Nourish Your Body & Mind This Holiday Season
Holiday season can be stressful and difficult for a variety of reasons. In fact, a study done in 2021 found that 3 in 5 Americans find their mental health declines during the holidays (NAMI, 2021). So if you find the holidays a particularly difficult time, you are not alone.
The diverse reasons for that stress can have two impacts on our body image and fitness routine: (1) an increase in stress from financial anxiety, grief, or other emotions can make it difficult to maintain our healthy habits or (2) a disruption in our healthy habits due to travel, family responsibilities, or other circumstances can intensify the negative feelings that come up around the holidays. Simply put, either our holiday stress can impact our fitness routine, or our fitness routine can create holiday stress.
No matter where you fall on this spectrum, here is some important information about your fitness journey during the holidays AND some practical tips you can apply to keep your spirits up throughout the season.
GENTLE REMINDERS ABOUT YOUR BODY
A few things to remember about fitness, nutrition & your body as we enter the holiday season.
There is no good food or bad food.
Some of the common stress of the holidays comes from the fact that many of us are eating out, not tracking our food, eating multiple large meals, etc. One important thing to remember is that none of the food we eat is inherently “bad” or “good.” While foods may vary in nutritional value, ZERO of the foods you will eat during the holidays are things that you should absolutely never eat. In fact, completely restricting foods from your diet (with the exception of allergies) is probably not sustainable for your diet. Eating most things in moderation is not only okay but usually the healthier option.
Holiday season is a short period of your year.
The same way you can’t achieve your body goals overnight, you can’t ruin all your progress overnight either. While the holidays can feel like a huge deal (and those feelings are totally valid), a couple weeks is actually quite short in the grand scheme of things. When you feel overwhelmed during this season, know that two of the 52 weeks of the year do not define you.
You control the narrative.
Some of us feel negative emotions around food and body image because of how our family and friends talk about our bodies. If you dread the holidays because you know that one aunt is going to comment on your weight, you’re not alone! It is totally natural for other people’s comments, especially comments of loved ones, to impact us deeply. The beautiful thing about this is their comments are just that, theirs. YOU have the power to decide whether you believe or agree with their comments. It’s not always easy to brush off comments that hit close to home, but it is true that they are making those comments based on their perception of what is good, bad, beautiful or ugly. And their perception is not your truth.
TAKING ACTION
Practical steps for taking care of your mental and physical wellbeing during this time
Plan ahead: No matter which holidays you celebrate this season, the activities can be unpredictable. Travel, family meals, and even store closures can disrupt your routine and your healthy habits. While that is totally normal and acceptable, one way to ease into that change is to create a plan for yourself early on. Starting now (the beginning of November), you can take note of when you might be traveling, eating differently, or missing workouts. Your plan is not meant to push you to burn yourself out making up for “lost” time. Instead, it will allow you to take those disruptions into account, minimize the stress of being out of your routine, and making decisions about how to balance workouts, nutrition, relaxation, and fun.
Ask yourself what you appreciate about your body today: A common strategy for transforming your negative thoughts is to counter them with a positive alternative. The holiday season offers many opportunities for gratitude. So this season I’m inviting you to combine both of those ideas to proactively express gratitude for your body. As often as you need to, start your day by naming one (or a few) thing(s) you appreciate about your body. You can say them in the mirror or jot them down in a notebook, whatever works best for you.
Change the subject: Just because you don’t want to hear your loved ones’ opinions on your body, doesn’t mean they won’t share anyways (unfortunately). If your body comes up in conversation, take the opportunity to change the subject. This simple action will remind you that you do control the narrative and it does not have to be about your looks.
Ask for help/seek support from those you trust: If you are really struggling, I encourage you to ask for help. If you simply need a pick me up after a rough encounter, call a friend you trust. If you are dealing with more complex emotions, book an appointment with your therapist. No matter what you are going through, you are not alone. Your support system (no matter what it looks like) is there to be a listening ear in times like this.
Do things that make your body feel good: Finally, show yourself some love by doing things that make your body feel good. This can range from going on a walk, practicing loving kindness meditation, or getting a massage. I encourage you to think of a few things that help you relieve stress and create a mental toolbox for yourself that you can draw from when you need a pick-me-up.
