Tweak Your Thinking Over the Holidays to Avoid Feeling Terrible About Your Diet
Holiday season is quickly approaching, which also means the beginning of getting sucked into the cycle that is holiday weight gain then panic mode then remorse then detox is just around the corner, too.
Around the holidays, we put so much thought and energy into sticking to our diets that we often forget what the holiday season is all about. (A reminder: friends, family, all that jazz.) We automatically think whatever party we attend will have the world’s worst possible food for us and, although that may be true, it’s nothing new: Throughout the year we attend birthday parties, work events, and functions that are filled with calorie-laden foods, too. But for whatever reason, come Thanksgiving all the way through the beginning of the New Year, many of us get stuck in a diet-induced panic.
And yes, we will all probably overindulge at some point. You’ll have one too many spiked ciders or slices of pie and wake up the following morning regretting it all. But the holidays aren’t about attempting to change Grandma’s mashed potatoes into mashed cauliflower or trying to convince your entire family that on the day of thanks, they should attempt to become Paleo by leaving the stuffing, mac and cheese, buttered rolls, and carrot cake for a later time.
Thinking about food this way around the holidays — constantly and fearfully — takes away from the real meaning behind the holidays: sharing quality time with family and friends, disconnecting in order to reconnect, and allowing the everyday hustle and bustle to take a backseat. In my opinion, we need to try and change the way we think about food and fitness around the holidays, which will decrease the stress that comes with our thoughts.
So, how do you do that? First thing to remember when shifting your thinking is that most holidays are ONE day. One day where it’s okay to enjoy yourself (really!). That said, below, a few more pieces of advice I would offer to help you stop thinking about how many calories were in that last piece of pecan pie and to start actually enjoying yourself.
1. Try to treat your routine on holidays like you would any other day. If Thanksgiving is your jam and you know you’re going to be first in line for a second helping, eat a healthy breakfast and lunch as you normally would. In other words, don’t starve yourself in preparation, and don’t go crazy at breakfast either — two things many people tend to do on holidays.
2. Do you usually work out on Thursday mornings? If the answer is yes, then wake up and get your sweat on Thanksgiving morning so that you don’t end up feeling filled with regret (on top of all that pie) come Friday. Same goes for Christmas and New Year’s Eve. Keeping your workout routine as consistent as possible throughout the holiday season will make you feel less stressed about whatever frosting-covered treats come your way.
3. Learn to trust your intuition. You know how to do this, you’ve done it before. If it doesn’t feel good, don’t do it. If you know you’re going to harbor regret for the next two weeks because you ate one too many cookies, then back off. Simple as that.
4. Remember that at the end of the day, you’re in control of what you do and what you eat. By trusting yourself, you stop allowing the holidays to take that away from you.
Whatever you do, one thing we should all do is shift our focus from food and weight gain, and put that energy where it belongs: friendship, family, and laughter. Holidays should be more about the experience and less about the food. After all, the food will always be there; friends, family, and the chance to make memories will not.
Jayel Lewis is a Philadelphia-based personal trainer, owner of JL Fitness, and creator of Inspirationally fit, where everyBODY has a story.
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