The holidays are a time for gathering with loved ones, awesome parties, gift giving and receiving, gaining weight, getting the flu and colds….wait what?!
Unfortunately, that is all the truth.
What if you could do all the enjoyable things that happen at this time of year and avoid all the not so fun things?
Don’t have time to read? Listen to the podcast episode here.
Those not so fun things happen because of the #1 mistake I see so many people make during the holiday season. And yes, I’m also guilty of making this mistake in the past.
The #1 mistake most of us make is that we stop caring about our health!
We stop exercising and eating right. We stress out more and sleep less.
We say things like, “It’s just once a year,” or, “this time of year, I just want to enjoy myself.”
Having this mindset is what leads to holiday weight gain, bloating, extra fatigue and stress. It also lowers your immunity and can leave you vulnerable to flus, colds and other illnesses.
My question is, how enjoyable is it to be stressed, have cold after cold, go to the doctor’s during the holidays, or be even more tired than usual?
I would say those things are not so enjoyable!
I also don’t think it’s any coincidence that we get sick more often at this time of year because we’re doing things like eating more sugar, stressing over money and gatherings and spending time with more people. These all weaken our immune system, cause inflammation, lead to weight gain, digestive and gut issues, and expose us to more viruses and illness-causing bacteria.
{If you are having gut issues, here’s a guide to how to quench them naturally!}
Something else to think about is that ‘the holidays’ are really just a couple of days out of the year, but we treat it as a whole season that lasts a couple of months.
For example, Halloween + Thanksgiving + Christmas + New Years = 6 days total. But we eat Halloween candy, Thanksgiving leftovers, pumpkin everything, Christmas cookies and candy, etc for 2-3 months!!
That is a big chunk out of each year that we spend ignoring our health.
And if you think you’re doing it all ‘in moderation’ I can almost guarantee you’re not. I talk more about my dislike for that saying in this podcast episode.
I found that when I was saying, “Everything in moderation, right?” I was eating the worst foods and in amounts that were definitely not in moderation. It was also something that made me feel less guilty about it. I now notice the same thing when I hear other people using the same saying.
Then, after we gain the weight, wreck our immune system, and end up feeling really bad we think we’ll correct it with a New Year’s resolution.
The problem with new years resolutions is that not many people actually stick to them AND most new years resolutions are to lose weight. Friends, we know that skinny does not equal healthy and that weight loss is not the key to good health.
So now that you know what we shouldn’t be doing during this time of year…how the heck can we have fun, have our favorite foods, etc?
SUPPORT YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM
In my home, we take vitamin C every day. During this season, I increase how much we take. I use a raw version of vitamin C from Garden of Life Supplements.
I also love to use essential oils to support our immune system. Learn more about how to safely and effectively use essential oils here.
Get my free guide with 7 tips to naturally boost your immune system here.
JUST SAY NO
Women tend to be people pleasers. We want to say yes to all the things and we don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings. But saying yes to everything can pile too much on our plate leaving us feeling stressed, maybe even a little resentful.
It will probably be difficult at first, but start to politely say ‘No’ to some things. It does get easier with time. And, it can teach you about the importance of saying, “no,” in other times of the year as well!
MAKE DIY GIFTS
I am so guilty of spending WAY to much on gifts. I just love spoiling others. So when I started making DIY skin care products for my family, I realized those would also make great gifts.
DIY gifts also cost A LOT less and contain way fewer toxins than store bought items.
Get your kids in on the fun too! They’ll be super excited to give their homemade gifts to grandparents, teachers and friends!
MAKE HEALTHIER HOLIDAY FOOD FAVES
Yup, you can still have ALL of your favorite holiday foods. But to make sure you’re not causing yourself (or those you’re sharing food with) any health issues there are some simple swaps you can make.
For example, for any kind of baking you do, use cassava flour as a 1:1 sub for all purpose flour. Use monk fruit sweetener as a 1:1 sugar substitute.
You will impact your health in a HUGE positive way just by replacing those two ingredients because we know they are big contributors to inflammation, they wreck our gut, weaken our immune system, contribute to mental health issues, autoimmune disease and much more.
If you go to a gathering where you have no control over what food is being served, skip the processed foods (breads, pastas, etc.) and have only 2-3 bites of dessert. That’s really all you need to get a taste and enjoy a treat.
And if you’re like heck no to all of the above, then just celebrate the holidays on the actual holidays, not for 2-3 months.
Are you excited to have happy and healthy holidays this year? Let me know below.
Here’s To Your Happy & HEALTHY Holidays!
Bri
Brianne Pruitt is a wife, mom, Registered Nurse and Certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach. After winning the battle with her own brain fog, Bri became passionate about guiding mom’s through the journey of busting their brain fog so that they can be the energetic, happy mama they crave to be. www.hippiedippiemom.com
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