going to be ONLY healthy talk at the table. You can only talk about what you are doing to be healthy and how to get off of those medications. Talk about your new recipes and your workout routine. Go around the table and share goals for the New Year. This will help people realize their goals, but also help hold them accountable. Tell everyone all the positive things that you have been doing. We want to focus on the positive not all the negative. By you sharing your story, you are creating vitality in their lives rather than having them wait for disease.
After dinner instead of napping, start that new tradition of being active. Go for a long walk as a group, start a tradition of a fun family game of football, soccer, or an active game inside if it’s cold outside. You could even have a family 5k run sometime that day.
- Stop The Stress
Holidays are not stressful! It’s true. Your perception of the holidays is what creates that stress. What you need to do is just create a clear definition of what you want the holidays to look like. This way, you won’t have that feeling of being pulled in a bunch of different directions. Set your goals and then create your plan. If the plan doesn’t turn out like you want then become Clark Griswold. If you don’t know what I mean, then you need to watch National Lampoons Christmas Vacation. No matter how much stress, or all the bad things that happened Clark and the family made it through the holiday. The holidays will come to an end no matter what happens and when it’s over, everything is going to be great. No matter what gets done and what doesn’t, no one is going to think more or less of you. You don’t have to impress anyone and the worst will never happen.
The biggest tip is to plan. Plan your dinner, plan your party, plan your shopping and plan how much you are going to spend. Money will be the biggest pressure, so create a budget and don’t go over it.
- Make Sure You Are Functioning Properly.
The reason that most people experience more illness this time of year is because their bodies aren’t prepared to handle the constant abuse from sugar, stress, and the confined spaces. The biggest thing you can do this holiday season is to be prepared. Germs don’t get us sick. Yes, you have to have a germ to have certain illnesses, but it doesn’t guarantee that you will become sick. Flies don’t attract garbage, garbage attracts flies. How do we keep our bodies functioning so that we don’t create garbage? GET ADJUSTED! Removing interference from your Nervous System will ensure that you can heal from all the stress we put on our bodies; whether that stress is from mental, chemical (nutritional), or physical situations.