3 Steps to a Healthy Holiday

According to a recent Weight Watchers’ report, the average American gains seven to 10 pounds between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day. I think it starts even sooner than that with Halloween. We start off the season with a few binges on Halloween that only increase our cravings for more sweets as we head into the holidays. This does not have to be you— not this year!

Symptoms that Your Body is Out of Balance

If you are feeling heavy, lacking energy, losing motivation, have increasing headaches and need for caffeine, poor digestion (bloating, gas, belching), increased allergies, starting to feel sick with a diminished immune system (e.g., frequent colds, or the inability to kick a cold), depression or anxiety, you do not have to settle for this feeling! It is not the norm and I can help.

So many times we become accustomed to feeling less than optimal. Many of my clients have no idea how horrible they are actually feeling because they have learned to “live with it.” Or it may seem like the build-up is normal throughout this time of year or as you age, but it’s not. Addressing imbalances now can help you avoid much bigger issues later on.

But I Eat Pretty Healthy, How Did This Happen?

Most of us think that we lead a healthy life. And we do. But we cannot help the fact that we are exposed to toxins on a daily basis, through all of our senses. We think primarily about intake as food through the mouth, but we also ingest via the nose, skin, eyes and ears. We must “digest” all of this material and/or process all of this through the mind. Think about the pollutants that we breathe in (car exhaust, smoke, off-gassing, pesticides), or the possible irritants to which we expose our skin, or the chlorinated or contaminated water that enters the ears and nasal passages.

And, we rarely think about the physicality of processing and digesting unpleasant or disturbing thoughts and emotions. These too can create toxic waste, “buildup” and baggage.

I’ll Wait Until the First of the Year

So many people will just say “after Christmas or New Years I’ll eat clean and exercise” but by that time we are typically feeling even worse. The likelihood of you starting and wanting to do more decreases the worse you feel. The other thing I hear is it’s just a waste if I do it now. Let me tell you, it is never a waste any time or any amount of days you decide to put your health as a priority. Starting with a cleanse now will only help you enjoy your life, the season and give you more energy, excitement and motivation to start the new year.

What Benefits Could You Start to Feel Within the First Week?

• An improved sense of energy and vitality
• An overall sense of lightness
• Movement toward the maintenance of a healthy weight
• A restored balance to the mind and nervous system
• Greater clarity mentally, spiritually and emotionally
• Movement toward optimal health
• Reduction in cravings
• Improved mood, reduced anxiety, depression and stress
• A sense of calm in the mind and in the nervous system
• A loss of five to 10 pounds of inflammation and toxins

Starting with the Right Attitude

I have worked with so many people that have an “all-or-nothing” mentality. These people often come to me frustrated, overweight, feeling defeated with a whole host of symptoms from above. I get that this is a busy time of year, but there is no better time of year to start making changes to your daily nutrition.

Nutrition is 80 percent of your body composition. If you “wait” for the right time or when you don’t have something to celebrate, you will spend the most of your life waiting and feeling frustrated. There is nothing more empowering to taking simple steps to feeling healthier and happier today. Transforming your mind and body needs to be enjoyable, satisfying, uplifting and freeing!

What Do I Need to Do?

STEP 1

Circle the ones below you are willing to eliminate this week (Psst: I recommend eliminating them all for the whole week. You can do it!).

Dairy, Gluten, Refined Sugar, Soy, Corn, Alcohol, Coffee, Processed & Packaged Foods

WHY KICK IT?

The body forms fat cells around toxins to protect vital organs. The more toxins you consume, the more difficult it is to lose weight, especially around your midsection. This is why so many people plateau. Weight loss is accelerated when toxins are removed.

DAIRY: Acidic, contributes to acne, mucus forming

Countries with the highest consumption have the highest rates of breast cancer and osteoporosis

Note—Whey is a major contributor to intestinal toxemia (undigested food particles in the intestine which leads to overgrowth of bacteria). Intestinal toxemia can lead to IBS or Crohn’s disease.

GLUTEN: Gas, bloating, migraines, tired after eating a meal, diarrhea, constipation, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, craving sugary foods and caffeine, sluggish when waking up, brain fog, unexplained fertility, inflammation of joints, fingers and knees, mood issues—swings, depression, auto-immune diseases— Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, rheumatoid arthritis, MS

STEP 2

Eat every three to four hours without snacking in between. Plus— recovery shake anytime within a half an hour of working out.

Example: 7:00 a.m.—Recovery Shake, 9:00 a.m. —Meal 1, 12:00 p.m.— Meal 2, 3:00 p.m.—Shake, 6:00 p.m. —Meal 3

Add in one to two protein shakes per day to satisfy hunger, build muscle & boost energy (I suggest using only vegan shakes without dairy, soy, gluten or artificial sweeteners).