28 Dec The Secret to Eating Well in the Holidays

A lot of people ask me how to negotiate the holdiay season regarding their nutrition and exercise. I am a strong believer in the idea that there is no secret to this, life is for living and it’s too short to not celebrate a special time with your family over food that you love.

Now I’m not saying that you can continue to eat like this for weeks and weeks following and write it off as “the holidays”, your body is only so forgiving. A few days your body can handle but just be sure to give it a little extra love afterwards. A few extra greens, maybe some spirulina and a whole lot of fresh fruit and veg.

A few things that you can do throughout this time to assist with the extra calories are:

Still moving your body: even though you’re on holiday and you’re more than entitled to relax before you head back into the new year, make sure you make time to at least go for a walk, do some yoga or at least get outside. Your body literally loves nature and it’s scientifically proven that your body is programmed to find nature calming and helps to generate the feeling of gratitude – one of the most healthy feelings for the body.

Don’t eat in excess: even though food is abundant try not to get carried away with going back for seconds and thirds. You can enjoy a taste of everything without eating until you feel unwell. Use the analogy of a washing machine for example; when you fill it too much it doesn’t really wash all of the clothes properly does it? Same goes for digestion, when you fill yourself up too much the process is compromised which is why some find themselves suffering from either constipation or painful cramps and diarrhea.

Support yourself with a supplement: if you’re not sure that you’re going to be getting as much fresh produce as you should be over this period give your body a little hand by adding a daily supplement for a few weeks. Something like a greens tablet will just help to keep your body ticking along until you can get back into the usual swing of things. Green Nutritionals offers wonderful options otherwise iHerb is my usual go-to for organic spirulina or chlorella. These will also help assist the body with detoxing, which is helpful after a few extra treats.

Look, at the end of the day the holiday period is to be lived and to be lived wholly. If you want an extra slice of pavlova, help yourself. Just remember not to let it carry on for weeks and weeks, it’ll make getting back into your everyday routine a lot harder than it needs to be. You might even find that your body starts craving fresh food, that’s when you know it’s time to get back into action and really give it the nourishment it deserves. It is your one and only home after all.

Kristy West – Lifestyle Author

@apositionofpower