Strategies for dealing with holiday snacking

This time of year usually means easy access to lots of unhealthy sweet treats, which leads to inevitable, unwanted weight gain. My dietician friend says that most Americans gain 10-15 lbs during the holidays! Yikes! So as the holiday season approaches, it’s time to develop some strategies around holiday snacking.

The workplace always seems to have an abundance of unhealthy food during the holidays. Add in holiday parties and happy hours and you could easily spend all day munching on delicious but unhealthy treats. Therefore, to prevent the unwanted weight gain, you need to make smart choices about which treats to eat and which to avoid. The most important thing to remember is that this is a time to celebrate with friends and family so completely abstaining from holiday deserts just isn’t very practical or fun. Therefore, aim to make every indulgence count!

First have lots of healthy options on hand. Keep a stash of fruit, veggies and humus, unsalted nuts, or other healthy snack readily available at work. Before you indulge in a holiday cookie or piece of pie, eat one of the healthy snacks that you have stashed. Once you have satiated your hunger, you likely won’t even want that sugary treat. Additionally, eat a healthy snack or even a full meal before you head out to your holiday party. This way you won’t be starving when faced with an abundance of unhealthy casseroles and desserts. Because let’s face it, we make poor choices when we are hungry.

Second, drink lots of water. The majority of Americans are chronically dehydrated. Additionally, thirst can feel an awful lot like hunger. So when those mid-afternoon hunger pangs start, drink a glass of water. After about 10 minutes, reevaluate your hunger. With your thirst quenched, you may no longer feel the need to eat something. But, if you are still hungry, eat one of those healthy snacks you prepared.

Lastly, vow to only eat treats and deserts that were hand made. These sweets have been prepared with love, so have a small piece and truly savor it. When you have lots of options, pick one or two that look the most visually appealing and take a small piece of each. Notice how lovely it looks and smells and then eat slowly so that you enjoy every bite. If you limit yourself to occasionally eating a small piece of something handmade and truly delicious, then you have no need to feel guilty! And don’t forget to thank the chef! Happy indulging!

The best yoga pose for managing stress: viparita karani

Even if you don’t do yoga, you have probably heard that doing yoga is great for managing stress. You don’t have to go to a class to get the stress busting benefits, just regularly practice this insomnia and stress busting yoga pose right before you go to sleep.

Legs up the wall pose, or viparita karani for you yogis out there, is an amazing pose that re-establishes a sense of balance and promotes a feeling of calm and wellbeing because it allows the lymph and blood from your legs to flow with gravity towards your head and heart. This is especially beneficial if you have tired and/or swollen legs resulting from prolonged sitting, standing, or travel. This gentle inversion (the legs are above the heart and head) can help bring relief for a headache, energize your tired body, or relax your mind to encourage sleep and rest. And don’t worry, you don’t have to know anything about yoga or even be flexible to do this pose.

To begin, lie on your back with your hips near a wall and the backs of your legs resting up against the wall so that your body is in an L shape. If you have really tight hamstrings scoot your hips further away from the wall until you feel a gentle lengthening rather than an uncomfortable pull along the backs of your legs. Remember, you want to feel comfortable and relaxed. You can slide a folded blanket under your hips and/or rest a heavy folded blanket across your belly and hips. Stay here as long as you feel comfortable. When you are ready, slowly bend your knees, carefully roll to one side, and press yourself up to seated. Sit for a few quiet moments before you get up. Enjoy!

Start your day off right

One afternoon, during the first few minutes of a yoga class, the teacher asked us to close our eyes and just enjoy the silence for a few breaths. Immediately my whole body relaxed and I realized that this was the first time all day that I had been still and quiet, it was wonderful! These short moments of silence are one of the many reasons that I love yoga so much.

Many years later, my teacher, Cate Stillman, recommended that I start each day in the same way, with a few minutes of quiet reflection. This has been a game changer for me, especially when I am super stressed. I wake up a few minutes early so that my mornings don’t feel rushed. Right after I wake up, I sit for a few minutes in my favorite chair with a big glass of water, just enjoying the morning. The key is to leave my cellphone, TV, etc. off during this time so that I can gently ease into my morning without distractions. This is also a really good time to spend a few minutes in seated meditation.

Starting my day in a relaxed, quiet manner helps me to ease into my day and to better manage my stress when things start to get crazy!

Are home cooked meals losing their appeal?

We all know that home cooked meals are generally healthier than eating out at a restaurant and they are certainly more affordable. Sometimes, though, eating at home starts to become boring. Luckily, there are several fun ways to make eating in fun and exciting.

Consider trying a new recipe. The great thing about this is that you don’t even have to buy a new cookbook because there are so many beautiful recipes for free online. Or if you are really feeling adventurous, go to the local farmer’s market and pick a fruit or vegetable that you have never tried before. Ask for suggestions for ways to prep your new food or again search for recipes online.

The simplest way to spice up your home cooked meal is to pull out the fancy china. Eating on fancy plates will make even the simplest meal more beautiful and really special. Don’t forget to take a brief moment before you eat to give thanks for the lovely food and for the effort and love that went into preparing the meal. Enjoy! 

Has your weight loss plateaued?

If you have been working really hard to lose weight but your weight loss has slowed or you are just beginning a weight loss plan, you should be writing down everything that you are eating and drinking. Buy a cute notebook, sign up for a calorie tracking app like My Fitness Pal (its free!), or set up a simple Excel spreadsheet so that you can quickly and easily keep track of everything that goes into your mouth. It is really important to write down literally everything that you eat and drink; including how large a serving it is, even if it is small or seemingly insignificant.

At the end of each day, review how the day went and notice if those “small” snacks are more frequent or larger than you thought. Also pay special attention to what you are drinking as drinks such as fruit juice and sodas can quickly pack in a lot of calories. If you notice that you are regularly snacking on unhealthy treats or drinking lots of beverages besides water, then this is a great place to start making small changes that will have a significant effect on your weight loss over time. So stock up on healthy, tasty snacks, such as fresh fruit or crunchy veggies and switch out your daily glass of orange juice or coke for a large glass of water.

Continue to keep track of what you are eating and drinking and evaluate your choices regularly so that you notice any bad habits as they start to creep back into your diet. It is really hard to kid yourself that you are eating healthy when you have everything in writing!