Here we are again—it’s the most wonderful time of the year!
Or is it?
Don’t get me wrong, I love the holidays, but as I’ve gotten older and now have a family, the stress of the festive season sometimes threatens to completely outweigh the joy. As women, we always seem to bear the heaviest burden of the holiday to-to lists. Here are a few things that I’m stressing over; do these sound familiar?
So far, I’ve managed to complete ONE of these. Guess which one?
With these long holiday to-do lists and our existing professional and personal commitments, it’s easy to slip into a nutrition rut! You know the deal. It starts with that co-worker who brings your favorite sugar cookies into the office one day. You have a few because you have so much to do, there’s no time for lunch, and what the hell? One bad day of eating won’t kill me! One day of bad eating at the office turns into grabbing a handful of red and green M&M’s from your kiddos’ candy jar. The next day you’re at the mall for five hours, you’re ravenous, and there’s nothing more appealing than the smell of that Cinnabon.
Before you know it, this impetuous eating turns into a few unwanted pounds around your waistline and your energy starts to go flat.
But wait! I’m here to tell you that stress eating does not need to coincide with the holidays. In fact, stress eating doesn’t need to occur during the rest of the year either, if you use these three strategies:
The bottom line is that holiday eating doesn’t have to translate into extra pounds on your frame if you are thoughtful about your choices. Start using these strategies now, and you’ll feel confident and poised to continue making healthy decisions in January and throughout 2017.
If you like this article from Michelle, you’ll also love her post on Feeding the beast: Hormone-savvy nutrition for better health. And check out our “nutrition” section for recipes that support your best health.
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