6 strategies to navigate the holiday sugar

With the holidays, comes sugar. Let’s face it, there’s going to be sweets. For me, I know those gingerbread men are going to be looking me up and down — I sure do love a good gingerbread! However, sugar in abundance can be detrimental to our physical and mental health goals. I’ve spent many holidays flying off the handle in terms of sugar consumption — leaving me feeling discouraged, lethargic, and disconnected with my goals.

Anyone else been there?

I operate through the philosophy of balance. Finding a middle ground — instead of completely avoiding sugar, which can lead to binging, find a healthy relationship in between. Instead of practicing a restrictive approach to sugar, which is oftentimes very stressful and can do more harm to our health than good, try these strategies instead:

— Mindset

What thoughts are coming up for you? What does your relationship with sugar look like? Where are you most vulnerable? Are you feeling particularly stress, anxious, etc.? Did your mother in law make a comment about your outfit, your job, your weight, etc. and now you’re feeling a certain way? Identify the thoughts you’re having around the sugar, the desserts, and more. This will help you best implement a plan as you familiarize yourself with what your thoughts are saying — as they will inevitably dictate our actions. Self awareness is the key to transformation. By building a foundation of awareness, you’re able to get to know yourself on a deeper level, and prevent the vicious cycle that can take place when sugar comes our way. Mindset is a big piece of the puzzle within my work with clients — if you find this is an area that you need support, feel free to schedule a free consult below to discuss coaching options!

— Mindful eating

Lean into mindfulness! So much of what we eat, especially during the holiday season, is in a space of distraction. Choose one dessert you have your eye on and use your five senses to fully be present with the experience of eating it. What does it taste like? Smell like? Look like? What is the texture like? Appreciate each moment of it. Eat slowly, chew thoroughly (helps digestion too!), this will help you to avoid overindulging as you enjoy one dessert more intentionally versus over consuming lots of desserts in distraction.

— Balance your blood sugar!

Cravings can sometimes feel much more intense when we’re on a blood sugar rollercoaster — spikes and crashes leading to an outrageous need for more sugar. This fervent need for something sweet can lead us to feel out of control, increase the likelihood of consuming more than we had planned, and leave us feeling guilty, discouraged, and disempowered. Be sure to prioritize protein, fiber, and fat throughout the festivities to ensure you’re satiated and balanced, take a walk after your meal to support your blood sugar/digestion, and so forth. This will help you feel more in control around the dessert table, making a more mindful choice!

— Put space between the impulse and the action!

Oftentimes, the desserts are served and we impulsively act on it — leading to a heaping plate of sweets — and feelings of discouragement, disappointment, and so forth after the fact. It can be easy to just jump in without giving it much thought — our bodies acting before our brains catch up. Instead, give yourself the opportunity to put space between any urge or impulse to grab one of everything, and slow down. Take a lap around the room, take a few deep breaths, reorient towards your goals — this can help you make a more mindful, more aligned decision.

— Practice self forgiveness and self patience.

Whatever choice you make, it is okay. Take the opportunity, however it may have unfolded, and learn from it. How could it have gone better? Where did things go wrong? What might you try next time? Practicing self forgiveness and patience as you navigate this process is hugely influential on your success. So many of us become impatient and defeated when we veer from our wellness goals. Instead, be aware of these feelings and be okay with their presence. It is understandable that there may be frustration, or discouragement attached to the choices you’ve made, but instead of letting them dictate your next step or knock you out of your journey entirely, move past them. Similarly, feelings of guilt or frustration can sometimes lead us to self-medicate, with, you guessed it, food and more sugar. Use healthy coping skills, like deep breathing, taking a walk, journaling, to reflect on your experience, and utilize it to move forward more effectively.

— Enjoy.

Life is short! The holidays are here only for a short period of time — find the dessert that you look forward to every year, and enjoy it. The stress and avoidance we experience around the holidays, to ‘stick to our diet,’ or 'keep with our wellness goals,’ as we ruminate on the dessert we truly love, is causing us more stress, and more harm to our health, than just simply enjoying the dessert, and moving on. Have yourself a gingerbread, enjoy every minute, and move forward, being present with those you love!

If this resonates with you, schedule a free consult to learn more about holistic health coaching and how to better navigate your relationship with sugar.