Do you struggle with eating healthier throughout the holidays? Converting old family favorites and adding new traditions can be fun ways to still enjoy the holiday’s. For a limited time, we are offering a “complimentary” download of our new & old holiday favorites.
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Staying grounded for a joyous holiday season…
As we continue to journey through the holiday season, I'd like to add to the tips we discussed last week on adding balance, planning, and a little physical activity when approaching the holiday season. These are all important parts of minimizing the stress and weight gain that can creep into our fun.
Today I'll share tips for staying grounded and maintaining your energy while enjoying some of those wonderful foods. We all know how easy it is to get caught up in the craziness of preparing for the holidays, and those delicious cookies, cakes, and drinks are fun to enjoy but can leave us feeling more frazzled. Here are some tips so you CAN enjoy them, while balancing out your food and energy so it doesn't turn into overwhelm.
Sit down, breathe, and check out these tips to a “stress-free” holiday season…
With only two weeks until Christmas it’s easy to feel the “holiday” overwhelm with “to do” lists, entertaining, gift shopping, and trying to balance it all with work and life. If you’re like me and are just getting started, it’s easy for the “panic” to creep in with the countdown on to house guests, entertaining, and Christmas.
In addition to your own overwhelm, you may notice the children around you starting to get anxious and maybe a little more overactive than usual. They can feed off our stress, as well as feeling the direct results of those “rushed, on-the-go” meals when there is so much to do and so little time to cook! So how do you fit it all in and keep everyone balanced?
Starting to plan now for some simple things to incorporate into your daily/weekly routine that can help alleviate some of the stress, and put you on your way to actually enjoying the holidays!
Here are some steps that can help:
We all have that one special side dish that makes the meal…Thanksgiving was always a special time for me, gathering with family while enjoying the wonderful turkey dinner and delicious homemade pies. But as much as I loved the entire meal and what it stood for, I began to notice that certain small dishes or sides are what really pulled the whole meal together and made it special. One of these foods for me is cranberry sauce with its sweet, tart, fruity flavor! But how do we choose between the convenient canned version and fresh?
This is my favorite “go to” sweet potato casserole recipe for the Thanksgiving holiday and for other, warm, delicious winter meals. You can have that great flavor without all the added sugar and calories of other traditional casseroles. If sweet potatoes are on your menu this holiday, you may want to give this a try and it just may become your new favorite too!
While going through some difficult times recently in addition to the planning for the upcoming holidays, I was suddenly reminded of the need to manage daily stress. There is one thing our bodies stop doing when under stress, BREATHE! Its’ often something we don’t realize or think about but can be crucial to relaxing and relieving stress. Unlike meditation, which is another good source, you don’t need a quiet place to sit with music.
This simple technique is one I love because you can do it anywhere (shopping, airports, or at your desk), you don’t need any equipment, and you feel instant results. It acts as a natural tranquilizer and instantly calms the nervous system. I learned this technique years ago from Dr. Andrew Weil and it has become a daily tool for me. Just follow these directions and it will soon become second nature. (more…)
