Fall brings the excitement of hoodie weather, bonfires, and the holiday season! The not-so-exiting part is the cold and flu illnesses that come along with it. But is this inevitable? Is it really cold and flu season? Or would this holiday season be better described as Sugar and Stress Season??
Sugar & Stress
The planning, the baking, the cookie exchanges, the family festivities, the school events, the gifts, the shopping, the bread baking, the pie making, the school holiday break, the organizing gatherings, the travel plans…are you stressed yet??
Now add in more baking, more eating sweets, more treating yourself because it’s the holiday, more errands, more fast food meals in a rush, more stress. Less sleep, less sunshine, less time outside, less movement, less downtime, less exercise, less relaxing.
More sugar. More stress. More sickness.
Control What You Can Control
The holiday season will inevitably bring more sweets and a bit more stress. We can’t avoid all of it, but there is a lot we can control, and we need to start with our thoughts.
It’s not all or nothing. It doesn’t have to be chaos. We don’t have to gain 10 pounds and then try to shed it in January.
Change the mindset that we have to do it all! We can practice moderation and balance. We can say no to certain treats, events, or people. We can stick with our exercise routine, even if that means some modifications. And we might just find we stay well, are more present, and can soak up the holiday season while feeling good!
Indulge
The holidays bring extra yummy sweets and treats. We can have some! And when we do, the important part is, again, your thought process around it.
Decide which one or two treats are calling our name, and say no to the rest. When we have the sweet treat, ENJOY IT! Shaming ourselves or feeling guilty about eating it is a really unhealthy mindset and actually stresses our bodies. (Reminder: we’re trying to reduce sugar and stress!) So, if we’ve limited ourselves to one treat, no guilt! Sit down and thoroughly enjoy every bite. Chew slowly. Try to avoid other distractions that will take away from the sweet treat. Allow ourselves to indulge, and we will feel far more satisfied, which will help reduce craving more!
Holiday Traditions
My grandma used to make apple bars every Christmas. They are my holiday weakness! I now carry on the tradition of making them each year, and I absolutely will not say no to them. So that means I am saying no to other things, but I still enjoy what I want the most.
We don’t have to skip out on traditions. If there’s the must-have dessert, have it! Enjoy the tradition. That’s part of the magic of the holidays.
Balance
Last weekend, my family celebrated our fall birthdays. I had a couple of apple pie sandwich cookies and a glazed donut. And I didn’t feel guilty about any of it! I enjoyed every bite, and licked every last bit of glazed frosting off my fingers!
But here’s what else I did:
- Got a good night’s sleep.
- Started my day with devotions and my daily greens drink.
- Got outside in the sunshine and fresh air for a walk.
- Drank plenty of water.
- Took my supplements.
- Used clean, nourishing products for my skin and body.
- Enriched my brain with a podcast on my drive.
- Skipped alcohol and made a fun, festive mocktail instead.
- Ate plenty of fruits and veggies.
- Soaked up family time, grateful for these people in my life.
We shouldn’t underestimate the importance of these other life factors, particularly how they compound to contribute to our overall health. So if I’m making all these other good decisions, I’m not going to shame myself over a donut! However, that also doesn’t give me an excuse to go crazy and eat three. 😛
Focus on One Decision at a Time
The list above is not something I decided on and implemented overnight. It’s a gradual process of focusing on one thing at a time. Please don’t try to change your bedtime, add in more veggies, and commit to 3 more workouts a week all at once. That’s setting yourself up for failure. Pick one. Focus on it until it becomes a habit, then shift your attention to another.
- Sleep. This is so underrated, but this is our body’s time to repair and grow! That strength workout won’t be nearly as beneficial without adequate sleep for the muscles to repair. All those tasks to accomplish tomorrow won’t get done efficiently without a rested brain and body. Driving while sleepy is just as dangerous as driving while intoxicated. A consistent sleep schedule will also help tremendously with falling asleep and reducing sleepiness upon waking. This is a great area to prioritize.
- Start the day with calm, not chaos. How we start the day can have a ripple effect all the way through it. There might be an immediate need (pup, kiddo, etc.) upon waking, but then try to slow down. Read a page of a book, say a prayer, meditate, take 10 deep breaths with eyes closed. It doesn’t have to be long or elaborate, but make it intentional and peaceful.
- Drink water. Water should be the first thing we consume each morning. Our bodies are low on hydration from sleeping, so get that water in asap! I have a bottle of water by my bedside, so as soon as my alarm goes off, I’m drinking!
- Hydration also helps your skin, our first line of defense against illness! So we also want to consider what we put on our skin and bodies. I use preservative-free eye drops, fluoride-free toothpaste, and plant-based skincare, as examples. We can’t avoid every bad chemical, but we can minimize our exposure!
- Food and supplements. Back to what we put in our bodies. We’ve probably all heard the phrase, food is medicine. But truly! This also ties in big time with mindset. How we view food has a shockingly massive impact on how our bodies respond to it. I could go on for pages on this topic alone, but I’ll spare you. 🙂 We want to nourish our bodies with healthy, whole foods and eat them with the belief that they are fueling and helping our bodies, and they will do just that! Most of us do not get all the nutrients we need from our diet. I know I don’t! This is an area that is best discussed with your physician to determine what is best for you. I personally take a variety of Thorne supplements based on my own research and thorough blood testing. This can be very overwhelming, so again, baby steps and discussing with a trusted healthcare provider is a good first step.
- Alcohol. This is everyone’s personal choice! Personally, I have been cutting back on alcohol, and it’s great to see so many more mocktail options when I go out, as well as tasty recipes to make at home. Some people may not want to change this area, and that’s perfectly fine! Focus on making improvements elsewhere.
- Get outside! Fresh air, sunshine, and movement can make everything seem a little bit easier to handle. 🙂 Plus, getting morning and evening sunlight helps sync our circadian rhythm, which means improved sleep!
- Relationships. I think we all know how impactful this can be, but a new study compared two nearby towns that had drastically different average lifespans. The main difference was that one was very close-knit and involved in each other’s lives, while the people in the other town did their own thing and kept to themselves. Having that social support is huge for our health. Be present, put away the phones, truly engage with the people around you, and it will fill you up. I can assure you, the laughs my family had over the weekend with our foosball games were medicine that no pill could ever rival.
Make it a Healthy Holiday Season
Maybe there’s room for improvement and a desire to work on a few of the areas we discussed. But perhaps all we need to do is stay steady this holiday. Stay strong with the current good habits that are keeping us healthy right now!
It might feel impossible because there’s so much we want to do, but keep in mind that if the flu takes us down, we won’t be able to do any of it!
Life is meant to be enjoyed, so absolutely celebrate this holiday season! Let’s focus on maintaining our good habits and making good decisions most of the time to turn Sugar and Stress Season into Healthy and Happy Season!