For most of us the holidays are a time for gathering with friends and family, enjoying special foods and drinking more than usual. The shopping, cooking, planning, family gatherings etc. can add an additional layer of stress to your already full life. Love it or hate it, this period poses a number of different challenges for your health and your weight.
When our body is stressed it actually responds by raising our blood sugar and putting us into fat storage mode. Of course stress can also cause difficulties with digestion and abdominal pain, headaches, raised blood pressure and so on. In other words, your health can really take a hit if you don’t pay attention!
So what can you do? These are some of my thoughts and suggestions on how to support yourself so you can arrive at 2015 ready to tackle the New Year with enthusiasm and without an extra 5lbs of body fat to deal with.
Have a Happy, Healthy Holiday!
When our body is stressed it actually responds by raising our blood sugar and putting us into fat storage mode. Of course stress can also cause difficulties with digestion and abdominal pain, headaches, raised blood pressure and so on. In other words, your health can really take a hit if you don’t pay attention!
So what can you do? These are some of my thoughts and suggestions on how to support yourself so you can arrive at 2015 ready to tackle the New Year with enthusiasm and without an extra 5lbs of body fat to deal with.
- ·Don’t give up your exercise routine. If you are away from home and can’t stick to your usual routine, do something! I mean it! Exercise should be top of your list! This is one of the best ways to help your body handle stress and allows you to work off some of the extra calories.
- · Make sure you pay attention to how much sleep you are getting. Sleep is so important for our body and if you don’t get enough sleep your body is essentially running on empty. Typically people might use coffee or other caffeine containing drinks to get through the day when they don’t sleep. Basically this just pushes your body more…. more stress! Another go to is sugary food, which gives you a quick boost of energy but results in more fat storage. If you do decide to stay late at a party, then try to catch up later whether by having a couple of early nights or a nap the next day.
- · If everything going on has you all wound up then you may need to find some techniques to wind down that are simple to build in to your day. This could be listening to music that you enjoy, spending a few minutes quietly taking some deep breaths or calling a friend. Make a plan for what you will do in stressful situations so that when you get there you don’t just eat ice-cream out of the tub and feel sorry for yourself.
- · Don’t set yourself unrealistic goals and deprive yourself. The more you try to abstain from everything, the more you will want to indulge. Then it’s just a case of how much willpower you can exercise, and most of us have a limited supply of that.
- · It is best to plan ahead for an event where there will be a lot of food and alcohol. If you can, decide ahead of time where you will indulge because it’s worth it to you. I have been gluten free for a year but at Thanksgiving I decided I would have a slice of pie because it was worth it to me. I lived to tell the tale!! But be moderate! It doesn’t have to be a huge slice of pie, right? The first two mouthfuls taste the best anyway. And if you want to have a glass of two of wine maybe you should abstain from the bread.
- · Keep a regular eating schedule – our metabolism rebels if we starve it all day so we can pig out on a big meal in the evening. Instead, make it a goal to have a lot of healthy options around that you like so that you can fuel up on those.
- · I am a big believer in supplementation to support the body. It is so hard even on a regular day to give your body the nutrition it needs. At this time of year it is even more challenging. My favorites for the holidays are included in my December 12th 2014 newsletter with a 15% discount by rebate as my holiday gift to you! If you’re not on my newsletter list please contact me and I’d be happy to email it out to you. We also offer complimentary sessions to help you design a healthy wellness focused supplement regime.
Have a Happy, Healthy Holiday!
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