Content courtesy of Pam Higgins, Certified Health Coach
With Halloween today and candy canes already appearing on store shelves (can you believe it?), ’tis the season for sugar ““ yikes! This week marks the kickoff of the holiday season and for many, this can lead to a seemingly bottomless black hole of sugar cravings, sleepless nights and stress overload.
But this year can be different. We don’t need to fall into old patterns, hoping that cravings, weight gain and overwhelming feelings of worry won’t appear. If you’re ready to ditch the downward spiral of years past, read my tips and you’ll be on your way to stressing less, ditching sugar cravings for good, and saying goodbye to weight gain and worry too.
- For all those treats that just show up at work, have a backup healthy snack at your desk that is tasty but not overloaded with sugar. That way you can skip the unlimited junk food from the break room and not feel like you’re missing out.
- Plan your weekly workouts and stick with them, recruit an encouraging buddy who loves to exercise and who you know will push you to meet her at yoga, run a few miles each morning or try a new sport.
- Eat healthy and clean foods 80% of the time, shoot for 90% if you’re already at 80%. Eating clean actually helps eliminate the sugar cravings, because when we are satisfied with real/whole foods, our bodies don’t feel depleted and don’t crave sugar for energy and to feel good.
- Get support! Have an accountability buddy, hire a Health Coach, swap weekly meals or recipes with a friend to save time, outsource tasks like cleaning your home, even laundry (you’re busy!), get children and husbands involved too, they are more than capable and they love you.
- Take a time out for you. Start with 3 minutes of deep breathing a day. It’s amazing how just a few minutes of pausing to be in the moment and concentrating on your breathe can set the reset button on your day and add more calm. Now you’re ready to face the holiday season without worry!