6 minute read
Staying healthy physically emotionally & mentally during the holiday season
PHYSICALLY EMOTIONALLY & MENTALLY DURING THE HOLIDAY SEASONStayinghealthyA Naturopathic approach
BY DIANA ARUNDELL – THE AVOCA NATUROPATH & NUTRITIONIST
For people who have enhanced their health through positive diet and lifestyle habits, the Christmas and holiday season can create stress about ‘undoing’ all the good work. Optimal health is all about balance as well as feeling happy, so not allowing oneself to enjoy special occasions can be a bit of a misery trap.
Naturopathically, balancing strong foundations of health is always the key and these foundations include nutrition, water, sleep, exercise and de–stressing/ joy/happiness. These foundations sustain our health all year around, holiday season or no.
Christmas and holiday time is all about special traditions, celebration, sharing and experiencing the people in your inner circle. Celebratory food is certainly part of this, but it is just a part of the whole experience. It is no fun nor is it good for your health to ‘restrict’ or feel guilty about eating special food, its simply about being mindful about what feels good for your individual body and overall health.
If Christmas holiday time is a stressful time for you, try doing things a little differently this year and checking in with your own foundations of health and wellness.
Nutrition
Christmas holiday season usually brings with it exciting traditional food and celebrations. When it comes to nutrition, again it’s all about balance and when it comes to food, is about quality not quantity. Stick to one plate so you can be mindful of your portions. Take time to look at, smell, appreciate all the colours and tradition that appear on your plate. Eat slowly and remember that the food is part of the special occasion, not the occasion being part of the food. Try and stick to 80% of your plate being filled with vegetables/salad (as many colours as possible), 20% protein and then small amounts of all the other delicious accompaniments. Mindfully chew and acknowledge the tradition of what you are eating and of course honour who spent time preparing it for you.
Do not fall into the trap of mindlessly eating huge amounts of food, eating to just be ‘polite’ or because you feel pressured to do so. Your health is a priority, and your body is counting on you to look after it. Fill up on the healthy choices and this will crowd out the less healthy options such as nutritionally deplete snacks and sweets. Even just a small serving of desert can be very satisfying if savoured and eaten mindfully.
Overeating on the pre–dinner snacks such as hefty cheese platters or chips can be difficult to manage for some people and it’s always an option to bring a starter platter that you feel comfortable eating. Colourful vege sticks with avocado dip or humus, fruit, nuts, rice crackers, different coloured olives can create a colourful, nutritious, grazing platter adding much more value to your health than artificially flavour enhanced chips.
Christmas can leave us with an over–supply of chocolate and sweets that people gift when they come to visit. Consider taking flowers or something that is going to add value to someone’s health. Make it good quality dark chocolate or a beautiful, colourful, fresh fruit platter with seasonal fruits such as berries, mangos and cherries.
Just in the same way that you may not want to be pressured into eating and
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drinking things you don’t want to, there’s no need to convince anyone else about what they should be doing to better their health. As they say, stay in your own lane and simply be the change you want to see in you.
Water
Staying hydrated is essential for physical and mental health. Aim to drink 1 litre of water before 12 noon and 1 litre of water before 5pm. Adequate water intake will help counteract the dehydrating effects of alcohol and support good elimination via the
kidneys and bowels. At times we can mistake dehydration for hunger which can lead to unnecessary or mindless snacking of unhealthy snacks lying around. Remember the good old rule of
When it comes to drinking alcohol at this time of year, there are some healthier options that are lower in sugar and may lead to less bingeing and feeling unwell the next day. Consider cleaner options such as white spirits (gin and vodka) mixed with plain mineral or soda water with fresh lime. As it’s less sweet, it won’t be as easy to mindlessly consume. Avoid higher sugar mixers such as tonic/soft drink, pre–mixed flavoured mineral water and ciders or too much beer. Saying no to soft drinks generally is a good way to reduce unnecessary high sugar/nutritionally void chemicals into the body.
The other option to reduce excessive alcohol intake is to volunteer to be the driver. It can give a very different perspective on life at this time of the year!
Sleep
Remember to take time to sleep, rest and rejuvenate the body, especially if you are taking time off work. Don’t be afraid of saying no to a few things in order to take time for your own health. Taking care of yourself is not selfish. Saying no because you can’t be bothered is very different to saying no because you’re exhausted and need time to rejuvenate yourself.
Diana Arundell is a university–qualified naturopath and consults from her Avoca Naturopath clinic. She has a special interest in fertility and pregnancy health, digestive health, immune function and family wellness programs. She was a nutrition lecturer at Macquarie University for 10 years, and is an accredited Journey Practitioner. For further information or to make an appointment please contact Diana Arundell at Avoca Naturopath on 0410 465 900.
It can be difficult to avoid consuming much more food than usual during the Christmas period and often when we have larger potions, it can contribute to tiredness, lethargy and just wanting to collapse on the couch. The best thing you can do if you’ve overeaten, is move your body and go for a walk. It will help balance blood sugar levels and support digestion. In any case, leave the phone at home and take the opportunity to go for a walk and really take in the beauty of nature around you. The temperature of the air, the types of trees and colour of the leaves and any wildlife you may notice when you’re aware.
De–stress/joy/happiness
If you are one of the people that feels you must do it all – the organising, the shopping, the cleaning up...please let people help, have fun and most of all don’t take things or yourself too seriously. Keep perspective about this time of year, stay humble and consider that burn out may be a sign of over ambition. Stop, breathe and consider a new perspective.
