E157: Healthy Holiday Habits

Nine healthy holiday habits to support you in having a smoother, more meaningful holiday season…

Welcome back to the Women’s Empowerment Podcast! If you’re listening to this episode as it comes out, it is the first of December and we are headed into the holiday season! Don’t worry if you’re listening to this after, or long before the next holiday season, there are tips for keeping up with your healthy habits, before and after the holidays.

Full disclosure: I am more of a Halloween person than I am a Christmas person. If you know you know, am I right?

I LIKE the holidays, but if I’m being honest, I get more excited about halloween. You see, something I always notice during the winter holidays is the added stress of all the events, gift giving, change of season, goal setting, and all the things around this time of year.

All that being said, I wouldn’t be a great Healthy Habit Mentor if I didn’t have key practices to share with you to support you in a smoother, more meaningful holiday season. So in today’s episode I am sharing simple, practical habits to keep you feeling healthy over the holidays.

As I share these different practices, I’d like you to notice which of them really excite you. Which of the habits are you already practicing? Which habits can you modify to suit your goals and lifestyle the best? As with many of my podcast episodes I share practical takeaways. These are often very general, with some options or tips to elevate the suggestions that I share. Since it’s a podcast I can only speak from my experiences and it doesn’t leave room for customization for you - so this is where YOU will need to put in the effort and creativity.

When I work with my one on one clients, we are able to dig deeper into the goals and specific lifestyle to create customized versions of general habits. Since you and I are not face-to-face together right now, take a moment to think of a feeling that you would like to feel/embody over the holidays. Knowing how you want to feel will be the basis for each of your own healthy holiday habits. The feeling word is what changes each of these habits for each of the listeners. Let’s use three feeling words as examples of how to tweak each of the habits today. These three words will be: Calm, Excited, and Connection. If your word is different from these, that’s okay, the practice still applies to you!

I’ve also decided to organize this episode into different types of habits including: nutrition, physical health, and mindest.

Let’s get started!

[3:33] Healthy Holiday Nutrition Habits

I am a big foodie! I love trying new recipes, I love cooking (most of the time), and I love eating food! The holiday season typically involves lots of meals, and eating different foods, or eating more than we usually do. Please note that this NOT one of those podcasts that encourages calorie counting or any of that BS! I am here to empower you to connect to your body and fuel it with what makes you feel good. I am also an advocate for whole, healthy foods because they are delicious and my body feels amazing when I eat quality meats, roasted veggies, and delicious fruits! I also enjoy cookies and brownies and a good half baked ben and jerry’s ice cream even though my body doesn’t feel as good after I eat them haha

I digress! Here are my suggestions for Healthy Holiday Nutrition Habits:

1. Prioritize hydration. The formula for how much water you need to drink is half your bodyweight in pounds, in ounces of water. That means if you weigh 130 lbs, you need to drink 65 ounces of water or 8.5 cups of water daily.

When you’re visiting others over the holidays, bring a water bottle with you. If you’re hosting, keep your water bottle full and nearby so you can take sips throughout the day and while prepping for your guests. If you aren’t used to drinking that much water then yes, you’ll probably have to use the bathroom more often - trust me it’s worth it.

I bring my water bottle with me everywhere! Early in 2021 I invested in a bluetooth water bottle called Hidrate Spark - I am OBSESSED! Yes, compared to most water bottles it is expensive, but I’m using it every single day, and I’ve stayed on track with my water intake for almost a year solely because of this water bottle. It has a rechargeable scale in it that connects via bluetooth to an app on my phone and tracks my daily water intake. It also has optional notifications on your phone, and a glow feature on the bottle (with different colour options) that remind me to drink when I’m behind on my goal. I’m not even kidding this is a GAME CHANGER. I feel immensely better physically and mentally because I am prioritizing hydration daily; not just over the holidays.

2. The second habit is a bit of an add on to the first one, drink a glass of water for every glass of alcohol, if you’re drinking alcohol that is, if not this also applies to caffeinated beverages too.

Alcohol and caffeine are dehydrating, and often very sugary. Avoid dehydration and sugar crashes by alternating alcohol and caffeine with a glass of water.

