It’s finally November and Thanksgiving is around the corner! Many of my clients have asked me to come up with a “Holiday Little Adapts” guide for them so they can still enjoy themselves during this wonderful time of the year without feeling bloated, guilty, or stressed. Since I think all of the “Little Adapts” community would benefit, I wanted to give you 3 tips on how to stay your healthiest + happiest during the holiday season.
- Stay hydrated + increase digestion.
One of the best things you can do for your body is staying hydrated. It helps keep your digestion on track, flushes out the toxins, and brings nutrients to your cells. In addition to these benefits, drinking water will also keep you from overeating, especially if it’s chia seed water! Chia seed water is one of my new favorite elixirs. You add 1 tbsp of chia seeds in a water bottle or glass of water, shake it up/stir, and then wait 5 minutes to allow the seeds to absorb the water. These superfood seeds are packed with protein, fiber, and omega-3s that will keep you satisfied. Speaking of fiber, if you feel like you need a little extra digestion boost – drink a Health-Ade kombucha and/or take a digestive enzyme after dinner. Lastly, hydration will help your body bounce back more quickly the next day after the rich food and holiday wine/cocktails!
2. Offer to bring healthy apps, sides, and/or dessert so you have options that make you feel good!
This is one of my favorite tips because: 1. No one ever gets upset if you offer to bring food. 2. You can influence others to eat better with your healthy dishes! If you have been following me for a while, you know that I’m always trying to “healthify” the classics. I have been doing this since 2013, especially when my family had no idea what I could or couldn’t eat.
I usually opt for extra veggie dishes and dairy-free, gluten-free desserts. The extra veggies help you to fill your plate with ¾ greens + veggies and still leaves ¼ of the plate for a few of the indulgent holiday foods you love. It’s not about what you can’t have; it’s about just eating more of the healthier, nutrient dense foods so you don’t overindulge in the rich foods on the table. Also, don’t forget to use my go-to motto: “Is it worth it?” This will also help you to pick and choose your battles as well as figure out which holidays foods you actually love.
Finally, the healthy dessert works because you can literally “have your cake and eat it too!” I did this a few years ago with my famous dark chocolate covered strawberries and they were the star of the dessert table. Stay tuned for my new “Pumpkin Pie Truffle” recipe that will be posted to the blog next week. It gives you all the feels of pumpkin pie without the guilt!
3. Move your body!
As much as I love using food to heal + nourish the body, I am also a huge fan of using exercise to keep the body in balance. I know schedules are tough around the holidays, but ask yourself – do you have 20 to 30 minutes to squeeze in a quick workout? The answer 99% of the time is: YES! You might have to wake up slightly earlier, but I’m telling you that it is always worth it and the way you feel mentally is amazing. I would recommend exercising the morning of and definitely doing a detox workout the next day. Again, it doesn’t require you to go to a class or the gym – it could be as easy as doing a 4×7 workout or going for a run outside. (If you haven’t tried my 4×7 workouts yet, you can find some of them on my highlights on my Instagram @littleadaptsbyjax – they are super easy to do no matter where you are!) If that’s not compelling enough, here is a list of reasons why you should do a quick, at-home workout: 1. It’s free 2. You control the length of the workout. 3. You won’t feel as guilty if you happen to indulge slightly more than you would have wanted to. 4. It allows you to let off some of the stress caused by the holidays AKA family drama (let’s be honest, we all have it!)
Hope these tips were helpful to help you navigate the holiday scene without feeling overwhelmed and guilty. The holidays are meant to be enjoyed over food with the people who mean the most to you. These guidelines will help you to change your perception about the food we put in our bodies, which is to fuel, nourish + heal us. Remember: As long as you’re consistent 80% of the time, you can still enjoy and live your life. Happy Thanksgiving, friends!
With Health + Happiness,
Jax
