Coping with Holiday Season: A Game Plan
It’s that time of year again where the fairy lights and tinsel are plentiful, mince pies are out, and there’s Christmas chaos in the air!
The holidays can be a season of mixed emotions. Whilst they are a favourite time of year for many, for others they can be challenging: full of stress, temptations, and uncomfortable feelings. Whether you love or hate the holidays, they can commonly be very busy, involving social events and an abundant range of delicious and indulgent foods, which aren’t always well tolerated!
The challenges can be easier to cope with when we have some strategies in place to boost wellbeing and stay balanced, making sure our bodies have the support they need to get us through merrily!
Pre-Game Strategies
Maintain routine
Despite the busyness of December, keep your self-care routine intact: getting enough sleep and exercising regularly helps maintain a nervous system that is ready for the additional social events, looming work deadlines, and hectic Christmas shopping!
Sleep and exercise also support healthy blood sugar balance and metabolism, meaning your body can cope better with the indulgences of the season. Squeeze in a 20-minute walk and aim for sleep by 10pm.
Mindset
In addition to all the balls you’re juggling, the emotional challenges of school holidays, financial strain, and family dynamics can be difficult to manage. It’s a busy time mentally and emotionally.
Incorporating regular mindfulness helps keep a balanced nervous system and can be a great tool to self-regulate and create calm when required. Use a meditation app or try breathing techniques like 4x4 box breathing or 4-7-8 breathing.
Game Day Tips
Eat first
If you’re going out for lunch, dinner or drinks, make sure you eat a meal with protein and/or good fats during the day. This keeps your blood sugar stable so you’re not craving or starving, preventing bingeing and energy crashes. Stable blood sugar helps you tolerate sweets and having food in your stomach helps you tolerate alcohol.
Support digestion
Tis the season for all the rich foods! If you have digestive symptoms, eating foods you normally wouldn’t can really throw a spanner in the pipes! Prepare your digestion by encouraging production of your enzymes and stomach acid before meals. Try lemon water, enzyme supplements, bitter foods like rocket before meals, or a bespoke herbal bitters tincture from your naturopath or herbalist to really get the juices going.
Drink decisions
Avoid excessive alcohol which spikes blood sugar, strains the liver, irritates the gut, and can tank moods! Being drunk also affects our food choices! Cap your intake at 4 standard drinks. Alternate alcoholic drinks with glasses of water, not only is this a good way to prevent a hangover, it slows your intake of alcohol so your liver can keep up.
Beware soft drinks and cordials where the sugar content is through the roof. Instead stay hydrated with soda or mineral water, adding strawberries, citrus slices or mint leaves for flavour. Non-caffeinated herbal teas (hot or iced) like spearmint, chamomile, licorice (avoid this one if you have high blood pressure) or fresh ginger slices can also be a delicious way to increase your water intake.
Make a plate
Avoid grazing all day and instead create one dinner plate full to sit down and savour. This helps avoid overeating, and sitting down for your meal supports digestion.
Plate proportions are key here: keep carbohydrates like breads, pasta, grains or potatoes to a quarter plate; proteins like meats and beans make up another quarter plate; and half the plate should be vegetables.
Including some good fats like olive oil, avocado, nuts and seeds or fish also helps keep blood sugar balanced and reduces inflammation. Eat sweets after a meal to buffer the rise in blood sugar.
Savour the flavour
Eating slowly enhances enjoyment of the meal, allows your digestion to keep up, and helps keep track of when you might be over-full. It can take 20 minutes to feel full after eating so don’t rush in for seconds.
How often have you inhaled a meal and don’t even remember tasting it? Focus on chewing well and enjoying each bite. Intentionally placing your fork down between each mouthful can be a great way to slow down.
Ditch the guilt
Enjoy an 80/20 approach to eating: this means healthy choices 80% of the time and guilt free indulgences 20% of the time. This method provides your body with the nourishment it needs to cope with indulgent foods.
Bring a vegetable dish along to group gatherings to balance out the sweet treats. When looking at desserts, choose wisely, which do you really want the most? Eating this way helps avoid overdoing it or the feeling of being totally restricted.
Take the spotlight off food
Whilst food should be enjoyed, it doesn’t have to be the main event. Quality time with loved ones can be spent in other ways: get the board games or the footy out, go for a walk together or turn up the tunes and have a dance party. Movement after meals supports digestion too!
Prepare to win
When you have a game plan you can ditch the apprehension and dread and look forward to the season with confidence and vitality! For personalised guidance, contact one of our health practitioners to support you.
Happy Holidays!
Originally written by Leila DiQuinzio for I Quit Sugar