Happy Holidays! It’s hard to believe camp ended in August and we’re going into the Holiday Season. But the Holidays can be hard… surrounded by tons of food at parties and family dinners, the crisp, chilly air can make it hard to motivate yourself to get outside, and it gets dark out so early. Don’t let the Holidays be your downfall! Use these tips from our wellness camp’s dietician to create the perfect Healthy Holidays for you!
- Find your support system: Maybe it’s your mom, your dad, your best friend, or your camp BFF (we all have one! *cough SUNI JOANNA cough*) but if you know the Holidays are a time of year where your eating habits can flop, turn to someone for support. You can help motivate each other and keep each other on track.
- Use FACT: One of my favorite tools, make FACT work for you around your favorite holiday dishes! Let’s use mashed potatoes for an example: frequency – not having mashed potatoes at every holiday dinner, amount – only eating a portion size, combination – eating steamed baby carrots with your mashed potatoes, type – making hummus mashed potatoes (see the recipe included in the newsletter).
- Be mindful: Don’t eat if you’re not hungry. As we learned this year in RAP, when we eat more than our body needs, we store that extra energy, which is simply the extra fat we may carry on our bodies. Stopping to ask yourself “Am I really hungry?” can be a game changer. If you are hungry, go ahead and eat something, but if you’re not hungry, try to distract yourself by taking a walk, wrapping gifts, or talking on the phone with a friend.
- Be distraction free: It’s easy to plop down on the couch with a plate full of holiday leftovers and watch what’s new on TV, but this can easily lead to taking in more energy than your body actually needs. When we distracted eat, our bodies stop focusing on when we’re full and start focusing on the TV instead. Try to keep eating to the kitchen or the dining room table… without your phone!
- And most importantly, remember everything in moderation! One of the best part of the Holidays is the food, so remember you don’t need to restrict yourself and never have Grandma’s apple pie again… just don’t eat the whole pie! Treat yourself to a slice and walk away. If you’re still hungry, grab a piece of fruit or some veggies.
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