| Planning Your Holiday Season to Minimize Stress and Maximize Health! |
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The holiday season is a time in which we get together with family and reflect upon the past year.
In addition, it is a time when we tend to feel overloaded, stressed and EAT!!
Holiday meals are a big part of the season.
For many people it can be a time of stress, fatigue, weight gain and resolutions.
It is important to put everything in perspective and enjoy this time with family and friends.
Here are a few tips to minimize the holiday stress and fatigue.
- If you are hosting a holiday meal, you plan to do the main dish (turkey or other meat) and
assign side dishes to any guests. Side dishes often take more prep time.
- PLAN AHEAD: Give yourself adequate time to perform the jobs. Plan rest breaks.
If possible, decorate and set the table one to two days prior to the celebration.
- Elect a guest or family member to do the meat carving. Let him or her take the meat
out of the oven, carve and place on the platter. This also allows you to stay away
from the heat of the oven.
- Have a stool at the kitchen counter to use while cooking or visiting in the kitchen.
We all know the party ALWAYS ends up in the kitchen!!
- Use a cart on wheels to move items to the table. Most food needs to be transported to
the dining room table which is a further distance and a cart during the meal will
also allow more space on the table.
- Tell guests to bring storage containers. After the meal everyone can make up some
‘take home’ plates and several can be put in the freezer for future meals.
- If you are going to someone’s home, make your dish 1-2 days before and on the day
of the dinner, plan a quiet morning and reheat your dish before you leave.
- Plan exercise into your day. The holidays are a time of year when we often neglect
our exercise program because of the many other activities associated with the holiday season.
- Remember your job is to enjoy the company around you. Planning and delegation
frees you up to entertain your guests. Memories are made through good conversation
and shared experiences, not by the food and décor.
Other ways to reduce stress during the holidays include:
Consider gift exchanges such as pictures or recipes which incorporate ‘family time’.
These gifts will maintain connections over the years.
Emphasize relationships, catching up and inventing new traditions. Discuss
long-standing traditions which can often cause stress because of the expectations
which accompany them. These expectations can increase stress and fatigue.
Reevaluation of these traditions and considering options of new traditions
may ‘energize’ the holidays and diminish the negative effects.
The traditional holiday feasts, lavish parties and fabulous desserts can create
a tempting environment for over-indulgence. Holiday eating can be a challenge
and the average weight gain of seven pounds can be difficult to get rid of after
the first of the year. Here are some tips for healthy holiday eating.
- Maintain consistent meal times. Never go longer than four hours without eating.
Hunger and low blood sugar can lead to overeating.
- Keep well hydrated by drinking a lot of water. Dehydration can increase fatigue.
- Monitor your carbohydrate intake. Limit the high sugar items like cakes, cookies and pies.
Set limits on your sweet tooth, you might allow yourself 250 calories of dessert at a party.
- Over indulge in nutrient-dense foods. Raw vegetables, fruit, vegetable soup are good choices.
- Use portion control. If you are eating at a restaurant, either share your meal with another
diner or get into the habit of putting half your meal in a “to-go” container before you eat.
- Don’t keep trigger foods or comfort foods around, it will increase the likelihood of overeating.
Consider baking fewer cookies and brownies for presents, replace these gifts with a good
bean soup or flowers.
- If you must drink alcohol, do it in moderation. Drink plenty of water. Don’t mix alcohol
with cola, ginger ale or juice and avoid drinking on an empty stomach.
- Substitute cheese and foods made with a lot of cheese with lean meats like ham or turkey.
Enjoy the season and the joyful spirit, not just the food.
Jude Meyer, PsyD.,
Patti Schapiro, RD
Brian Hutchinson, PT
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| - reprinted with permision from- he Heuga Center. |
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