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It’s that time of year where treats are everywhere. There’s the work holiday party, the cookie exchange, the event at your kids’ school, the get togethers with friends, the list goes on and on.
It can feel like there is a sugar filled decadent treat everywhere you turn. How is a mom supposed to stay healthy and guilt free with all these desserts all over the place?!
The first thing you need to do is start the day healthy.
In most cases you have full control of your first meal of the day. Either you eat it at home or you pack it up to eat on your commute or once you arrive in the office.
Make sure that this first meal is as healthy and as filling as possible. I like to start my day off with a glass of water and my prenatal vitamins (since I’m breastfeeding). I also make myself a mushroom infused coffee from Foursigmatic.
Instead of using creamer I add a vanilla flavored emulsified MCT oil from Onnit to add flavor and a dose of healthy fats. I generally drink my coffee during my commute.
I also make for myself a 4 ingredient smoothie which I generally drink sometime after I reach the office. This is basically my first meal of the day. It consists of a protein powder (I like the chocolate powder from Orgain), greens (I use Green Juice powder from Organifi), almond butter, and Chia Seeds.
This smoothie is delicious, healthy, and filling. It keeps me going throughout the morning. Plus because it is so filling it makes me less likely to want to snack on other, less healthy things that others may have brought to the office.
Next, plan ahead.
When you know that you are going to an event where you will be tempted to over indulge, plan ahead. Make sure you eat before hand so that you are not starving when you get there.
Maybe contribute your own healthier dish or dessert to the party so you are sure that there are healthier options to munch on.
Instead of drinking your calories, save your calories for foods that will actually fill you up. This will make you less likely to double or triple your calorie intake by drinking and eating sugary foods all at the same time.
Finally, allow yourself to be human.
Here’s the thing though, being healthy doesn’t mean never eating sugar. It doesn’t have to be an all or nothing endeavor.
As much as we tell ourselves it should be otherwise, food is an emotional, social thing. While I get the logic behind “Eat to live, don’t live to eat”, that doesn’t really work for most of us. Food can and should make us feel satisfied and loved.
Flavor matters. Taste matters. And we shouldn’t have to live our entire lives deprived of the foods we love. I mean what kind of life is that. Who cares if you live longer if you are miserable all the time?!
What we need to do is find a balance so that we can stay healthy but also enjoy foods. Eat healthy most of the time so that when we indulge it doesn’t ruin our whole nutrition plan.
When we learn how different foods affect us, we can learn how to bring ourselves back after a little indulgence at a holiday party.
This is why I love the 131 Method. It’s not a diet, but is instead a nutritional program. They teach you about different foods and nutrients. They teach you how deficiencies affect your body and how to eat to maximize your health.
They walk you through the steps of studying how different foods impact you in particular so that you can eat in a way that works for you to make you feel the healthiest, most energetic, and best version of yourself.
It really is an empowering program because it puts you in the driver seat to determine a way of eating that works for you. If you want to learn more about the 131 Method, just click the link.
The important thing to remember is that eating a treat should make you feel guilty. It should make you feel happy. Let yourself enjoy it. Let your treat be a treat.
One treat doesn’t make you unhealthy in the same way that one salad doesn’t make you healthy. That delicious slice of cake won’t magically erase all the healthy meals and workouts you’ve done over your lifetime.
If you want to live your best life, then you need to include both healthy eating and a few treats. Healthy eating allows you to fight off sickness, have energy, think clearly and all around feel good. It allows you to maximize what you do in life.
Indulging in treats allows you to not feel deprived, relax in social situations where food is involved, and feel spoiled sometimes.
There is room in your life for both.
Give yourself a break and have the cookie. You can enjoy your salad tomorrow.
If you want other ideas on how to stay fit during the holidays, check out this post with 5 tips to stay fit during the season of indulgence.
Cheers,
Emily
