Nutrition Pillars to Lean on During the Holidays
THIS IS NOT A DRILL:
T - 2 days until Halloween
T - 25 days until Thanksgiving
T - 58 days until Christmas
T - 65 days until New Years
If that makes you choke on your water or brings some expletives to mind, you’re not alone!
Somehow every year this time seems to creep up on us. With that comes more responsibilities, added stress, & lots of emotions… all of which aren’t great additions for our usual health & fitness routines.
One of the most common concerns I hear from clients, friends & family around this time of year has to do with nutrition, specifically food selection. We’re all about to be bombarded with more sweets, treats, fun beverages & tasty comfort foods (if it’s not already happening) than we typically are during the rest of the year.
Let me stop here & say that I think it is IMPORTANT to enjoy sweets, treats, fun beverages & tasty comfort foods in this season & every other season. However, I’m not oblivious to the struggle of overindulging, feeling food guilt, etc. So today I’m sharing 5 nutrition pillars that I lean on during the holidays & any other chaotic season of my life in the hopes that maybe there’s something here that could help you, too!
Make grocery shopping a priority
Having groceries around like usual can help you continue to eat at home & prepare food in a way that aligns with your preferences, budget & any goals you might be pursuing. I can’t say this enough but if you find it more difficult to get to the grocery store this time of year (or can get to the grocery store but find it hard to actually cook the food throughout the week), PLEASE try a grocery pick-up or delivery near you!
If you’ve never used this resource, which I’ll add I’ve found to be free in some capacity where we’ve lived, you’re missing out. It’s simple & quick. I’ve always saved time going this route & have been very happy with the quality of produce/meats/etc. I’ve received with someone else putting together my order… do with that what you will! But if you find free time to grocery shop &/or cook to be harder to come by right now, give it a shot.
Determine staple protein, veggies & carb sources
KNOW YOUR STAPLES. This works well with point 1 because it can make grocery shopping easier to get through & helps you approach a new week with somewhat of a skeleton already created for you. If you’re concerned with getting bored with your food than I suggest “spicing up” your spices, seasonings & sauces you keep on hand. You might be amazed how you can change a meal by using a different sauce/marinade! And last note here: try to let go of the idea that every single meal/snack needs to taste phenomenal. Sometimes we just need to eat the food we have access to (for a number of reasons), even if it’s not the best meal we’ve had.
pause before, during & after eating
Take your time building your plate & take your time eating it, too. This can be tricky & might even feel awkward at times but can be really beneficial. Pause before, during & after your meals/snacks/etc. to see how you feel. Are you satisfied? Are you still hungry? Are you full? Going through questions like this can help you embrace an “intuitive eating” approach to nutrition. Like many of the other points in this post, practicing this throughout the year can be really helpful to taking charge of your eating habits.
Hydrate consistently
This is pretty self explanatory. During the colder months of year it’s not uncommon to desire water less. It’s simultaneously the time of year when there are more family gatherings, parties & general festivities going on that may include alcoholic beverages. The combination of a lower desire for water & more frequent alcohol intake can lead to more dehydration, lower recovery from workouts, higher calorie intakes and, in more extreme cases, a possibility of waking up hungover (which is a whole thing we could address in itself).
Do your best to enjoy yourself!
There’s a lot to say on this one so let me try to make it clear & concise:
“Enjoy yourself” is not an “open the flood gates” kind of message. You know that eating an entire plate of cookies is going to make you feel like crap. Same with drinking that entire bottle of wine.
On the flip side, you’re probably not going to enjoy yourself much if you don’t allow yourself your favorite holiday dessert, that Christmas sangria or heck, just a regular chocolate chip cookie.
I’m a firm believer that you should regularly be including foods & drinks you enjoy into your lifestyle. Yep, that means you enjoy desserts when you want them, a glass of wine here & there. The goal is that in doing this these items will feel less overwhelmingly enticing & help you approach them with more mindfulness and subsequently less guilt.
Please consider all of these points in conjunction with point 3 above. Creating the habits to select food & eat mindfully without high levels of restriction makes room for a more stress-free approach to eating & food in general.
If you’re experiencing any fear of eating, fear of foods, overwhelming guilt after eating, binging behaviors, etc. please reach out to a qualified professional for help! Here is a helpful resource to get you started & here are some free helplines you could contact.
I hope you’ve found something in this post that you can take with you as we venture deeper into the holiday season. If you have questions or comments on anything I shared above please feel free to send me an email to chat privately OR drop them below this post.
HEY, I’M KIRSI!
Certified Personal Trainer & online fitness coach
I help women build strength & move better with simple programming & comprehensive coaching.
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