As we attend our holiday parties in December, we can practice keeping a clear head about the holiday season.
A common thought we all are tempted to think with regard to taking better care of ourselves is, “I’ll start after the holidays”.
I love a fresh start as well, but what can you do now that’s easy?
Here are a few of my favorites:
Practice your appetite awareness. Try rating on a scale of 1-10 how hungry you are when offered food. Enjoy the tastes of all the different party foods then check in with yourself to notice when you’re satisfied. Beware of finishing the plate just because.
As far as simple strategies, good old standbys include eating something healthy with sustenance before a party, and remembering to hydrate at parties (an alarm on phone or wrist devices if you’re not in the habit helps).
Baking the yummy cookies and bagging them up to give away to friends so that we get to enjoy some of our favorites, but they don’t hang around for too long, is useful to me.
Also, at holiday meals, I like to think about what my favorite foods are that I look forward to all year, and really enjoy savoring those over others. There are usually some foods or sides that I just don’t care that much about, so I don’t have to worry about overdoing it as a whole.
Decide with intention how many days you want your leftovers from holiday meals and treats to spill over into, and then be done.
Let’s be honest, the holidays really aren’t the problem.
What we do day in and day out the rest of the year is where we can make the most improvements and progress, so enjoy those special holiday foods and gatherings!