The holiday season is FOR SURE a hard time of year. Especially on our stomachs. To make matters worse for us here up North, it is even harder to try and survive the winter. The battle is on.
Can you hardly get through one evening without snacking on junk!? How do you even think about surviving the holidays with a constant feast in front of you!?
Whats the point of being healthy if I will just give up later through the year?? How can I be healthy and save money?
- Cravings…
- Turkey and stuffing…
- Baking and treats…
- ⇑ Stress…
- Cold weather shutting us up inside…
- Anxiety and depression…
What can we do!? My top 5 Tips.
Here are my Top 5 Tips for getting through the holidays and the winter in top shape! *Follow along to the end for the KEY to succeeding with them.
1. A. Plan ahead with meals.
Every week we have (for the majority) a day assigned to go buy our groceries. We sit down and plan out what we will be eating for the week so we know exactly what we need to buy. When you go, make sure you’re not hungry. Then you will not tend to buy extra junk.
- This saves time and money.
- We avoid buying things that we don’t really need or that we shouldn’t buy.
- Less work in the long run.
Most often, we eat what we first see in the fridge or pantry. If there is junk there we will eat it. Don’t bring it home and you won’t eat it.
B. Plan ahead with activities.
Pick a time to plan out what you would like to accomplish or do for activities in the week or month ahead over the holidays.
- This helps to plan ahead financially.
- It will help eliminate extra sitting around being bored or depressed.
- It is time spent with family, learning and growing.
2. Nourish your cells.
Keep a healthy balance. What do I mean?
In our culture we have a feast of “food” that is processed, modified and filled with refined sugar. This in our diet makes up the majority of what we eat. Lets say 80-90%. And the good nutritious food (fruits and vegetables) we eat like scraps to make up the remaining 5-10%… This leaves your body very toxic and deficient, which can end up in sickness.
If you switch this balance to around 80-90% good nutritious food and the rest bad junk food, then that little bit of junk really doesn’t make a big deal. The cells in your body CAN HEAL and stay healthy. Your body will actually begin to WANT the good not the bad once it realizes how good it can feel.
This is explained in more detail ⇒HERE.
Our majority should include many servings of whole raw food like:
- Fruits and vegetables.
- Nuts and seeds.
- Healthy fats and oils.
- Whole grains.
- Naturally raised meat.
Wondering how to get started to improve your health?
3. Supplement.
Some may argue that you need to just EAT food to get our proper nutrients. That is absolutely right! HOWEVER> You just don’t! You need 8-10 servings of fruit and vegetables a day but you can hardly stomach 1-2 servings!
Often we settle for “fast and convenient comfort foods” especially in the winter. Since whole – clean – nutritious foods are not as cheap and available in the winter, you especially need to supplement.
Not replace… But supplement.
Also, there are certain vitamins and minerals that our body does not naturally produce. Therefore, we need to get them through food. If we don’t, then our cells will begin to die and sickness will develop beginning with common symptoms. This is found in the winter especially.
A common deficiency in the winter is Vitamin D (for example). We are not out in the sun so we should be supplementing it.
For some great quality supplements follow the link ⇒HERE.
4. Bowel cleanse = Immunity Boost.
Around 80% of your immune system lies in your gut. It is extremely important for maintaining good health. Everything flows in and out of it.
Your bowels are full of trillions of cells. These cells are good and bad bacteria that are in a constant battle to keep things running well. If there is a deficiency or imbalance you will begin to see symptoms appear telling us that something is wrong. Things that kill your gut flora (lining) and good bacteria are:
- Certain medications.
- Refined sugar.
- Antibiotics.
- Preservatives and food additives.
- Processed and modified food.
- Among many others…
For more help on how to have healthy bowels follow ⇒HERE.
Quick tips and habits to start for your gut health:
- Essential oils and teas:
- Peppermint
- Ginger
- Lemon grass
- Chamomile
- Fennel
The top ones to have most often would be Peppermint- for it reduces muscle spasm and digestive discomfort. Ginger- which soothes digestive lining and reduces inflammation.
2. Fiber: Fiber helps in moving things along and in the digestion of our food. It facilitates healthy movements. The majority of people today only get 5-10grams fiber. You need at least 25-30grams a day. So you can see why bowels conditions and disease are prevalent in our culture. Some ways to get fiber:
- Avocados
- Berries
- Nuts
- Chia seeds
- Flaxseeds
- Herbal fiber blend supplement.
3. Probiotics (good bacteria): You need a ratio of 10.1 in good to bad bacteria. That means trillions of good bacteria cells. You can get probiotics from:
- Natural, plain yogurt.
- Fermented foods.
- Komboucha
- Kefir.
- Probiotics supplement.
And Lastly… Tip #5.
5. Get out! Exercise!!
It is said that sitting is now the new smoking… Your organs need the exercise. They work hard to keep you going each day so you must keep them in shape. It is part of a healthy lifestyle.
- Dress for the weather and enjoy the outdoor winter activities!
- Shut the TV off and go for a walk!
- Get a gym membership right now!
- There are also lots of exercises you can do at home.
And Finally! The KEY as I promised..
You must have SELF-CONTROL.
SELF-CONTROL through the holidays and implemented in your life will be the difference maker. You cannot maintain your health without it. ALL of these 5 points will not matter if you do not have it.
- Cravings…
- Addictions…
- Overeating…
- Sugar…
- Laziness…
Shall we say that having self-control is the “KEY” to overcoming these? Would these problems and so much more (that are the leading causes of our poor health) be simply gone if we had it? I believe so. For more on what this looks like visit ⇒HERE.
So to recap the 5 tips…
- Plan ahead.
- Nourish your cells.
- Supplement.
- Cleanse your Bowels.
- Exercise.
If you enjoyed reading, please leave a comment or like below!
My question for you
– Do you think self-control is important? Is there something you do that helps get you through the holidays or the winter?
Photo by Brooke Lark on Unsplash
Photo by Edward Cisneros on Unsplash
Re-think-health 