Stay Healthy & Fit this Holiday Season: Ultimate Tips

Hey, friends! Ever found yourself wondering how to keep those health goals intact while still enjoying the holiday fun? Well, you're in luck because that's exactly what we're diving into in this episode! From the scoop on overindulgence at parties to some handy tips for a healthier holiday, I've got you covered. Hang around for some advice on setting goals you can actually stick to, making well-being a priority, and snacking guilt-free at those festive gatherings. Let's make this holiday season a mix of balance and pure joy! 🎉✨

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Transcript

1:00

Hello. Hello. Welcome back to the podcast. I am so grateful that you guys are here with Thanksgiving rolling around. I just feel extra gratitude in my heart for this podcast. You know, when your family goes around and everyone says what they're grateful for. Mine's going to be the get out of your own way podcast. My dad always asks that question every single year. What's everyone grateful for? You know, it seems like a really hard question when you're put on the spot like that, but I mean, I write down three things I'm grateful for every day in my journaling. And if you're doing the challenge right now, then you should be doing the same thing. So we got some things lined up, but when you're put on the spot like that, it just is extra hard for some reason. Today's topic is going to be about staying healthy and on track during the holidays. And I know that we are all busy, so I want to make sure that this is just a quick and accessible episode for you to listen to whenever you need it for a quick boost of encouragement during this season of your life. And I just want to give a quick trigger warning. I will be touching upon the topic of eating disorders and in this episode. Holidays and the holiday season has always been a time that was very nerve wracking to me and very stressful as well. And I feel like it goes beyond just like the normal stress of the holidays with it being busy and things like that. I have felt very nervous about... The food and the social like engagements of the holiday season. I feel like I am a person that I have to stay on my nutrition and I have to stay on exercising and stuff. My body can fluctuate so, so easily. So if I'm not aware to it, it can get out of control a little bit faster than I think some other people. So that is why I'm always super on my health and my nutrition and working out all the time. So when this time of the year rolls around, I feel like that can kind of go out the window for most people. They put it on the back burner, but I know for me, like I said, I kind of always have to be conscious to it. And with that said, anytime the holidays would roll around, I would get super nervous because there's so many social pressures that are put on you. There's an abundance of food around, an abundance of alcohol around, and for me, that was very triggering for me. So to give you guys a little bit of history about me, I've never shared this on a podcast or on social media at all before. I used to struggle with eating disorders. I used to be a binge eater and this was probably Six, six plus years ago now, so I fully have recovered from that, but I used to binge a lot so I would do really well during the day or what I thought was well during the day and then at night I would go crazy and then I would feel an immense amount of guilt for going crazy and literally just Like blacking out and eating whatever I wanted and then I would go make myself throw up and obviously that's not healthy that's not what you should be doing and With holidays and parties and any social gatherings. I wasn't taking the right precautions leading up to these events, and I didn't have a good mindset around nutrition and just like normal healthy living. So when holidays would roll around, or like I said, events, social gatherings. I'd be like obsessed with the food that was in front of me since I wasn't eating this kind of food all the time. Like if I was being good most of the time and eating quote unquote healthy when I was around cookies and donuts and cinnamon rolls and All these different goodies. I'd be like, wow, I never get to have any of this. And I would just go nuts. I would eat everything and I would eat way too much of everything. And then I would feel very sick afterwards. Like I would leave parties just feeling so sick and gross that I ate too much. And I feel like a lot of people will relate to this and. A lot of people, when they do leave parties, they're like, Ugh, I feel so gross. But I feel like mine was even an extra level higher than that. And then I would have so much guilt the next couple days because I ate like so bad at the event that I went to. So it was just this really bad cycle that I was in. And with the holiday season, it lasts like kind of two months. And the whole time I was just like nervous because I knew I had all these pressures on me and that I knew if I was in these settings, I would go crazy and then I'd have the guilt. So that's why the holiday season for me was a little extra stressful. But I've fully recovered from that and I want to share some practical tips with you guys today that Have helped me overcome this and just practical tips on how to stay healthy and on track during the holidays with all of that said, I have gone ahead and created a holiday healthy guide for you and it is a Very, it is a very in depth PDF for you that gives you all of the tips that you need to be successful during this holiday season and you can go right on my website and purchase it on there. So if you go to TWHonline. com, the wellness hub, online. com, you will find it on there under resources and it's super inexpensive. And if you listen to the end of this episode, I'm going to give you a discount. code. So you go ahead and purchase it and get a really good deal on it. It's already inexpensive as it is, but I want to give it to you even cheaper so that it will be more accessible to you. And this guide is going to change your holiday season. It literally is jammed pack with so many nuggets of knowledge from recipe ideas, practical tips that you can take with you, mindful ideas, gift ideas, and