3 ways to stay on track during the holidays
The holidays are coming fast and it’s usually this time of the year where the habits we built unravel and we set strict resolutions in the new year to make up for the way we slipped.
Maintaining the progress you’ve made on your health throughout the year is not about perfection during the holidays but consistency. Our aim is to support you both physically and mentally during what is arguably one of the most stressful times of the year, and get you going into the new year with momentum behind you.
Create a successful environment
Researchers found that your environment is more important to being able to stick to your habits than will power. This is because your brain subconsciously takes cues from your environment and prompts you to take the appropriate action. A great example of this is having your supplements on your kitchen bench rather than in the cupboard so you’re prompted to take them while you’re making your breakfast.
A successful environment is filled with cues that promote your healthy habits, some great ones for the holidays include:
- Supplements and liquid herbs on the kitchen or bathroom bench especially if you’re staying away from home for christmas
- Healthy food on the eye-level shelves of your kitchen and your sometimes food on the lower or upper shelves.
Some of our favourite go-to snacks:
- Pre-cut carrots, cucumber, olives and snacking tomatoes with hummus and other dips
- Healthy soups (great brands are hart & soul, amy’s kitchen and la zuppa)
- Dark chocolate and fruit
- To view all our incredible recipes click here
- Bringing a dish to share at events instead of flowers or a box of favourites. A share dish can suit your current health requirements whilst doubling as a nice gift for holiday events.
Morning intentions
When we first open our eyes we might be flooded with thoughts about the people we have to see but don’t want to and the seemingly endless to-do list.
You might not be able to prevent these thoughts but you can take the first five minutes of the morning setting a one word intention for the day.
Sit up in bed, close your eyes, take a big deep breath and bring your intentional word for the day to the front of your mind.
Words to embody for the day:
- Ease
- Emotionally available
- Free
- Authentic
- Trust
- Compassion
- Forgiveness
- Honest
- Patient
- Understanding
Close the practice by taking another deep breath and opening your eyes.
You can revisit this little practice throughout the day particularly before arriving at holiday events and before you go to sleep.
Adhering to the 80/20 rule
Let’s be honest the holidays are crazy in almost every way, don’t add to the stress by setting unrealistic expectations. You may not be able to eat healthy at every single meal nor will you want to, family events typically come with those family dishes we all know and love.
Over the holidays instead of aiming for perfection or completely throwing out your healthy habits, create an 80:20 balance. 80% of the time you stick to your habits and 20% of the time you indulge in mum’s tiramisu or the endless platters.
The 80:20 rule in action looks like:
- Eating at least 2 healthy meals a day
- Remembering to take your supplements at least 5 days of the week
The overall goal for the holidays is to remain consistent with your habits in someway. Consistency is what makes an action become a habit not perfectionism. If you want to keep elevating your health over the holiday period speak with one of our expert practitioners. They provide dietary plans, supplement recommendations and links to resources that are tailored specifically to you.
Making change can be hard, sticking to the change during the holidays can be even harder, but it doesn’t have to be. To book an appointment click here, or contact one of our lovely care assistants on 02 4961 4075.
Mullen Natural Health wishes you and your family a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
