Maintaining your health goals while enjoying the abundance of Christmas
This time of year is abundant with celebrations, alcohol, food and gifts, and it can provide great relief as the year is winding down and we have some much needed time to slow down. It can also be a tricky time of year to maintain health goals as there’s a break in routine, meals are being prepared by others and for better or worse most events will begin with an alcoholic beverage.
Before you go on your holiday break, reflect upon your health goals; are you planning for a baby, working on clearing your acne, avoiding foods that you know trigger gut symptoms? Think about these and identify your non-negotiables, perhaps you're firm on not wanting to drink alcohol while you can flex on what time you go to bed, or you are clear on not consuming dairy and are okay about having a few drinks. Whatever it may be for you, if you think about it beforehand, you’re more likely to maintain your health goals when you’re clear on your priorities.
Perhaps you’d like to let go and fully embrace all of the abundance of Christmas and the holiday period – knowing that some practices may not serve your current health goals. That’s okay, I encourage you to bring awareness to your choices and be led by decision rather than mindless consumption, a lack of boundaries or external pressures. Each of these can be accompanied by regret and guilt which is certainly not on my Christmas list this year.
We can enjoy the abundance that is Christmas while maintaining our health goals. Some key goals that are the most likely to fall to the wayside are our food choices, our relationship with alcohol, our exercise regime and supplementation routine.
Food
So, here we want to choose: am I not going to worry about my food goals over Christmas and pick it back up in the new year or would I like to continue them and explore how they could fit in with Christmas – there’s no right or wrong when you make the decision. Perhaps you have dietary restrictions, you might be following a specific protocol, you’re pregnant and need to avoid certain foods or you may be working on mindful eating and portion sizes. Here’s how you can consider your food goals around Christmas:
If you have dietary requirements connect with the host prior to chat about your options
BYO: a dish to share & your own milk/bread
Practice mindful eating: tune into your body before & during meals to check how hungry you are, take regular breaks while eating & chew thoroughly
Enjoy fresh salad at each meal with a big squeeze of lemon/lime to support digestion
If you’re tripping around for the day having breakfast with the siblings, lunch with the in-laws and dinner at Aunt Beryl’s then minimise grazing & snacking between meals
Alcohol
Alcohol tends to accompany most celebrations in Australian culture. It can be tricky to decline an alcoholic beverage without someone taking offence, assuming that you’re pregnant or simply expecting you to share your reason why – none of which you are obliged to engage in. Have a think about how you’d like to drink over Christmas; maybe you’d like to have no more than X amount of drinks or you may need to think of a response that honours your boundary of not wanting to drink alcohol. The most important thing is that you choose. If you’re deciding to enjoy alcohol then here’s how you can do it while supporting your health goals:
Ensure you’ve eaten before drinking (should be easy enough!)
Opt for spirits over beer/wine
Enjoy a glass of water between drinks + maintain your usual 2L
Give an hour break between drinks to allow the body to metabolise the alcohol
Movement
Let’s be honest, the holiday period is not the time to be smashing your PB (personal best). Take this time to rest your body, enjoy slower and less rigorous days and embrace our beautiful Australian weather by participating in movement that isn’t part of your normal gym/pilates routine such as:
Enjoy swimming at the beach/Uncle Dave’s pool
Play some backyard cricket
Get active with the kids
Show the Zoomers what totum tennis is
Take a solo walk
Supplementation
One of my favourite parts of the holiday season is that it lacks routine, each day merges into the next, a nap is always available and no doubt we’ll be eating again soon. However, maintaining routine can allow us to be present with our needs which feels even more essential with the abundance of people that the holiday period often entails. Let your supplements be your routine and a small moment to yourself with these tips:
Pack your supplements – first & foremost
Keep them on your bedside table, wherever you’re staying with a bottle of water available
Speak with your practitioner to see if you can simplify them to just AM & PM, reducing the need to take them during the day if this could hinder you
The key to maintaining your health goals over the Christmas and holiday period is to check in with yourself and your needs, hold boundaries when required and become aware of how you can adapt your health goals to holiday-mode.
If you’re seeking tailored support, before or after the holiday period I would love to support you.