The holiday and Festive Season is almost upon us. No doubt, your social calendar will be filling up as the invites start coming in prior to Christmas, and after. Maybe you are looking forward to all of parties and events where food and drinks are overflowing, OR you might be starting to feel as sense of dread and Anxiety.
For those who have issues with:
- Food;
- Eating;
- Weight, or
- Body-image,
you may feel as though this time of year is not a time for celebration or enjoyment. All you can think about is the torture of food and drinks!
This might lead to you Bingeing, Emotional Eating or Stress Eating over the Festive period . . . which ultimately leads to weight gain.
The lead up to the Festive Season and Christmas can be torturous – you may even feel as though you want to skip events just so you don’t have to be put to the test, or find the willpower to avoid eating.
More often than not, the food obsession, Stress and Anxiety gets in the way of you enjoying events.
Stop the Stress and Anxiety this year by finding balance.
Find balance and consistency over Christmas, and throughout the year, with these five (5) tips:
Tip #1 – Hydrate with Water
Tip #2 – Eat Mindfully and Presently
Before you decide to eat, think about what foods that are going to provide your body and brain with quality nutrition to maintain optimal health and vitality.
Be mindful of your body and how your body will feel after eating certain foods for example, sick, bloated, tired.
Being mindful of your food choices on your body can help you make better choices.
Tip #3 – Skip Starvation
The moment you allow yourself to go into starvation mode by either dropping your calories too low or not eating at regular intervals throughout the day, you are more likely to:
- Slow your metabolism down;
- Cause your blood glucose levels to fall, releasing Stress hormones that will lead to overeating/bingeing and makes it more difficult to mindfully eat and choose healthy options, and
- increase negative emotional and behavioural cycles of emotional eating and/or bingeing such as guilt, self-loathing, restricting or overcompensating.
Tip #4 – Manage Your Stress
- Deep breathing regularly throughout the day is helpful;
- Move your body regularly (incidental movement) is a positive strategy;
- Listening to music, and
- Aim for at least 8 hours of sleep.
If you look at your schedule and you are overbooked and already feeling fatigued, decide which events are a must and which are a miss, to give you some rest.
Tip #5 – Be Playfully Active
Being regularly active, even during the holidays is important for balance.
The great thing about the Festive Season and holidays is that, you can be more adventurous and playful with how you are active.
Do things you have always wanted to do, play actively with the kids and be a kid yourself – think outside the box and have fun with moving and being active.
With a focus on finding balance and enjoyment across all aspects of life, you will not only enjoy the Festive Season more, you may even find that you lose weight!
If you find yourself struggling with Stress, Overwhelm, Fatigue or Disordered Eating (e.g. Stress Eating, Emotional or Binge Eating) leading up to Christmas or Post-Christmas, Mind & Body Architect offers a variety of Experience Programs and VIP Experience Programs to support you in achieving your health goals. Check out the amazing programs for you.
Discover what's really possible for you so that you can Rescue Your Relationship with Food.
Book a Free Discovery Call to find out the path that will help you to move closer to living a healthier and happier version of yourself.
