Top tips to stay on track this Christmas
Is Christmas the time when every healthy habit you've been working on goes firmly out of the window?
Do you pile on the pounds or end up sluggish and tired or find yourself succumbing to the winter colds and bugs in the New Year?
I know how you feel. I was an absolute chocolate fiend (still can be occasionally). If there was a tin of Quality Street lying around you could be sure I'd be in there taste testing every variety already well-known to me over the years.
So are you ready to do things differently this year?
Because if you are, I'm sharing the love with this jam-packed Christmas blog filled with my tried and tested unique techniques to help you not only survive but thrive this Christmas with balanced temptation and healthy habits.
FIRST AND MOST IMPORTANT STEP -
1. PLANNING.
Grab hold of your December diary or planner.
Ask yourself at which events do you really want to let your hair down? An extra glass of wine maybe or dessert and after dinner mints?
And which ones could you be designated driver or miss out the pud?
What about Christmas day? Do you want to choose a few treats or take the whole day to enjoy everything?
Aim for an 80:20 ratio if you can.
Once you've answered these questions, add your decisions to the planner then check out my 4 step prep so you can be ultra prepared the rest of the time.
The key to success is planning and preparation
You're much more likely to stay on track this way and using the 80:20 ratio means you get to have your favourite foods and drinks too.
2. Keep a diary. Write down everything you eat so you can keep on track. We can easily forget those sausage rolls and mince pies at a works do or the mulled wine after late night Christmas shopping.
At the end of the day or week do a quick scan and give yourself a pat on the back or note where and when you've gone off track.
It may sound tedious but it's an excellent way to keep focused on prioritising healthy habit creation and it really takes next to no time if you make a weekly plan at the start of the week to simply fill in.
Studies have shown it takes at least 21 days to change a habit so keep going if you really want change. In Sadhana practice which is Sanskrit for 'daily spiritual practice,' they note a time-frame of 40/90/120/1000 days to rewire your habits!
If things haven't gone well, this is not a time to beat yourself up. In fact, there's never a time or place for that. Be curious and consider what's got in the way. Is it limiting beliefs like, "There's no point, I'll never succeed, there's too much temptation around" or are you doing absolutely everything and not sharing the load with partner and kids?
No matter. For now be gentle with yourself and start again. Celebrate every small step. At a less frantic time like in the New year, maybe you'd like to explore what's getting in the way with 1:1 coaching. You can book a call here.
3. When your craving feels insurmountable, use my 5 step strategy.
4. Choose which festive foods you love most and don't bother with the others. If it's a buffet, try choosing a smaller selection and limit the portion size. If it's that box of Roses, why not choose some other gorgeous, more satisfying chocolate like Booja Booja or delicious chocolate almonds from the Raw Chocolate Company.
Don't wait for the New Year to make a plan. Remember diets don't work. You're not restricting anything, you've got a plan and you're choosing to eat in a healthy and sustainable way (which includes your favourite foods) one small consistent step at a time.
Enjoy and have an amazing Christmas!
Much love
Sophie
p.s. Don't forget the Winter solstice on 21st December is a powerful cleansing time for the body so factor that in when making plans xx