3. Eat slowly. Enjoy the food you’re eating, take time to taste the delicious meals you or your loved ones have thoughtfully prepared! On a digestion note, it takes our brain 20 minutes to know that our tummy is full so slow down to enjoy the food, and to recognize when your body has had enough. You can always go back for seconds! I usually take a little bit of everything and try it all before going back and choosing my favourite things or the foods that make me feel the best after eating. You don’t have to miss out on all the goodies.

4. Take your vitamins and your greens! There are some delicious vegetables in season this time of year in Ontario, Canada such as: apples, pears, beets, cabbage, carrots, eggplant, fennel, leeks, mushrooms, green/red/yellow onions, potatoes, rutabaga, spinach, squash, field tomatoes, and turnips. YUM!

Incorporating seasonal vegetables into your meals is important because these fruits and veggies will have the most nutrients in your area and also happen to be very grounding vegetables to help you stay balanced during this time of year - more on this later.

Since a lot of greens are not in season, my new habit this December is to drink a greens drink every day. My favourite greens powder is called SUBI and the one I like is peach flavoured. I get it on amazon.

You’ll also want to connect with your holistic nutritionist or health care provider to share the best vitamins for you and your body, however vitamin C and D are wonderful to supplement this time of year - especially if you’re in Canada where we get less sunshine in the winter.

Here’s how to apply these habits year-round: nutrition is part of our everyday health and wellness. Prioritizing hydration, choosing healthy, whole foods can be beneficial for year round without a doubt!

Feeling calm: If you’re hosting, take the stress out of holiday meals by planning dishes in advance, asking for help with setting up, shopping or cooking, OR choose a catering company that makes delicious healthy meals for everyone to enjoy.

If you’re attending a lot of events, prepare healthy whole foods during the week and bring your water bottle out with you - no one says anything to me when I have a water bottle it’s no big deal.

Feeling excited: Get excited about all the yummy foods you can cook, or try this season. Google search seasonal vegetables in your area and get creative with recipes you can try and serve.

Take your time enjoying each meal, each bite and savour the moments with friends and family.

Feeling Connection: Focus on the time with your loved ones versus the food at the event. Share your new healthy habits with your friends and family and maybe create a game or healthy competition for drinking water during the event.

Enjoy the moments around the dinner table. Discuss flavours, or share recipes you’ve found with friends and family.

Our next section is all about

[10:20] Physical Healthy Holiday Habits

The holiday season creates a lot of “go-go-go!” energy. So many things are happening, we’re booking our calendars and daily routines are changing often. With more events and shopping to do it can be challenging to stick to our biological clocks and natural rhythms - but we can still make it work!

Habit number 5. Make time for movement. I always say that a body in motion stays in motion. During the holidays you want to be moving your body mindfully and intentionally, not just rushing around shopping and event hopping and what not. If you don’t already have a movement practice or exercise routine, now is a great time to start one. Yes I know you are busy, who isn’t!? I also know that you will feel so much better when you make time for movement every day. It could be a 45 minute strength training session, a 60 minute pilates class, or a 10 minute stretch at home.

If you’re travelling over the holidays, pull up your workout app or a YouTube video to keep you motivated to workout while away. It doesn’t have to be super intense to have an impact on your body and mind.

In episode 54 I shared my #1 Secret for Keeping Up with Fitness While Travelling,

Exercise also helps keep things moving inside our bodies, especially when we’re eating more or when we’re eating foods that are slower to digest. Daily movement boosts digestion and endorphins, you’ll have more energy and excitement for the busy day ahead.

6. Get enough sleep. The changes to your schedule can really throw off the natural rhythms and cycles in our bodies including our hormones, productivity, and more. My rule of thumb is going to bed the same day you woke up. A client shared this with me once during a pilates class and it really stuck with me. It makes a HUGE difference when I go to bed before midnight, even if it’s 11:50pm.

If you’re interested in learning more about our body’s chronology and natural cycles, check out the book: The Power of When (kindle edition)

Application for year-round: Just like our nutrition, physical health is a foundational part of our healthy lifestyle. It’s these types of non-negotiable habits that set us up for success before, during, and after the holidays. Supporting our bodies' natural cycles, getting quality sleep, and sweating/moving daily make the body feel good inside and out.

Feeling calm: Choose workouts that support this feeling such as yoga, mindful stretching, tai chi, etc. Create an evening routine that helps you transition from busy days to relaxing evenings to better prepare you for quality sleep.

Feeling excited: Mix up your workout routine to something more fresh, or try something new!