just setting yourself up for success during this holiday season. And today I'm going to be sharing like a mini episode of kind of some of the things I share in this guide. And I want today's episode to be practical for you that you can take these tips with you. And then if you kind of are feeling stressed, then you can come back, listen to this episode, get recharged and get back on track. So like I said, I know how these holidays can feel. I still have to remind myself of these things. all the time. And I would be lying if I said that I feel 100 percent during the holidays. I love the holidays. Like my family calls me Mrs. Claus because I love, like gift giving is my love language. So this time of year is my favorite, but at the same time, it's like my enemy too. So they, they sit hand in hand. If you're anything like me, I feel you. And today I just want to give you some practical strategies that you could put in place this holiday season to stay on track, stay healthy, and get rid of that guilt that comes with the holidays. As we know, the holiday season can bring its own unique set of challenges, from abundant food, to the stress and busyness of the holiday rush, social gatherings. And how it gets colder and darker outside, how it gets, how it's getting colder and it's getting darker outside earlier. It makes physical activity less appealing to us. The first thing that we need to do is set realistic goals with ourselves. Instead of aiming for perfection during this holiday season, just focus on making smart choices that align with you and your health priorities right now. For you, that could be managing your weight, like staying and maintaining your weight, reducing stress, not being a crazy person this holiday season. I know that's one for me. Or Simply just feeling your best, feeling more confident this holiday season, you know, you're getting around your family who maybe only see you once in a while and then you know, like, deep down there, Loki, like, damn, like, she put on a little bit of weight. Like, we all have those thoughts about our family. It was just not right at all. But come on, like, we know that happens. If you're walking in this holiday season, season. You're going to be your best, hottest self and you're going to feel confident in your own skin. By setting your goals now and setting realistic expectations with yourself, this will provide you with purpose and motivation to make those healthier choices. So making this a little bit more real to you. Now I'm going to share three practical strategies with you to put in place for this holiday season. The number one is to prioritize your wellbeing. The holidays really only make up two days, like 48 hours if you think of Thanksgiving and Christmas. Those really are only two days, but we make it into a two month long stressful season between buying gifts for other people. Running around, feeling stressed, eating and drinking too much, like overindulging, beyond those two days. And not feeling like there's any time for us at the end of the day. And I just don't feel like that's right, because like I said, it's really only two days. Why does 60 days get to make up our lives and get to take control of our lives? That's why we are going to put ourselves first this holiday season. And I'm not saying to not enjoy your events. We shouldn't let the holidays consume our entire lives. We're still gonna do the things to show up for ourselves so that we can be the best version of ourselves on the special days. And, like I said, we're showing up as our most confident selves as on these special days. The first thing we're gonna do to prioritize our well being is we're staying hydrated, we're drinking water all day long. We are making sure that we put our water first before alcoholic drinks, before sugary drinks, before caffeinated drinks. We are making sure that we are getting our water in and this will also help us curb some of those. cravings and also overindulging because your water will fill you up. And the next thing we are doing is we are still working out. We're still prioritizing working out and exercising. And the cool thing about the holidays is you can still make it fun. So with everything I'm saying in this episode, I'm not trying to sound like, Oh, we have to take the fun out of the holidays. It's more like, how do we incorporate the holidays? Into what we already have going on in our lives and prioritizing ourselves So there are like so many different holiday themed workouts. I know my crossfit gym does one Also outdoor activities so you can go ice skating you can go skiing snowboarding You could do a charity run or walk. So doing a winter 5k, like I think there's one in Providence called the Jingle, Jingle Bell something 5k. So doing something like that can make it fun and give you a goal that you're working towards this holiday season. I've done the turkey trot a couple years in a row and that is always a great way to start my Thanksgiving off. I know some people are like, I will never be that person that does a turkey trot on Thanksgiving. I love my Thanksgivings, but. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I'm not doing it this year, it is a good way to kind of give you a goal to work towards and get active first thing in the morning. And then another idea for working out is to doing like a festive dance class. So a holiday themed dance class, that could be really fun. The next thing we're doing is we're eating three meals a day Regardless, so before any events you go to want you to pre eat healthy meals before you attend. This will help you not overeat at the events that you're going to. So on Thanksgiving and on Christmas, we're waking up, we're going to still eat breakfast, even though we're going to have a big meal later on in the day, we're still going to wake up and have a high protein breakfast. This is so important for us because the high protein will help keep us full longer and we won't go crazy when we eat again at at the event. And the same goes for if you're going to a social gathering, just be sure to eat something beforehand so you don't go crazy and you're not obsessing about food the entire time. The next thing we're doing this holiday season to prioritize our well being