Surviving the holidays

It’s officially the holidays. We are nearly at the middle of the month of December and Christmas is everywhere you look. Bells are ringing, lights are twinkling, and everyone’s moods seem to be lifted. Even the air smells like home-baked pies and roasting turkeys.

This really is the most wonderful time of the year.

But with all of that celebrating and family and togetherness, there is the flip side – for those of us who are trying to lose weight, manage blood pressure, maintain restful sleep, balance emotions and loneliness, or just generally keep it together, the massive amounts of shock that eating throughout the holidays can cause to our bodies is sometimes not really worth it. Add to that the guilt people often experience afterwards (“Why did I eat that slice of fruitcake…?”) or the unhealthy habits (like starving oneself before a feast in the hopes of eating even more, only to binge on the offerings and feel ill for the rest of the night), and you have a real problem.

Many people have a real struggle with holding it together over the holidays, but add in the peer pressure and temptation surrounding all of the food? It can be near impossible to maintain your good habits and goals this time of year.

Luckily, it can also be easier than you think to hold it all together. You just need a plan, and a few easy-to-follow steps that will guide you to success this holiday season.

Try implementing these tips into your routine, and see if it makes your holidays a little brighter:

· Maintain your healthy habits as much as possible

• Don’t stop going to the gym just because it’s the holidays. And don’t use the holidays as an excuse to binge on candy canes and chocolate! Just because it’s the holiday season, it doesn’t make it a good idea to forget everything that you know about health and nutrition

· Keep including a healthy balance of the macronutrients in each meal

• Macronutrients: fats + protein + carbohydrates (fibre)

• Keeping these in the proper balance will help your body to process all of the extra food and eliminate what is not needed

• Healthy holiday proteins can include things like lamb, turkey, chicken or beef, but any protein can be dressed up for the holidays

• I would rather think of carbohydrates as “fiber”, so add in as much of that as you want! Whole grains, dark leafy greens, cruciferous veggies, brightly coloured produce, nuts, seeds… the options are literally endless!

• If you need to indulge, try choosing fresh fruits instead of baked goods

· Avoid skipping meals

• Skipping meals is just asking for trouble, as it messes with your body’s hunger signaling and can make it easy to eat too much

• DEFINITELY avoid going to parties when you are hungry! This may cause you to attack the food tables with a little too much gusto and makes it easy to overeat as well

· Hydration is critical!

• Try to consume at least 2 to 3 litres of water each and every day

• Flavoured waters are also an option, but nothing beats plain H2O. Watch out for added sugars and artificial flavourings

· Keep moving

• Keep moving your body in ways that feel good. Try things like strength training, rowing, cycling, swimming, yoga, Pilates, walking, hiking… there are so many options!

• Exercise is the secret to keeping your cool when holiday indulgences beckon. Choose fun, aerobic activities, such as ice skating or sledding with friends and family, and incorporate them into your winter plans. If you prefer a warm fire to cold winds, seek out indoor activities, like shooting baskets at your local gym, working out on exercise equipment, challenging yourself with exercise-based video games, DVD workout programs or jumping rope with your kids

• Embrace eating in instead of going out

  • Exercise is the secret to keeping your cool when holiday indulgences beckon. Choose fun, aerobic activities, such as ice skating or sledding with friends and family, and incorporate them into your winter plans. If you prefer a warm fire to cold winds, seek out indoor activities, like shooting baskegts at your local gym, working out on exercise equipment, challenging yourself with exercise-based video games, DVD workout programs or jumping rope with your kids

  • Start by having the ingredients for healthy meals at hand. When shopping, fill most of your cart with foods from the perimeter of the store, such as fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables, lean meats, fish, seafood, eggs and low-fat dairy and dairy alternatives. Add in healthy middle-of-the-store items, including whole-wheat pastas, grains, seeds, nuts, beans and wild or brown rice

  • Make a meal look festive by covering half of your plate with fruits and vegetables

· Watch out for the juice

• Many juices contain added sugar, providing unnecessary calories to your diet. We all benefit much more from fresh fruits and vegetables, which offer natural sweetness, along with fiber

• That fruit smoothie may appear to be a nutritious snack, but with a calorie count often reaching 300–500, you may want to reach for a high-fiber, satisfying piece of fruit instead, and save the smoothie calories for a special splurge

Overall, strive for balance. Combining healthy foods, regular exercise and adequate sleep will help you build and restore your energy reserves and reduce stress any time of the year, but I find that this is especially important when the holidays hit. This time of year can be stressful for anyone, and by maintaining balance in your life, you’ll feel better and more grounded to withstand the rush of the holidays.