Holiday Survival Tips

The holidays can be a pile of fun, but they can also pile on the stress. All that busyness often becomes a little overwhelming and it’s a time of year when our eating habits tend to slip and become less than healthy. Well, good news – this year, it’s gonna be different! This blog post is going to provide you with some tips to survive that holiday party and tricks to keep calm through all the hoopla!

Start your holiday season right, with proper nutrition and some easily implemented lifestyle habits to help you feel warm and fuzzy instead of tired and exhausted!

1. Bring a dish as a gift, and to help out

Worried you won’t know what to eat when you get to your next holiday gathering and are faced with a table of temptation? Bring a healthy dish that you know you can eat. You get to lighten your host’s load by adding to their spread, while serving up a little insurance for your own holiday health, comfort and joy.

2. Eat before you head out

If you know you may not be able to eat some of the food the host will be laying on, be sure to sneak in a snack or small meal just before you leave for the party! Nourish your self with some delicious and nutritious food so you won’t have to fill up on the foods that are not serving your body well. Just as it’s wise never to go to the grocery store on an empty stomach, the same goes for a snack-filled party. Going with a little ‘some’ in your tum will lessen the likelihood of holiday overindulgence.

3. Care for a drink? 

Your biggest cause for sugary concern this holiday season may not be in the easily spotted shape of candy canes or boxes of chocs. High amounts of sugar are also likely to be lurking in those fancy-schmancy festive beverages and boozie drinks. Your best bet? Limit your alcohol intake and stay away from beverages that contain sugary soda pop. Try drinking water in between your alcoholic beverages to reduce your alcohol consumption, or – better still – avoid alcohol altogether and stick to water, coffee, herbal teas or even a fermented tea like kombucha! Be the glowing life and soul of the party and avoid the holiday hangover to boot!

4. Heave out the hustle and beat the bustle

Shopping centres filled with frantic holiday consumers. Roads packed with raging festive commuters. Sometimes the peace and tranquility we traditionally associate with this time of year can seem a very long way away! Traffic can become a little overwhelming during this time of year. Don’t let it get to you! Next time you find yourself in a crowded or stressful situation, try out some deep breathing exercises. Taking in a few deep breathes and releasing slowing while you are sitting in traffic, or in a parking lot about to face the next shopping centre adventure, will help during these overwhelming times. You can also check out local virtual shopping sites like the Stress-free Christmas Market to avoid the crowds and traffic.

5. Wave goodbye to guilt!

Hey, we’re all human and we might have a weak moment or several during the holiday season. So, if you’re feeling guilty due to a little holiday transgression, trash it! Grab that guilt and throw it clean out of your mental space. It happens, and there’s no good giving yourself a hard time about it. You’ll have so many other opportunities to make the choice to eat something different down the line. Whether it is at your next meal, gathering, or the next snack you grab while out completing your holiday errands, next time you can do this thing right! So don’t waste time beating yourself up with guilt. Carrying guilt will only tire you out and make you feel bad about yourself. There is always an opportunity to change and eat new nutritious and delicious foods. Take it one bite at a time!

6. Meal Preparation Tips

The top tip to surviving the holiday season? Be prepared! This is a busy time and you’re probably thinking, how will I ever have the time to cook a healthy meal in the middle of all this?! The answer: with these meal prep tips – that’s how! Following these simple prep steps will help you stay on track by having healthy foods ready to go and reducing the amount of preparation when mealtime swings around. Yes, there is a little upfront time commitment required for meal prepping, but if you take just a couple hours one weekend or evening, you will be remove so much stress over the holidays about where the next healthy food option is coming from. Being prepared will help you stay on track with healthy eating during the holiday season. Because, really, who needs to add another stressor to the pile this time of year?

Tip #1: Make a meal plan for your week so you know what you will be eating.

Tip #2: Review what you have planned for the week so you can get a sense of what you need to get prepared.

Tip #3: Make a shopping list and go shopping for your week’s worth of groceries.

Tip #4: Pick a day to set aside some time to wash and chop vegetables and fruits. (You may need to pick another day mid-week to get some extra things prepared. Schedule an evening mid-week so you stick to your meal plan.)

Tip #5: Make dips, dressings and sauces ahead of time. (This can be done the day you pick for washing and chopping vegetables and fruits. Put on some music and have fun with it!)

Tip #6: Cook anything you need for breakfast and lunch the night before so you are not rushing in the morning.

Tip #7: Pack your lunch the night before.

Tip #8: Get other family members or friends involved. Have your own meal prep party!

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