is we are not overspending. So set a budget for yourself and stick to that budget. I know for me, I have a really hard time with this. Like I said, Giving gifts is my love language and I love to be thoughtful and buy gifts for people that I know they would really enjoy. But you don't want to stress yourself out by spreading yourself too thin and you're going above and beyond for others, which is amazing. But then at the end of the day, you're left stressed and When December 26 rolls around, you're like, crap, like, how do I get out of this? So be realistic with yourself, set a budget for yourself this year. It doesn't mean that next year it won't be different. Maybe you have to take a break this year and just. Go a little bit lighter than you have in previous years, and then once you get back on your feet or you feel more comfortable, then we can expand our budgets. So be realistic with yourself, and if you're married, be realistic with your spouse and have a conversation about this and stick to that budget. Because at the end of the day, that's not what the holidays are about. The holidays are about spending time with your loved ones, connecting, and just sharing the love with one another. So don't let, like, commercials and social media get to you. That's their job. They're marketing to you. They want you to spend money. It's literally their job as somebody that's in marketing. Like, understand that that's not realistic. That's them marketing towards you. Do what only you can do. Okay, moving on. The next one is not spreading ourselves too thin. So, setting boundaries by saying no to events that you really don't want to go to. You feel like you have to, but you don't really need to go to. Say no, we're not doing it this year. It's time to put those boundaries in place. And then also, setting boundaries with your personal time, so make it clear to others when you need time for self care and to be able to relax. And also, setting boundaries that you are gonna get your workout in, you are gonna eat healthy, and don't let people talk you out of that. Set those boundaries and stick to them and don't spread yourself too thin this holiday season. Don't stress yourself out. You're not superwoman and try to keep your normal routines. Again, the holiday season really only consists of 48 hours in reality. So the whole 60 days that make up November and December, keep your normal routines the rest of the time. So like I said, it's 60 days. We're keeping our normal routines on these 60 days and then the two days the Thanksgiving and the Christmas Our routines are gonna be a little different on those two on those days, and that's fine Okay, moving on to the next practical strategy I have for you during this holiday season is if you are attending a party or event, bring an item that you can enjoy without guilt. By you showing up with an item that you can ensure will be there and nutritious for you to eat, this allows you to have a peace of mind going into the event. And I actually want to give you some ideas of different. Things you could bring with you that are healthy and that you can enjoy without guilt. Starting with appetizers, veggie platters, fruit skewers, spiced nuts, stuffed mushrooms, shrimp cocktails. Those are all good options for appetizers. For drinks, bring a non alcoholic option for a drink or even a mocktail kit. There is a lot of stuff on the market nowadays for mocktails or non alcoholic wines, non alcoholic beers. Bring something like that with you so you can still enjoy the social aspect of quote unquote drinking without drinking alcohol if that's one of your goals right now. And I think if you bring the mocktail kit with you so you are making... Mocktail margaritas and you have like a whole kit that you bring with you I think there would be a lot more people that would be really excited that you brought this and even share in on this fun With you so that could be something really fun that you can incorporate Into your gatherings and then as far as like the big meals go or even going down like a buffet line Try to stick to the high protein food. So stick to the meats the lean meats And then, that's going to be the majority of our plate is high protein. And then we can still enjoy the sides. We want to stick with greens and any of those sides. And then the carby sides, like mac and cheese. We can still take them, just take small amounts of them. And then, as far as desserts go, I feel like this is probably where a lot of people struggle, just like myself. I also have some ideas for that to bring with you. So you could bring fruit based desserts, so incorporating fresh fruit. Fruit salads, fruit kebabs, or baking apples with cinnamon is kind of like a sweet treat. Greek yogurt parfaits, dark chocolate um, you can take most recipes and do a makeover on it. So modify the traditional recipes by reducing sugar or incorporate healthy fats in them like avocado or coconut oil. Another idea for desserts are frozen yogurts. Frozen yogurt or sorbets, nuts and dried fruit, chia puddings, protein balls, or a healthy smoothie type dessert. Like I said, I think by bringing something with you ensures that you'll have something to eat there and gives you a peace of mind. And I think a lot of other people that are sharing in on, you know, the health journey with you will appreciate to have a healthy option there too. And then the last practical strategy I have for you guys is to remember that it's only one day out of the month. You are not going to ruin all your progress in one day, so try to let go of the pressure of being so hard on yourself. Like I said, the holiday season really only consists of two days. So don't let the consumption of all two months that surround the holiday season consume you. You can indulge on these two days, Thanksgiving and Christmas, and not lose all your progress. Even if you have one bad day out of the month, you're not going to lose all your progress. But if you have 60 bad days, then yeah, you are going to lose your progress and you're going to be worse off in the long run. Another thing to keep in mind is to try to enjoy the people and the atmosphere rather than obsessing over the food. This is something that I had to learn. Again, I really did