Okay. I promised that in recipe posts I wouldn’t have a monologue beforehand so this had to be said before I go into any of my holiday healthy eating recipes and posts. I HAVE to talk a minute with you about Holiday eating habits and mindset!
If you haven’t joined my “Drop the Pin” zoom to be able to challenge yourself to dig deeper and learn about your eating habits, REACH OUT TO ME! I’m going to have the next one coming up soon! The feedback I’ve gotten from those that have joined/watched and decided to take the time to Drop the Pin on their own mindsets has been amazing!! Here’s the deal. I can give recipes and tips all day long but you can find that ANYWHERE on the internet. If you don’t know the back story to what’s really lurking under the surface for you specifically in regards to your eating habits, you truly can’t move forward. You can try program after program and dig your heels in with different styles of eating, supplements, workout regimens and more but you will most likely find yourself right back to where you started which is STUCK. I don’t want you to stay stuck, friends. I want you to feel fully alive and empowered in your life with food.
I saw a recent quote that said something about “Eating healthy becomes easier when ‘I CAN’T have that’ turns into ‘I don’t WANT that'” It’s so true! For some of us, we’ve been on this journey quite a while and are secure in our choices with food and emotions surrounding it but MOST people aren’t that way. MANY people still struggle day to day with the feelings surrounding food that are just as unhealthy, if not more, than what they’re actually putting in their mouth.What and how you think about yourself matters. Going into the holidays can be tough because there are so many different mindsets about it. There’s the camp of people that indulge in anything and everything their heart desires KNOWING the repercussions are going to be negative in their health, brain functioning, waistline, etc. Some will feel guilty after every bite they take and deal with the shame attached to that either while they’re doing it or come January 1st when everyone joins the “healthy again” bandwagon. I’ve been in the health & wellness industry for over 8 years now and that’s one of the main things that has bothered me. People think that around January 1st they’re going to be able to start something that will erase 5, 10, 20 years of bad living habits. It doesn’t work that way. It takes time and consistency. It takes doing the hard things especially when you don’t want to do them.
My heart is to empower more of us to rise up and LIVE free of guilt, shame and the cycle of defeating habits. I truly believe that it all starts with Dropping the Pin. I want to encourage you before heading into the holidays this year. Set a plan for yourself. If you know you’re carrying excess weight for whatever reason or you overall FEEL unwell (thin people are included in this too!) then set your intentions to work daily on the little things that will inch you toward a healthier lifestyle. Those little steps add up to big changes in the overall picture of your life!
For me, that meant years ago that I put away the alcohol. I’ve had four drinks in the last 6 or 7 years for the simple fact that it doesn’t make me feel good. I don’t need it to unwind and I don’t need anything else dehydrating me. I also don’t eat junk food often. BUT if a day comes where I WANT to have a glass of wine or a donut, whatever, I can decide whether or not it’s worth it. There won’t be any shame or guilt around the thing because my life is defined not by what I CAN’T have but I put in my mouth the things that go hand in hand with how I want to FEEL. There’s a big difference. In the same token, I’m conscious about what I watch, read, and listen to!
Don’t underestimate fueling your brain with ONE chapter a day of a book that expands your thinking and nourishes your soul.
What more can you let go of in order to pursue that which you want most in your life? Do you need to DECIDE to eat more vegetables? Sometimes deciding to try ONE new vegetable a week and keep trying different ways to prepare it until you find a way that you like it. Maybe that ONE thing is just simply planning ahead before your big holiday events as to what you’re going to indulge in. DECIDE ahead of time if you’re going to have one alcoholic beverage instead of two or three. Maybe you know at your Thanksgiving party that you love ALL of the indulgent foods that will be prepared but perhaps this year you pick TWO of your favorite indulgences and enjoy them in good portion? You don’t HAVE to have the hangover of eating in excess. I haven’t experienced the holiday hangovers from food in quite a few years since I’ve dropped the pin on myself and made wiser choices. For some of us, we have many more opportunities than just ONE day of Thanksgiving or Christmas meals to make different choices. What if this year was just a little different by taking notice of what you’re choosing to eat?
This life is not one size fits all and my tips, tricks and advice can’t ever be black and white because of that. What’s true for me might not be true for you but the difference in how I help people is that I want you to drop the pin for YOU and we can navigate from there. Don’t compare yourself to anyone else, friend! Don’t look left or right this holiday season and feel anything other than confident in your choices for who you are now and the person you are becoming.
If this season is tough for you for reasons of grief, trauma, or anything else. I see you. I may not share in the grief you’re experiencing but that means all the more that I want to encourage you to fuel your body with what it needs, not the quick fixes of what we THINK we want. More to come on this specific aspect for sure. For now, I’d love to hear from you where you find yourself on your health journey!
I hope you’re as excited about my holiday posts coming up as I am. I’ve already got my Christmas lights up and am ready to break out the tree several weeks before Thanksgiving for the first time ever because I AM AN ADULT, dang it and I get to do what I want! HA! Just remember as I begin to post healthy recipes for holiday parties and such, that they’re just meant for those that WANT to learn or be able to have healthier choices to take, not because I think you should skip out on whatever your favorite holiday foods are. You do YOU! I’m just here to help wherever I can. Thanks for letting me clear the air and encourage you to ENJOY this holiday season for whatever it brings!
Blessings,
Maca