Nutrition by Dawn - Blog

Now that November is here, the holidays are on their way, as well, and they’ll be here before we know it. This year, I’m thinking about the holidays from a different perspective, and I want to share it with you today. I’m thinking about the power of choice that we all have over our holiday season. 

We all have autonomy over our body, and when we choose how we’re spending our holidays, we’re really deciding how we want to feel on January 1st. We can go through the holidays with no plan whatsoever and indulge every night in the name of celebration. It is our choice if we want to do that, but we also have to understand that we’re agreeing to feeling bloated and possibly regretful on the first day of the year. We can restrict ourselves totally, skipping every champagne toast and sugary treat, but we might feel like we missed out on the best of celebrating in the new year. Or maybe, we choose to find some kind of balance between the two, to know that we’re enjoying the holidays without any regrets or fear of missing out, and we wake up in 2023 ready to take a new year by storm. 

What would happen if instead of thinking about January 1st as the day we start new, we start right now? 

I'm definitely in support of creating new goals for yourself, but I’ve never been a fan of New Year’s resolutions because they’re so prone to falling apart. So instead of treating January 1st as the only day we can start working on ourselves, maybe we can keep in mind how we want to feel that day all holiday season long. 

Some of the best motivation for me to keep going is waking up and feeling like I’ve made great choices, and now I’m ready to take on a new day. So personally, I’ll be using my power of choice this holiday season to enjoy a few holiday traditional treats, and I’ll also use it to choose to stay active, even on cold days, and to choose a healthy balance of proteins, fats, and carbs for my meals. We can have balance in our choices, and ultimately, how we feel two months from now is going to be up to us. 

I want to be ready to hit the ground running in 2023, so right now, I’m making intentional, intelligent, and mindful choices about what I’m consuming, when I’m moving, and how much I’m sleeping. 

Maybe the holiday season is a tough time to make good choices for your health; I totally get that. I’m not asking you to make a commitment to forego all holiday dishes for chicken salads. I want you to enjoy the holidays, including the delicious foods that are tradition for your family! I’m just asking what would happen if you took a baby step and chose to make your next meal balanced, or if you committed to just one balanced meal a day. It might seem like a small start, but the baby steps we take now turn into something great over time. 

Finding balance can be one of the trickiest parts of creating a healthy life for yourself, and I don’t expect you to do it overnight or all on your own. 

Just remember this holiday season that you shouldn’t ever feel forced into any decision you make for your health. You have the power of choice. 

If you would like to chat about how you can make the right decisions for yourself during the holiday season, or if you just need someone walking beside you during your journey, I would love for you to leave a comment below!

What’s your favorite winter holiday? Let me know in the comments!

And if you need some inspiration for healthy living, please join me in my Facebook group Never Diet Again for a great community filled with yummy discussion!