struggle with the holidays so much and I obsess with The amount of food, and sweets, and treats that were gonna be there. So, I almost didn't even enjoy the atmosphere, or the people, or what I said is the point of the holiday season. It's to share your love with one another, and be connected to the people that you love most. So, if you kind of step back, and remind yourself what's the holidays about, and try to enjoy the season itself. So try to enjoy decorating and the lights and the music and all your favorite people being around and the idea of giving and how can you be generous this season in the way that you can and try to focus on those aspects of the holiday and try to, deter your focus from obsessing over like the food and the treats and the sweets and the chocolates and all the buffet tables and things like that and try to just focus on like, wow, I do love this time of year because of these other reasons. And then, also, if you are leaning towards binging or overindulging, tell yourself that it is so temporary. Like, you have all this food in front of you and you can enjoy it, but enjoying it will be temporary, and the results that come with it last a lot longer. So for me, when I was binge eating, Eating the food was so temporary. Like, literally, chew, chew, swallow, was it, it was done, you get that one hit of dopamine from chewing and then so much guilt came after it. So once I was able to realize that, and realize that it really is so temporary, like being in these social events are temporary, once I leave here, I have to leave with the amount of guilt that I just put myself in by overindulging. and binging. And then I also will tell myself that I can have any of these items any day of the year and this helps me not over romanticize the food that's out. Like, I can have brownies any other day of the year. Like, there's nothing that special about these brownies. Or I can have this like next week. And then you're like, okay, it's not that big of a deal. I don't need it right now. At the end of the day, it's just food. Like you can get this meal, sweet treat, anything like that, any other day of the week. So take away the power that it has and. Don't let it rule over you and I don't know that has helped me a lot by looking at it that way or Not getting that instant gratification Of it kind of pushing it down the road and saying that I can have this It's not that I can't have it because when you tell yourself you can't have it that's when it gets a little iffy and then we're like Yes, I can. You almost want it because you can't have it. But if you tell yourself, yeah, you can have it, we'll just have it next Thursday. Pushes that craving down the road a little bit, and then hopefully by next Thursday, you completely forgot about it. So, another good tip... Is to talk to the people around you, let them know that you're working towards some goals and be assertive and don't let them drag you down to their level to make themselves feel better. So of course people want you to overindulge with them, it makes them feel better, but if you're serious about your goals or you're just serious about feeling better and not feeling guilty or pressured during the holidays, be assertive and say like, no, I don't want that. Thank you, but I'm all set and leave it at that. Like don't let them peer pressure you into it. And I think if you tell people your goals, there'll be a lot more understanding and hopefully they won't pressure you as much. So one time I was on bikini prep during the holiday season, both Thanksgiving and Christmas, and it was really challenging, but also really rewarding to get. through the holiday seasons and staying on track. I one felt really good during the holidays. I felt really confident as well. And then all my friends and family knew I was doing this. So my friend even planned her own birthday dinner at a restaurant she knew that I could eat at, which is So sweet. She's my best friend. It's just so kind of her to do that, but she knew my goals and I was open with her. So she accommodated for that. So I think if you're open and you just tell people what you're working towards, hopefully if they're good people in your life and they're cheering you on and they want, what's better for you, they will also be accommodating to you. And this isn't like just something that we do for a short period of time. This is our lifestyle. We continue it during the holiday season. And this goes way beyond just like eating healthy as well. This is for our mental health. This is for our financial state. This is for our well being, for our confidence. It goes so much further than just... what we're eating. And if you do struggle with eating disorders or binge eating, anything like that, I hope that you reach out to a professional that could help you. I would love to chat with you. I am not a licensed professional, but I would love to chat with you and share more about my experience with that and kind of how I worked past it. I really encourage you guys to go ahead and get the Holiday Healthy Guide off my website at

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T w H online.com.

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and get the guide. The code, which you have earned because you listened all the way through, is

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Holidays 10.

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to get 10 percent off it is so jam packed with even more things that I didn't touch upon today. And I promise you, if you get this guide, you will be setting yourself up for more success during this holiday season. And it really just shows that you want to be different and you want this for yourself. So I encourage you to go get that. And I pray that this holiday season is amazing for you and that you focus on what this season really is about. Which is family, friends getting together. It's about our faith as well. We incorporate our faith. That's what Christmas is about. So I encourage you to focus on those elements and try to not feel the pressure of being everything for everyone and everywhere. In this holiday season, we are prioritizing our well being. Thank you guys for listening and I will see you in the next episode.