Feeling Connection: To connect more to self, use the evening as a wind-down time to journal and reflect on the day. When I’m weight training I’m not just working out my physical body. This is an important part of the day that is just for me. It’s a time that helps me deepen the connection with myself and my body. That feeling of connection can be the time you’ve made for you and your relationship with yourself, or others.

If you want a deeper connection with others, invite friends to train with you, or meet at a pilates class or workout class together. You can always grab a coffee after or maybe do some holiday shopping post-workout.

Our final section of today’s episode is all about

[14:28] Healthy Holiday Mindset Habits

If there is one thing I want you to take away from today’s episode it’s that your mind is SO POWERFUL and will determine how your holiday, and your life experience is going to go for you. I feel like this topic deserves its own episode, for the sake of staying on topic/theme I’ll discuss the key points. Having a balanced mindset will allow you to go out and have a great time this holiday season.

Habit 7. Make time for self-care. This can be a very busy time of year. As you get invited to more events and gatherings, remember to schedule in time for yourself, and the activities or interests that support filling your cup. Do you enjoy reading, bubble baths, massages, coffee dates with friends, getting a blowout or a pedicure? Schedule those into your calendar. I’ve recently started stretching with my yoga blocks to help me with my posture and I’ll put on music or an episode of Sinfeld and just lay there on the floor. It’s me time and I love it. You don’t even have to do anything during your self-care time, you can block it off for white space.

8. Practice mindfulness. Another really important piece of a healthy and supportive mindset is mindfulness. I mentioned it briefly when we were talking about nutrition, but it also applies to other areas of our life and the holidays. Of course everyone wants to be able to buy gifts for their loved ones, but that doesn’t mean going into debt or overspending to prove that you care about others. It isn’t worth the stress, guilt, or resentment this often leads to. Be mindful when you’re eating, shopping, accepting invitations, and in the day-to-day commitments this holiday season.

Which leads me to our final habit 9. Create healthy boundaries. What I mean by this is being able to say “no” when you mean no. Not overbooking yourself. Not overwhelming yourself with all of the things going on in this short amount of time. You can do anything, just not everything and that’s okay.

Some other Women’s Empowerment Podcast episodes on boundaries:

E107: The Holidays are the Boundaries Olympics

E34: 7 Things You Must Do When Creating Healthy Boundaries

Application for year-round: Whether you are headed into the holiday season or not, you can practice these mindset habits. Make self care, mindfulness, and boundaries a part of your schedule and lifestyle. One thing I do is look at my monthly calendar and see how many events or commitments I’m saying yes to in a month. If I have something every weekend that’s usually too much. If I’m doubling up on events or commitments on the same day in different cities, also too much. If for some reason I “HAVE TO” do a lot in a short amount of time I will schedule self care or white space time before and after busy days. And I will also ask for help when I need it. Delegating comes in handy all year round.

Feeling calm: If feeling calm is your goal, only say yes to events with the people who support this feeling. If your family stresses you out, perhaps you skip an event with them, or limit the amount of time you’re spending with the groups of people that overwhelm you.

Feeling excited: Seeing your friends and family, dressing up, event invitations might really excite you, the key is not to get overwhelmed with everything going on. Before saying yes to an event ask yourself “does this event excite me? Or Do I want to go to this event?” and if the answer lights you up, then go for it! If something isn’t exciting you, it’s not for you. Staying consistent with your mindset practice can really help you deepen the connection with yourself to truly understand what excites you and what doesn’t.

Feeling Connection: Place as much emphasis on quality connections with people around you. Connect with activities together other than eating such as DIY gifts, playing games, and building relationships with meaningful conversations.

So there you have it! Nine healthy holiday habits to support you in having a smoother, more meaningful holiday season. I would LOVE to know what holiday habits are you practicing this year? Let’s connect on instagram you can find me @vallavignelife

If you’re listening and implementing the actionable habits we talked about today on the show, take a screenshot of this episode and tag me in your instagram stories @vallavignelife so I can see what is impacting you and how you are taking action! I want to cheer you on with your healthy habits.

Podcast Host

Valerie LaVigne

Valerie is the creator and founder of Valerie LaVigne Life and the Women's Empowerment Show. She helps busy and empowered women create healthy habits so that they can become the best version of themselves and transform their lives. Learn more about Valerie here!