Healthy Tips for the Holiday Season
‘Tis the season to be merry and glee, but it’s also a time when we may gain a few unwanted pounds; eating more dessert than normal, not exercising like we used to and drinking a few alcoholic or sugary drinks. It’s a different holiday this year, living within the restriction of a health pandemic and many people have talked about the challenges they have faced maintaining good eating habits while staying at home without the usual social events to attend or classes to sweat in.
My personal challenge this year has been moving part of my practice within the confines of my living room and with that comes a big adjustment to working and existing in a small space.
Keeping up with my own good eating habits hasn’t always been easy, I have seen some amazing feats of cooking and baking on social media platforms lately, but I have not been inspired to add a lot of that into the mix of the chaos I live in. Now on the other side of things our eating habits have taken into account the local restaurants in our neighbourhood that we have been trying to support a few times a week with take out…more than our usual, but worth it if we can do our part to keep them open.
Let’s talk about ways you can still celebrate and have a great end of this year.
I have been thinking about my own personal goals for this holiday season and although I can’t see friends and family in person to share good food and laughter, I hope I can offer some simple ways you can still enjoy the best of the holiday season, nourishing your body, mind and soul. So as many of you know I like to take a holistic approach to health and wellness…that means I am going to look at many aspects of life that nourish and feed us, not just food.
Taking a detour away from food, let’s start with something really important for many people right now, setting up a space that nurtures and supports you (this has been one that we’ve been working on and there is nothing better than a space that is comfortable and clear of clutter).
Set up a nurturing space:
- Take a look at the space you live and/or work in – simplify and organize your papers, pictures, books, clothes and kitchen workspace
- Create a wall of pictures of family and friends, make a nice collection that reminds you of good times
- Clean out your pantry and stock it with whole grains, low sodium canned soups, organic stock, dried legumes and dried herbs so you can bump up your nutrition of any meal
- Clean out your fridge – give the shelves a good clean, then restock it full of fresh foods that will nourish you this holiday
- Create a cool, comfortable bedroom that is free from technology and work to be done
- Put up some decorations if you celebrate any holidays around this time of year – a little sparkle can help to boost your spirits
Let’s talk about setting you up for success with your meals this holiday season. Whether you are cooking traditional foods or trying something new, making good food choices can be the difference between feeling nourished and energized or feeling tired, bloated and ready for a nap. Feeling bloated? Here are a couple of tips to help!
Don’t make things complicated, but try to add some variety to the meals you make. Improve upon recipes you know how to make or try a new recipe such as a Warm Winter Kale Salad!. Include colour in your dishes – red/orange (beets, carrots, yams, pomegranate, cherries, pumpkin, sweet potato, oranges, raspberries, kidney beans, lentils), green (broccoli, peas, beans, asparagus, kale, brussel sprouts, lentils), white (cauliflower, turnip, lima beans, rutabaga, white sesame seeds), blue/purple-black (black beans, figs, blueberries, blackberries, plums, eggplant, black sesame seeds).
**The BONUS of eating a lot of the foods I listed above is they are all packed with tons of nutrients and lots of fibre!
Create a simple meal plan to follow this holiday:
- Keep things simple – since you can’t join festive parties this holiday, plan to make a couple of special meals at home for yourself or your immediate family to celebrate a new year to begin
- Remember to use leftovers when possible – leftover bones from meat dishes can make a great soup, just add veggies and water (or extra stock) and simmer to draw all the nourishment out
- Keep snacking and baked treats to a minimal – don’t bake a large amount of dessert unless you are doing a drop off for other people to enjoy
- If you bring it home you will eat it – limit the amount of sugary foods/snacks you might buy at the grocery shop, because you will eat it if it’s there
So you set up a comfortable and supportive space, you have been eating well and following good sleeping habits, but what about your mental health? Let’s take some time to tap into a deeper part of you, the part that is artistic or creative (yes we all have a little creative bug in us). Exploring our imagination or creativity can help take our mind off of some of the challenges we all face, especially right now. Art therapy is one of the ways to help relax the mind and nourish the soul.
Here are some more ways to support your mental health
Create a calm state of being:
- Play some calming music to sit and listen to or something you like to dance to
- Keep up with gentle exercise and stretching, moving the body can be helpful to move our vital qi and circulation throughout the body
- Take some time to be creative, do an activity that makes you calm and happy such as painting, writing, reading, singing or dancing
- Go for a winter hike or snow shoe – dress warmly and pack some water and venture off into the woods (make sure to follow well marked trails and local snow advisory)
- Deep breaths or meditation help to relax and calm the mind, leaving you more refreshed and ready to go
Cindy loves to celebrate the holidays with family and friends, but always tries to find a little bit of down time to do her own self care.