As the holiday season begins with the arrival of Halloween, there’s a good chance that you, like many others, are over-indulging in the holiday spirit with mouth-watering goodness and treats. Unfortunately the snacking you’re doing always leads us to the long road of regret when we start to suffer post-holiday waistline trauma. Here are some health coach tips to help you curb the cravings and control your habits this holiday season.
Health Coach Tip #1 Mind the Halloween candy – It’s tasty and its fun, but you really don’t need to hang on to the leftover candy once you’re done passing it out. Unless you have a massive amount left, just toss it. Donate it if you like but do something to get it out of your home. If you have children, just keep your fingers out of it with the reminding mantra that it’s theirs, not yours.
Health Coach Tip # 2 Stop Impulse Buys – Holiday shopping is a hectic time of year and it makes for some hectic schedules and hurried evenings. More often than not we’re so busy we end up stopping for food on the fly. Skip the drive thru and keep some healthy snacks on hand until you can get home and make a simply meal like a healthy sandwich.
Health Coach Tip #3 Skip the Holiday Snack – There are a lot of goods that get put on the shelves this year and while they’re tasty, and you might think “they only come out once a year” it’s best to walk on by. Chocolate covered cherries, egg nog, candy canes; best to let them go.
Health Coach Tip #4 Don’t over Prepare – There’s something about the holidays that forces us to cook too much food, especially when it comes to the Thanksgiving and Christmas Dinners. This even happens when it’s just a small family, because it seems to be a tradition to have all the “usual” dishes. Cook in moderation, and only make what you really need.
Health Coach Tip #5 Portion Control – There are a number of dishes we don’t cook or eat but a few times a year and it’s natural to want to consume them in mass quantity but this leads to regrets later and painful stomach aches. Keep your portions small and enjoy the flavor instead of the size of the meal.
Health Coach Tip #6 Stack the Plate in your Favor – Set up your plate so that you’ve got an emphasis on the good stuff. veggies, meat, starch. Skip the desserts, you’ll feel better afterwards and you won’t fall into the common food coma that is sure to follow a large hunk of apple pie.
We put too much emphasis on indulgence during the holiday seasons. We celebrate, we eat too much, we spend too much and after we look back wishing we had done a few things differently despite how much fun we had. Make smart choices this holiday and take these health coach tips to help you keep yourself in check to make better decisions before the New Year.
Taheerah Barney is a holistic health & wellness counselor and has worked with hundreds of clients to improve their health & eating habits, combat disease and help them lose weight. To learn more about the benefits of hiring a Hoboken health coach please visit 360nourishment.com