I believe that you can have your (pumpkin) pie and eat it too.
This means that you can enjoy your holiday season AND work towards your goals.
Focus on what holidays are all about.
Family.
Friends.
Recharging.
Top Tips on How to Thrive During this Season (that have nothing to do with food…except the last 5 things):
- Spend time with your family, friends & fur children (we have 1 dog + 1 cat).
- Don’t have family nearby (we don’t)? Make new traditions with your best friends.
- Show appreciation & thankfulness to loved ones (& strangers too).
- Reflect on the past year.
- Take time off of work/use up that vacation time that might expire.
- Relax, recover, & recharge before 2023.
- Volunteer, donate, or get involved in your community to help the less fortunate (we just did an Operation Christmas Purse/Christmas Child thru our church).
- Catch up on football Season (Go Bills) & holiday movies (my faves are Home Alone & Christmas Vacation).
- Try to keep a similar daily routine (wake/sleep, etc) so getting back to “normal” isn’t so difficult.
- Try a new workout (snowshoeing anyone?) or sign up for something out of your comfort zone (maybe a Virtual Turkey Trot with your family or your own PowerLifting meet).
- Enjoy special foods that you may only have around certain holidays. Anyone else LOVE Egg Nog and wish they sold it year round!? Or my mom’s famous Buckeyes (chocolate PB balls). YUM!
- I encourage flexible tracking & striving for optimal calories + protein to support blood sugars and reduce cravings. But take a vacation from tracking on the holiDAY.
- Enjoy ALL foods guilt free & don’t feel like you have to “earn” the right to eat certain foods.
- Don’t stress about food or fitness. Do the best you can.
- Be ok with possibly maintaining thru the season.
What the Holidays DON’T Mean:
- A time to stop taking care of your physical, mental, spiritual, & emotional health
- Feeling guilt around eating your favorite foods or getting less activity.
So there you have it. How to have your pie and eat it too. Yes, holidays are known for some of the most amazing foods. But don’t lose sight of all the other things to celebrate and be thankful for this this season.
What are your favorite holiday traditions or foods?
Pumpkin Pie Recipe:
