The holidays are here! Holiday parties, gift exchanges, happy hours, end of year celebrations - it's on-going and joyous! Except, you might say, the never-ending indulgent meals, desserts, drinks, and snacks. You may be thinking you'll just throw in the towel at this point; that there's no point in trying to maintain a healthy routine until after January 1, right? Wrong!
If there's one thing that I love coaching my clients through, it's that being healthy is a balance. A balance of nourishing your body to be at its best, to do all the things you love to do, while also feeling fantastic. It's also enjoying your favorite foods and not feeling like you are being deprived, particularly in a season when so much merriment revolves around food. Enjoying celebrations and time with loved ones - even (and especially) when they are surrounded by holiday cheer and decadent favorite foods - is essential to one's overall wellness.
That's the beauty of living a healthy lifestyle, by design. It is intentional. You are empowered. You are in control. You are "well", by {your own} design.
When you are well, by design, each day, you are working hard to be your healthiest-self in some way, even if you aren't always doing it in every way. On the whole (most of the time) you are engaged and feeling great about your diet and wellness decisions. You also have the power over your food decisions; you are deciding what to have and when - the food isn't making the decision by tempting you at every corner.
Often, we give food the control. We avoid indulging until we can do so no longer - and then we eat the entire box because, well, we already blew it, so why not? We'll start fresh on Monday (or heck, in the New Year at this point). We may not even enjoy the food because now we're focused on the guilt of "giving in." ...You know the drill.
I challenge you to shift the internal dialogue.
Rather than giving the food that power, flip your conscious thought to a positive tone:
I can have this sweet, juicy clementine. It protects my body against disease.
I can have that delicious, savory roasted sweet potato with mushroom and quinoa risotto - because it nourishes me and I feel great the rest of the day.
I can have that slice of cake, or that cookie or two, because it's my favorite and I enjoy having dessert over coffee and conversation with loved ones.
This, my friends, is what we call a mindful indulgence.
The key to long term success with your health, is making wellness decisions easy and enjoyable so that they are natural and self-reinforcing. Your decisions are intentional and planned. You enjoy all of your favorite nourishing foods that make you feel your best, but you also occasionally enjoy your favorite treats, because they are part of your larger wellness journey. You are empowered to indulge, enjoy, and savor, without any strings, as long as you mindfully indulge (rather than mindlessly consume). Because you've consciously decided to eat "X" item, and also decided that a moment of indulgence has its place in the larger wellness picture, there's nothing illicit about it. You enjoy a less-than-healthy food as a part of your overall normal healthy routine or your holiday event, and move on because it's not forbidden. No more feeling like you have to consume the entire cake, because it's no longer off limits. Sounds dreamy, doesn't it?
This way, the Well By Design way, you continue to meet your goals, while enjoying your favorite foods with your favorite people. It's a win - win - win.
Happy Holidays to all, and remember, as always,
be well, by design.
