A "Healthy" Holiday

As Christmas approaches and an unnecessary stress tails close behind, it’s become more normal to label desserts we truly enjoy as “dangerous” and things that need to be “taken away before I eat them all.” We’ve lost our ability to approach holiday foods with mindful excitement and simply enjoying what is on our plates.

At what point did we settle on blowing through the holidays with restrictive eating habits and resolutions to reverse the outcome of what we ate over the holiday?? Frankly, I just don’t see the spirit of Christmas anywhere in that mindset. There is no need for a New Year’s workout plan to combat the fact that you ate sweets with your loved ones over the course of late November through December. Just as there is no need to forbid yourself from delighting in holiday treats all together. Better yet, there is no need to add stress around a time that is intended to be filled with warmth, love, and comfort.

You don’t deserve to eat that piece of spice cake because you had a good workout this morning. You don’t deserve that glass of wine because you’ve worked your butt off at your job leading up to your Christmas break. You deserve to enjoy the things you enjoy because you enjoy them. What a concept!

You don’t need to overdo it, either. You can LOVE sugar cookies and not eat 6 of them because you know how you’re going to feel afterward. You can LOVE peanut butter balls and maybe be too full this time. You don’t need to say yes just because it’s your favorite. Your plate doesn’t need to overflow with every item from the feast/dessert spread because you’re overwhelmed at the amount of options. You don’t have to eat something just because it’s there. And surely, you don’t need to say yes to something that’s not your favorite. If you don’t like it, don’t eat it.

You don’t need to flood your conversations with guilty talk about the unhealthy foods in your feast or how you haven’t exercised since before the holidays.

What you really need to do is enjoy the holiday season. Embrace the peace that was intended to wrap you up this time of year. Don’t deprive yourself of peace because you might look a little bit different as the new year comes around.

Listen to your body, trust yourself. If you want to eat something, eat it and enjoy it. If you want to workout, move intuitively and enjoy it. This is the time of year you’re meant to feel free from stress, not drowning in more of it. If you trust your intuition and avoid putting stress on things that are intended to make you feel good (eating what makes your heart and soul happy, exercising because you want to feel good) you’ll really be able to enjoy the holiday… and have a healthy holiday at that.

Just some food for thought for your Christmas Eve!

Merry Christmas!!!