Following Thanksgiving, we are now officially into the Holiday season, which for anyone trying to be healthy poses serious challenges given the overwhelming amount of holiday treats circling around over the weeks.
Last week, I wrote a Thanksgiving-focused post on one way to navigate these challenges by getting clear on what you want out of the holiday (or holiday season), as opposed to what doesn’t actually add any value. Once you understand what has value and what does not add value to your life, you are better capable of making decisions that truly support your health and well-being (read that full post here).
Moving forward into the following few weeks involving loads of candy, chocolate, baked goods, and all those calorie-dense, nutrient-poor foods that are coming our way, I thought I’d spend some more time talking about strategy for sticking with our health-focused intentions while still being able to enjoy the treats of the holiday.
For today, it’s worth taking a moment to look at the common advice given this time of the year. Here are two ideas I’ve heard countless times over the years (and happen to continue to receive in my inbox and social media).
1. “Just say no”
As the idea goes, it’s as simple as mind over matter. If you truly want to be as healthy as can be, stick to your diet and do not indulge.
2. “Moderation”
Anything can be healthy in moderation, right? So why not let yourself indulge just a bit?
Two different ideas – and I hear plenty of both of them each year.
What is best for you to do?
As always, that’s for you to decide based on your own lived experience, because there is no right answer that best serves everyone.
Perhaps you are an individual who does better when you go all in, sticking 100% to your healthy way of eating. For some people, it is easiest to make a decision to not indulge at all, moving through the day never having to revisit the decision and smoothly sailing through the day avoiding unhealthy treats: “I feel better and am healthiest when I don’t have any sugary treats, so I’m just going to avoid all of them knowing that is easiest.”
For others, moderation is key, because being able to enjoy just a little bit of the overwhelming amounts of calorie-dense foods is enough to satisfy any cravings: “Ooh, I’ll try just a bite of anything that looks good.”
Finally, there are individuals who fall somewhere in-between, making a clear decision to try just one or two treats: “I know that I love my sister’s pie, so I’m definitely going to have a piece of that, and I don’t need to eat any other treats.”
Maybe one of these strategies works for you so that you can make decisions this holiday season that help ensure you are feeling good, supporting your health, and getting enjoyment out of the treats that you actually enjoy!
If you know that one of them works for you, then by all means embrace it and enjoy the holiday season while you support your health.
Or, perhaps you try one out that you think may work for you in the following days, seeing if you do indeed feel better and more effortlessly make health-conscious decisions when you:
- choose to say no to any of the baked goods that someone baked for a group you are in, because you know you don’t really enjoy this sort of treat and will feel better if you avoid them completely.
- choose to eat just one of the baked goods, because you know you will enjoy it and it will satisfy your craving
Try it out, and reply to this email to let me know how it goes.
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As for anyone who needs a little more help navigating these health-conscious decisions this holiday season and is wishing to find a better overall strategy for navigating the holidays (making healthier decisions that support your health and well-being) I’ll be back next week with my favorite strategy for making health-conscious decisions given any situation.