Health, fitness, hair and skincare tips!
Welcome to my very first BLOG POST! Thank you for reading!
HOLIDAY HINTS
The holidays are HERE! Beginning on Halloween and continuing until we have rung in the New Year, most of us tend to overeat through it all. Three months of overeating wreaks havoc on our bodies and our psyche, creating anxiety every step of the way. Knowing we shouldn’t overeat, but yet feeling some strange force pulling us in ever so greedily regardless. I mean, how can we resist such delicious temptations of holiday cooking and baking?
I’ll tell you how… you don’t resist it. Don’t force yourself to refuse the holiday foods and baking. Don’t deprive yourself. Eat and enjoy the scrumptiousness… without overindulging.
How does one not overindulge on the holidays, you ask?
Moderation. I know you’ve heard the age-old rule, everything in moderation, and it’s true. Self-awareness: when we are aware of what we are putting into our bodies and how much, we have the ability to modify our choices, if we choose to do so. We typically choose NOT to do so, not to pay attention. We want to be completely unaware of how much we shovel in our mouths until we are so overstuffed that we feel the food backed up all the way up to your throat. Have you ever felt that way before? I sure have and it is quite unpleasant, and I am always full of regret. Only YOU have the power and control to moderate your food choices and the quantity thereof. But for some reason, we throw all our normal rules out the window come the holiday season. Mind over matter. Make choices this holiday season that you will not regret.
Deprivation. Don’t deprive yourself. Deprivation is not our friend, it’s our foe. When we deprive ourselves, we feel just that, deprived. I don’t know anyone who enjoys being or feeling deprived. It is human nature when deprived to want whatever it is we are deprived from, even more. Deprivation plays tricks on our minds. Instead of depriving yourself, simply allow yourself to eat the foods and sweets in smaller doses. Let’s put it this way, when you go for a second serving of food or dessert, ask yourself this… are you hungry? I mean, actually hungry? Is that even possible to still be hungry after eating an entire plate of food? No, no it’s not. You are not still hungry; you just want more and therefore you have more. Do you ever feel good about the choice to have a second plate of food? I’ll let you think about that.
Let’s go back to that first plate of food… wouldn’t you agree that during the holidays when it’s a serve yourself kind of atmosphere that you might possibly overload your plate just a tad bit too much? Is it possible that your eyes are bigger than your stomach? Why yes, yes, it’s possible. Do you think that plate of food is far too much food to begin with and that MAYBE you don’t need to finish the entire plate of food that is sitting in front of your face? How will there be any room left in your body to fit that mouthwatering pie?
Distractions. Staying active is an amazing distraction and KEY to our success in so many ways. Staying active is a distraction from food, a distraction from anxiety, a distraction from depression, a mood enhancer, an endorphin booster, a confidence lifter, a mind clearer, shall I go on? Distractions help take our minds off the plates of sweets and mounds of traditional feasts. While you are at the appetizer table, nibble on your snacks and then walk away from the temptation to converse over the food as your hand effortlessly continues to feed your face, almost unknowingly. A lovely family bonding moment, and a good calorie burner would be to take a family walk after your large meal and before your dessert. Not only will this prompt your body to begin the digestion process, helping it along by using the food you consumed as energy for your walk. By walking between dinner and dessert, you may also be tempted to change your mind on how much pie you may or may not eat when you get back. Speaking of pie, cut that slice in HALF! Yes, we all love pie, but remember, you are not hungry, you just want pie. So have that pie, but don’t have the whole pie.
Tips for the holidays but also general guidelines to follow going forward. Good luck on your journey!
Happy Holidays, y’all!