Feel Fabulous About Food This Festive Season
Everywhere I look lately I see articles about weight gain over the holiday season, or advertising for weight loss programs and products with some sort of reference to Christmas or the festive period. It is almost like we pre-empt ourselves for an unhealthy December!
Before the celebrations even start, we decide that we are going to indulge in anything and everything for 30 days, and the efforts we’ve made to improve our health over the previous few months can take a backseat so we can ‘enjoy’ this time of year. Because the end of the year doesn’t really matter when we are about to have a whole new fresh start in the new year right? Wrong…
Firstly, let me say that I am ALL about living. I am all about enjoying social situations and indulging in things that you truly enjoy, including food, from time to time. Of course, with the holiday season typically comes more events and get togethers than usual, but that is no reason to write off your whole month!
By giving in before you even get started, you can almost guarantee that you are going to end your year feeling less than great, whether that be physically or emotionally – or both! Wouldn’t you rather spend your holidays feeling energised, happy and healthy, rather than bloated, foggy and guilty? I know which one I would choose, so here are my top 3 tips for feeling fabulous about food this festive season.
I know which one I would choose, so here are my top 3 tips for feeling fabulous about food this festive season.
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1. Don’t turn a less than desirable moment into a less than desirable day or week.
Have you ever eaten sweets or fast-food then decided ‘oh well, I might as well write off today and get back on the bandwagon tomorrow’? Or worse, done the same thing mid-week so decided to write off the rest of your week so you can start fresh on Monday? This is what a lot of women tend to do in December!
Instead of doing that, why not enjoy the family lunch complete with pie and sweets (if you so choose) but then finish off your day with a nourishing meal your body wants? You might have a work function, a social Christmas party, family dinner and a group celebration over the next 4 weeks – that is 4 meals. If you are eating 3 meals a day, that leaves another 80 where you can choose beautiful nourishing real food, rather than just writing off the entire month!
2. Make an empowering choice.
Can you think of a time where you were faced with the decision of choosing between something you thought you really wanted in the moment (maybe a donut!) and something that you knew was a healthier choice, and you chose the healthy option?
I know personally I find it very empowering when I make a choice based on love and respect for my body, rather than a craving or story I have been telling myself – such as donuts are so good. They actually aren’t that great, and they certainly leave me feeling less than great! Just because something is put in front of you, or handed to you this holiday season, it doesn’t mean you have to say yes, or accept it.
Empower yourself by making choices your body will thank you for!
3. Be prepared!
More often than not, we know when we are going to a function. There are a few things you can do to help you be prepared and feel fabulous about food while socialising.
Firstly, eat before you go! Probably not ideal in the instance of a dinner or lunch, but certainly worthwhile for those afternoon catch ups or evening events. If you eat a delicious satisfying meal before you head out, you will be less tempted to snack on whatever is put in front of you.
Secondly, offer to bring something! Throw together a beautiful tapas style platter filled with real food – olives, veggie sticks, homemade dips, chorizo etc. Chances are you won’t be the only one searching for some real food in amongst the sea of tinned ham and candy canes either!
Lastly, if you know that you are going to a work function and you will enjoy having a few wines, maybe don’t book a catch up with your girlfriends the following night when you know you will want to do the same thing again! Plan your agenda, be kind to your body.
Christmas truly is the most wonderful time of the year. Don’t spend it being at war with yourself, whether that be due to ill effects from not so desirable nutrition choices, or from an internal battle with your conscience. By all means, enjoy the season!
Remember that eating as much Christmas pudding and drinking as much champagne as you can at Christmas lunch, will not affect your health long term, but choosing to do that every day probably will! It’s the things we do daily (or more often than not) that matter. Don’t ‘give in’ to the entire holiday season just for the sake of it!
Fuel your body, treat it as the temple it is and finish 2016 as a healthy, happy, empowered woman.
