Leaving Those Holidays in the Dust!
Oh my GOSH, the holidays are OVER and a fresh new year is laid out before us with unlimited possibilities! I hope your holiday season was FABULOUS, full of peace and fun, and that you are ready for new beginnings! How did it go with your healthy holiday habits?? I, personally, had a little battle with some incredible cream cheese sugar cookies that I tried baking for the first time…I got a little overzealous with the baking process and ended up making about 300 cookies-for THREE people! They were both beautiful and tasty, and I enjoyed making and sharing them, but a few days after Christmas, they beckoned me at all hours of the night until I finally woke up at 6am and threw them into the outside trashbin. All good, all things in moderation, and enjoy all the holiday yummy-but it was time to move beyond the holiday treats.
If you’re feeling like you overdid it, whether it be eating too much, eating foods you don’t generally eat, indulging in alcohol, or leaving your self-care or exercise in the dust, you CAN get yourself back to feeling more like yourself quickly by just following a few great tips. With the new year starting, many of us have plans for healthier routines to give us a healthier and happier life, and if this is YOUR plan, you may be wanting MORE than just a few tips to get you where you want to be. If so, consider getting a professional to guide you through your journey! Did you know-people that hire health and wellness coaches have THREE TIMES more success in reaching their goals!!! Now is a fabulous time to reach out to a health and wellness professional to set up your plans and goals for a successful New Year!!
I’m a degreed nutritionist, personal trainer, and certified health and wellness coach that’s READY to set up a personalized program that fits your life and your needs!! Don’t go it alone! Let’s talk about how 2023 can be a year of health, wellness, and SUCCESS for YOU!! I’d love to guide you there with the tools and motivation you deserve!! Feel free to reach out for a no pressure chat to see how we might best work together. In the meantime, give yourself a few days to try these basic tips out, and I’m sure you’ll be on your way to feeling great!
Get Rid of Holiday Treats
This is the first step in the process! And, by “get rid”, I don’t mean eat them!! Give them away, throw them out, freeze them for the next holiday, but remove them from your house! Grandma’s leftover pie, Aunt Jane’s mashed potatoes, leftover summer sausage and crackers-whatever it is, get rid of it! It will no longer be a temptation, and you will be so much happier with it GONE!
Stock Your Kitchen with Healthy Foods
That’s right-more grocery shopping! Stock up on the healthy food that you enjoy: fresh veggies, fruit, lean meats, and whole grain foods. Do a little meal planning and prep so that you have easy, ready-made, healthy choices available at all times. Be sure to pick up some healthy snacks as well like nuts, hummus, hardboiled eggs and yogurt. Keeping healthy food available will make mealtime so much easier during this busy time of year.
Eat Small Balanced Meals
Don’t try to “fix” your holiday overindulgence by cutting out meals; this will only set you up for cravings and possible binging. Instead, focus on small, balanced meals scheduled throughout the day. Focus on lean proteins like chicken, healthy fats like nut butters, high fiber foods like whole grains, and plenty of fresh veggies and fruit. If you need a little help figuring out the best choices, check out this article on basic nutrition.
Flush it All Out
Water is your best friend when it comes to getting over any period of overindulgence! It literally flushes the body clean, helps with digestion, removes bloating, and rehydrates the body. Alcohol and foods heavy in salt can dehydrate the body and make us feel sluggish, heavy, tired and even brain fogged. This dehydration can also show up in our skin, causing dryness, wrinkles, and an uneven complexion. Aim for 6-8 glass of water each day. To make this easier, try drinking a glass upon waking, before each meal, after any exercise, and a short time before retiring for the night. Getting the water in can be the quickest way to feel better!
Try Soups!
Get your balanced nutrition AND your water in at the same time with delicious broth based soups! Throw some broth into a pot, add your leftover turkey or another lean protein, and throw in some veggies and seasonings and let it simmer for an hour or so for a tasty, light, healthy, quick meal choice. For a great soup recipe with a big vitamin pack, try this Kale recipe that can easily be made with turkey instead of chicken, or no meat at all.
Cut the Alcohol
Whether or not you indulged in too much alcohol this holiday season, try to cut it from your diet for a few days. Alcohol wreaks havoc on our body systems and makes every part of our body work harder. It dehydrates us, causes fatigue, slows the metabolism, and causes all kinds of unpleasant reactions.
Show Yourself Some Love
Going a little easy on yourself is always crucial to your health and well-being, but especially after overdoing it. Get a little extra rest, spend a little time being quiet and still, and see how it affects your stress levels. You may want to spend a little time in simple meditation, or just sitting in silence to regain your peace of mind and re-energize. The holidays can be an incredibly stressful time, so be sure to schedule time to just rest. If journaling is your thing-or you’d like to try it, consider thinking into the New Year and coming up with a “word” to define your future.
Consider a Sugar Detox
If you truly want to feel and see a huge change in your health rather quickly, consider doing a sugar detox. Sugar is in SO many foods, and we eat so much of it without even realizing. Sugar intake has a massive effect on the body, our hormones, our skin, our brain, our weight, and our emotions. Many people are addicted to sugar! To learn more about sugar addiction and see if sugar might be an issue in your diet, check out my latest freebie! It’s an eye opener on all things sugar related, and even includes a sugar addiction checklist. Giving up added sugar was the BEST thing I ever did for my health!
Find Support
If you are struggling to get back on track after the holiday, and worried about the holidays ahead, consider finding someone to support you. A friend, a relative, an online group, whomever it might be. Sharing support and encouragement while holding each other accountable and offering motivation can make all the difference. If you need a strong support system and personal guidance, inspiration and tools, consider speaking to a health coach. This can be a life changing decision! Setting up goals and plans that are JUST FOR YOU can make all the difference! If you’d like to chat about how this might work for you, please feel free to contact me for a free consultation-no hard sales, no pushing, no pestering-just conversation about YOU and what you need to feel and be your best!
Happy, Healthy, New Year!!