\u2018Tis the season to spend time with friends, family, and loved ones \u2013 and to celebrate, indulge, and be merry.<\/p>\n
But, the holiday cheer can also invite quite a setback in your mind-body health goals and wellness routine.\u00a0 To avoid the stress and weight gain of the season \u2013 and remain light in your mind and body \u2013 follow my guide to indulge, without losing your healthy edge.<\/p>\n
Let me show you how to:<\/p>\n
How do you enjoy the holiday season without falling into the trap of weight gain, sugar crashes, and poor choices?\u00a0 Sticking to a healthy plan is important.\u00a0 However, depriving yourself of certain foods can have negative results.\u00a0 Restrictive eating can lead to binge eating as well as disliking healthy foods by associating them with something you \u2018have\u2019 to do.\u00a0 When it\u2019s time to pile food on your plate, eat what you know you love, guilt free, but keep this advice in mind:<\/p>\n
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Maintain an Exercise Plan<\/p>\n
Holiday gatherings often consist of sitting, eating, talking, drinking, and more eating.\u00a0 We often find ourselves sitting for longer periods of time because we enjoy the conversation.\u00a0 Your legs want to move, the food is on the counter, and off you go for food you\u2019re not even hungry for.<\/p>\n
This year, try some of these actions with the family to reduce the march to the kitchen:<\/p>\n
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Stress and fatigue are often unwelcome guests during the holiday season.\u00a0 Stress might join you while cooking a holiday meal, decorating your house in preparation for a party, or shopping at a crowded mall.\u00a0 It can manifest as aches and pains, prevent you from sleeping through the night, and dampen your spirits during the holidays.\u00a0 You can beat back stress, and the inevitable fatigue it causes on your body.<\/p>\n
Focus on the Positive \u2013 bring your attention to the experiences you most enjoy about the holidays.\u00a0 Try going into each holiday gathering or interaction with a positive and loving intention.\u00a0 It\u2019s easier to maintain a positive attitude when you arrive in that mental state.<\/p>\n
Spend Time Outdoors in Nature \u2013 spending time outdoors in nature can help enhance mental clarity, energize your mind and body, and connect you to your loved ones as well as the environment.<\/p>\n
Let Go of the Past \u2013 pretend you are a newcomer to your own family.\u00a0 Approach them with curiosity and excitement.\u00a0 Forget past transgressions, arguments, tears.\u00a0 You are not condoning past wrongs by letting them go; you are just saying they cannot hurt you anymore.<\/p>\n
Take Time for Yourself \u2013 the holidays can be a time when we put everyone else\u2019s needs first.\u00a0 It\u2019s easy to lose yourself in the chaos of the season.\u00a0 Take some time to reflect on what practices you do to keep you balanced and peaceful throughout the year and make sure to adhere to them when things get crazy.<\/p>\n
Stay in the Present \u2013 what is the best gift you could give to yourself and others at your holiday gathering? \u00a0Being present.\u00a0 Cultivate appreciation for your friends and family in your life at the moment.<\/p>\n
Hold realistic Expectations \u2013 if you become frustrated that the holidays aren\u2019t going according to plan, remember there is no such thing as a perfect family or perfect holiday.\u00a0 What can you learn and how can you grow from your family?<\/p>\n
Maintain Your Routine \u2013 as much as possible, maintain your typical sleeping, eating, and exercise schedules.\u00a0 Your vitality can be weakened by changes in routine, which can lead to feelings of anxiety or irritation.<\/p>\n
Make Clear Requests \u2013 your friends and family won\u2019t know what\u2019s important to you unless you voice it.\u00a0 Clearly stating your needs can help to reduce holiday stress and develop closer family ties.<\/p>\n
Practice Gratitude \u2013 gratitude is a powerful force that you can use to expand your happiness, improve your health, and \u2013 you guessed it \u2013 help you cope with stress.\u00a0 Organize a time when your family sits down to share what they love about the holidays, or about individual members of the family.<\/p>\n
Say Cheese \u2013 no one can deny the mind-body connection.\u00a0 So, it you\u2019re looking for a way out of stress, you\u2019ll need to smile more.\u00a0 Organize a family photo shoot or make sure to have your camera on-hand when everyone first arrives to the holiday meal, gathering, or party.\u00a0 Capture those first hugs, ask for the best grins, and snap all those treasured moments.\u00a0 You can revisit them mid-year to remember how great the holidays can actually be.<\/p>\n
Make Restful Sleep a Priority \u2013 good quality rest is one of the pillars of healthy living.\u00a0 In rhythm with the sun going down and birds flocking to their nests, we should also go to sleep early, ideally before 10pm.\u00a0 If you are a late riser, try shifting your bedtime closer to 10pm by 15 minutes per night.\u00a0 This will give you the time to enjoy nature\u2019s early morning calm, ever-more important during the stressful holiday season.<\/p>\n
The Secret to making your holiday inspiring is actually quite simple.\u00a0 Be inspiring yourself.\u00a0 As with any change, you must be the change you want to see in others.<\/p>\n
All of us at ELM Mental Wellness wish you and your family a Safe, Happy, Inspiring Holiday Season!<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u2018Tis the season to spend time with friends, family, and loved ones \u2013 and to celebrate, indulge, and be merry. But, the holiday cheer can also invite quite a setback in your mind-body health goals and wellness routine.\u00a0 To avoid the stress and weight gain of the season \u2013 and remain light in your mind […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":12686,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[112,124,155,118,123,143,133,1,132,115],"tags":[129,156,135,126],"class_list":["post-12683","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exercise","category-health","category-holiday","category-mental-health","category-positive-thinking","category-self-care","category-stress","category-uncategorized","category-weight","category-wellness","tag-health","tag-holiday","tag-stress","tag-wellness"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/eatlovemove.net\/wordpress3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/xmas-blog.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/eatlovemove.net\/wordpress3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12683","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/eatlovemove.net\/wordpress3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/eatlovemove.net\/wordpress3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eatlovemove.net\/wordpress3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eatlovemove.net\/wordpress3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12683"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/eatlovemove.net\/wordpress3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12683\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12690,"href":"https:\/\/eatlovemove.net\/wordpress3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12683\/revisions\/12690"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eatlovemove.net\/wordpress3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12686"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/eatlovemove.net\/wordpress3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12683"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eatlovemove.net\/wordpress3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12683"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eatlovemove.net\/wordpress3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12683"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}