Surviving The Holidays - Keeping Your Healthy Lifestyle Intact

Are you anxious about the inevitable holiday eating? The desserts, the overeating, and the drinking? Do you fear that the good work you’ve done thus far will be forever compromised? And will the parties, the shopping, the mailing of gift boxes, the decorating, the family visits, and the ensuing expenditures cause even more stress and exhaustion?

Such times can certainly weaken our resolve and erode our sense of calm equilibrium.

Think of your healthy lifestyle as a house and the entire holiday rigamarole as the ‘Big Bad Wolf’ ready to blow your house down. This, then, begs the question, how sturdy is your house? Can it withstand the ferocious wolf ready to blow?

There are many facets that buttress your nutritional ‘home,’ but let’s just focus on the basics. Healthy, whole, natural foods are the ‘building blocks’ and your healthy habits such as regular grocery shopping and home cooking are akin to your ‘foundation.’ Take stock in these simple aspects of your daily life and recommit yourself to their importance. They will keep you safe in times of instability.

Give yourself the permission to protect your ‘home’ during this stressful time even more fiercely than normal. The adversity is ramping up so you’ll want to respond with commensurate fortitude.

But remember that it is okay to enjoy and embrace the cookies and eggnog, too. Unless you need to abstain from sugar, flour, and alcohol entirely, there’s no need to completely avoid holiday eating. One thing to do is establish limits and ‘insulate’ the few days of treating with healthy days and healthy meals. It is really a matter of percentages. If you are healthy 90% of the time, you can relax and know you are offering reasonable control over your behavior. This way, you are consistently returning ‘home’ after short sojourns.