Hello Silly Season!
For those who know me well, or have been in a recent Kanga class, you will know that I LOVE Christmas. Everything about it makes my heart smile. And you bet I am looking forward to the Christmas feast. Many of you may have already started the Christmas work party scene (doesn’t happen as much for my business of 1 LOL) or have several celebrations to attend over the coming weeks. So the big question is, can I enjoy it all and not worry about the food coma the next day?
YES!
‘Diets’ suck because they cut out food groups, can leave you obsessing about food and can also become quite antisocial because you may avoid situations that make you ‘tempted’.
Here are my festive food survival tips to keep you in tune with your bodies needs, enjoy the silly season & avoid the discomfort of over indulging.
Scan the room
Check out all your food options on the dinner table and take a moment to really ask yourself, ‘What do I feel like eating right now?’ Listen to you body. Take a small amount of what you feel like – you can always come back for more IF you are still hungry. Even just select two ‘special occasion’ dishes that you wouldn’t normally eat at any other time of year to get that satisfying ‘festive feeling’
Take your time
Eat slowly, enjoy the special treats, savour the flavours, be social and chat to everyone to you don’t stuff you belly so fast.
Quick snack before you go
Have you ever arrived at a party already a bit hungry and ready to go, but dinner is running slow? You are suddenly starving, then the chips & dips come out, and before you know it you have completely filled up on chips without even trying the main? Sometimes I like have a small snack before I go if I’m already feeling a bit peckish to avoid getting over hungry and overeating everything really quickly. And don’t hang out by the snack table – this always leads me to mindlessly shovelling food in when I am not even hungry.
Take a plate
If you are worried that there are going to be lots of foods that you know don’t agree with your body, then take a delicious plate to share. This way you will know there will be at least 1 great meal your busting to eat.
Politely decline
I have been stuck in these situations before when someone insists you try something they have lovingly made, but my top button is already undone and I seriously can’t eat any more. But you can see they would be offended if you said ‘no thanks’. Try these lines…
- Not right now, I am completely full but I will try definitely some a bit later
- It sounds delicious, can I grab the recipe to try it at home?
Create some active traditions
One of my favourite Christmas memories is the year I brought everyone (I think there were 7 of us) water guns for Christmas. We had an epic water fight, chasing each other around the house for hours. Maybe you have a traditional Christmas day walk on the beach, buy sports toys as gifts or build sand castles. Keep moving so that the whole focus is just food centred.
Forgive and move on
If you do fall off the band wagon, eat everything in site (including the bandwagon) and wake up in a bloated state where you can’t move. Acknowledge it, forgive yourself and reset for a new day. This doesn’t happen every day of the year, so continue to be mindful and listen to you body when it comes to ‘what to do with the left overs’
Enjoy, be social and have a Merry Christmas
Philippa Bowman
Pre/Postnatal Fitness Expert & Coach
Founder of Nurtured Fitness
