Eat. Play. Love.
Eat & Drink Mindfully.
I’m not saying to skip the cookies and the wine, (and not just because those happen to be my favorite things) but enjoy them mindfully. Believe it or not, our bodies do know when to stop if we are paying attention. Alas, we often get caught up in the excitement of social gatherings and ignore the signals (flares in some cases) our bodies are giving us. Enjoy your food, slowly. Savor each bite and sip. Now, if you overdo it, don’t beat yourself up as this is not helpful and creates even more guilt and anxiety during the Holidays. When we have negative feelings or anxiety around particular foods, it creates a stress response in the body. Cortisol levels raise, blood sugar levels rise and a host of other physiological responses that create weight gain. Enjoy it, call it an experiment and let it go. Stay mindful and just notice how the food or beverage affects you right after you eat or drink it, a few hours after you consume it and even a day or so after the event. How’s your mood? Energy levels? Digestion? Are you having any cravings?Also, if you reduce sugar and highly processed foods where you can and cook whole, nutrient-dense foods at home, you’ll still manage to keep your energy levels up, maintain good digestion and keep your mood stable. Finally, remember to drink your water! Although the weather might be frightful and it feels as though your water needs are less when it’s cold, many of the foods and beverages we consume (i.e. refined carbs, alcohol, animal protein, sugar and caffeine) during the Holidays actually increases our need for hydration.
Deconstruct Your Cravings.
What are you craving? Why do you think you’re craving chocolate? Sometimes cravings are due to either a lack of nutrients or an over-abundance of certain foods. For example, to little or two much protein or fat can cause cravings. In addition, an overabundance of sugar and refined carbs in the diet can create sweet cravings. Cravings can also be due to dehydration, hormones, stress or a desire to embrace the seasons by incorporating particular foods. Perhaps your life is missing some sort of sweetness this time of year or reminds you of a happy time in your life that you are looking to re-create. Cravings aren’t a bad thing. They are your body’s way of telling you something important so embrace them? Understanding them will help you to make lifestyle changes that will result in increased energy and happiness.
Be Grateful.
In order to make room for more blessings, we first need to count the blessings we currently have in our lives. It’s easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the season and to forget what truly matters. Consider naming then things that you are truly thankful for every morning when you wake up. Your blessings can range from the comfy sheets on your bed to your children and other significant others. It’s important to affirm the gifts the Universe has given us to remind us how lucky we are to be here so we take nothing for granted.
Be Bad.
If you don’t get all your decorations in place, gifts perfectly wrapped or your Holiday cards signed and mailed, let it go. There will be other Holidays. How fortunate are we to have homes to decorate? Gifts to wrap? Friends and family to send cards too? Amen to that! We often have unhealthy expectations of ourselves and other people that result in undue stress. Enjoy this time of year. Only do what you’re moved to do. Don’t feel pressured to keep up with your friends and neighbors and make unrealistic goals for yourself. Let it go and lose the guilt. Your friends and family will still love you. I promise.
Remember Self-Nourishment.
We often have a tendency to get caught up in doing things for others during the Holidays. Just remember that you’re only as good to others as you are to yourself. If you don’t recharge, how effective will you really be? Incorporate down time. It will go a long way to keeping you chipper and energized during the Holidays. Your family and friends will thank you. Plus, this is a great time of year to re-connect with ourselves and reflect on what our souls are calling us to do and who to be.
Are you dreaming of a Green Christmas? Consider eco-friendly and socially responsible gifts, and present them in reusable gift bags or some type of recycled gift wrap (i.e. fabric, recycled paper). A donation to your friend’s favorite charity is also a nice option. You also may consider drawing names and organizing a secret gift exchange with your family or group of friends so that you’re not buying presents for everyone. This saves time, money, resources and sanity. As far as Holiday cards go, why not send recycled cards or even e-cards which save on stamps and paper?
If you’re throwing a Holiday party, consider entertaining with real plates, silverware and napkins. If you ‘re having a larger party, use eco-friendly disposables. Finally, decorate with natural materials such as winter greens, berries, pine cones and forced bulbs. It’s always nice to cut a tree from a local tree farm, but be sure to check with your municipality to see where it can be recycled into mulch or habitat for local fauna. If you are on the fence between purchasing an artificial tree or harvesting one from a tree farm, check out this video from the Nature Conservancy which talks about the top reasons to buy a real tree. It’s great for your family, the environment and the local agricultural economy. If you need to purchase new indoor/outdoor lights, consider LED’s which are 90 percent more efficient than traditional lights.
Please comment with your Green Holiday Tips here!
Get Out & Get Moving.
It’s really important for both our physical and mental health to step out into the sunshine and fresh air this time of year. If you’re limited by daylight hours and can’t take a walk at lunch, bundle up and venture out with a loved one on a starry night. Regardless of whether or not you can get out, it’s important to continue to exercise this time of year in particular because it helps with blood sugar regulation which tends to be an issue for many of us when we’re surrounded by sugar-laden treats. It’s also helpful to soak up vitamin D when you can which is essential for a healthy immune system
Slow Down.
Although, you want to keep moving, you also don’t want to swing in the complete opposite direction and overdo it. Make sure that you take time for yourself. In addition to incorporating some daily self-nourishment techniques, be careful of how many obligations you take on this Holiday season. We have a tendency to try and make every event in addition to hosting our own events, no matter how unrealistic or unpleasant this may be. Make a conservative plan of how many events you can attend and/or host this month and stick to it! If you feel like being alone, honor that. It’s important to take time to connect with ourselves and refill that well. Although it seems counter-intuitive, we are more productive and grounded when we take some extra time each day to relax and recharge. Remember that old saying. Don’t worry. Be happy.
Embrace Sweet Vegetables & Sweet Spices.
Incorporating sweet winter vegetables such as parsnips, carrots, rutabagas, sweet potatoes and winter squash into your diet is a healthy way to satisfy sweet cravings or prevent them in general. They beauty of these hearty sweet vegetables is that they can be used in savory dishes as well as desserts. Aduki beans and short brown rice and also be used to create healthy sweet treats. You can also experiment with spices such as allspice, cloves, coriander, cardamom, nutmeg, vanilla and cinnamon which impart a sweet flavor to any dish. Cinnamon, cloves and bay leaves have been found to triple insulin’s ability to metabolize sugar and remove it from the blood so use them liberally this Holiday season!
Experiment with Natural Sweeteners.
Why use sweet vegetables and natural sweeteners in our Holiday cooking and baking? Refined sugars interfere with the absorption and transport of many important nutrients. Sugar and refined carbohydrates increase the excretion of B vitamins, vitamin C and most minerals including calcium, magnesium and chromium. In addition, minerals such as chromium, manganese and zinc are in short supply in the average diet (partly due to diet and partly due to the lack of minerals in our soils) and are needed to control blood sugar levels. Experimenting with natural sweeteners that still contain fiber, vitamins and minerals can keep your body from depleting vital nutrients and becoming acidic.
Consider trying one or more of the following, this Holiday season:
raw honey
date sugar
blackstrap molasses
raw unrefined cane sugar (Rapadura)
coconut crystals
palm sugar
stevia
brown rice syrup
