Happy Healthy Holidays

Goal: To introduce myself and to solve all your health problems, all in one blog, before the holidays.

Chances of meeting that goal: about -37.

What’s wrong with this picture? Proper grammar? Check. Good intentions? Check! Check!.

The goal is unattainable and unrealistic.

As an east coast living, former college athlete, current workout Nazi, bachelor level nurse and licensed massage therapist embarking on a nutrition certification, 30-year married mother of three adult boys, I know a few things about goal setting. I will admit that I was not always focused on total body wellness. I mean, what do careers, spirituality, social life, relationships, home environments, education, nutrition habits, mental health, and finances have to do with my physical health, anyways? Each is a key ingredient to who you are, and when one ingredient is out of whack, there goes your entire recipe. I look forward to sharing with you what I know, and what I am learning about keeping a healthy body.

The holidays are upon us, so I am going to provide the cliff notes version (Am I dating myself?) of what I have learned about keeping your health in check this holiday season.  To commence “operation survival mode”, let’s apply at least SOME of the following tips:

  1. Reindeer Run! Don't know what this is? It's Santa's version of a Thanksgiving Turkey Trot! I have never participated in one of these. But it is fun to say, AND it’s a great idea to kick off your Christmas festivities by charging up your cardiovascular system.

  2. Food Frenzy! Let’s face it. You are going to eat.  A lot. Use Pinterest or Google to find healthier versions of those holiday favorites.
  3. Plate Hate!  Like I need a plate as big as my face. Smaller plates = smaller portions.
  4.  Get your groove on! Turn on your favorite tunes and dance while your stir!
  5. The one scoop rule: Hey, you already have a small plate, so keep your serving sizes to one scoop. Notice I didn’t say heaping!
  6. Crowd it Out! Set out a veggie tray or drink your favorite protein shake a couple hours before serving dinner. Less room for high calorie foods.
  7.  Listen Up! Don’t you hate it when you have to tell your kids three times to do something before they do it? That’s how your belly feels when it’s talking to your brain. “You’re full…………You’re FULL………… HEY!  YOU ARE FULL!” Be a good example.  Listen the first time.
  8. Don’t drink your calories! Do you know how many carbohydrates there are in alcohol? Of course, you don’t. That is why you are going to tune in to my weekly blog. You know we are going to address carbs eventually. Just know this. It’s a LOT. And it crowds out. But not with the good stuff. So take it easy here!
  9. I will say it out loud.  I love bread more than chocolate (Texas Roadhouse rolls, that’s all I’m sayin…) Pick ONE. “One…..I SAID ONE!!” That was my brain just now.
  10. Red rover, red rover, there’s junk that’s left over! (Dating myself again…) You indulged today, so don’t indulge tomorrow.  Send those leftovers home with Uncle Larry!
  11. My family doesn’t like to leave anyone out, so if there are 12 people, there are 18 desserts.  See #9.
  12. Soap Suds Sidetrack. Volunteer to wash the dishes and not to put away the leftovers. Who wants to pick at leftovers with soapy, wet hands?
  13. The 2020 holiday season would not be complete without a sprinkle of COVID on top. Preventing that little booger from pulling up a seat at the holiday table should be part of your wellness routine. Social distancing is the tag word of the year, so wash your hands, wear masks when you aren’t eating, elbow bump instead of a hug, and wipe things down well when guests leave. Don’t forget the “social” part of distancing. Make sure you reach out to those at high risk who cannot be with you. Quick! Teach great Aunt Bessie how to use Zoom!

Setting a goal to accomplish just a few of these things is definitely doable. Just don’t bite off more than you can chew! (Pun intended).

Happy Holidays.  Be well!

Carey Wainwright

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Grapes with Capes: Earning the Superfood Title

Just think of all the words out there that start with the word “super”. A super visor works over or takes charge of other people. The super natural refers to things that are above or beyond normal phenomenon. And let’s not forget the famous super hero. I LOVE Aquaman, but sorry, Jason Momoa, my husband now takes the cape . To put it simply, he is amazing! The trendy term “superfood” has been increasing in assumed credibility, but more realistically, in simple popularity. You won’t find the term “superfood” in my nutrition textbook. If you have taken on the Healthy Habits Hunt challenge, you will run right into a superfood activity that involves identifying superfoods and including them in your diet. But how does a food earn its cape? What does it take for a food to be honored as “super”? The food industry bestows the superfood label on nutrient-rich foods with a supposed ability to positively affect health. Keep in mind, there is no single food that holds the key to good health, di...
Read more

Bleeding, Clotting, & the Stocking Stuffer

I am going to share a little something about myself—not to brag, but it will KINDA help to lead into my next discussion (this next topic is a tough one!) I have always been a very conscientious student. I won eight spelling bees in my 6 th grade classroom (I was terrified to be in front of crowds and refused to participate in a school-wide spelling bee.) I was a FAST speller—my teacher would always tell me to slow down so she could make sure I was spelling the word correctly. Many years later, while I was assisting my own child with his spelling words, he was attempting to spell “refrigerator.” He was stuck on the letter “g” and began to sound it out. “Juh…juh. Mom, is it G or J?” So, I asked, “What do you see?” Kid: “HUH?” Me: “Like, in your head. What do you SEE?” Kid: “Mom, I have NO clue what you are talking about. Sometimes the G and the J make the same sound and I get confused. Which one is it?” Me: “Wait a minute. You can’t see the word “refrigerator” in your head? ...
Read more

"A" is for Eyes

Social media entertains me. I don’t post much on Facebook or Instagram, but I do like to watch (ok, stalk…) the people that DO post. It is interesting to see what petty little things might be important to others. Haha. Occasionally, Facebook is brilliant, in that it becomes this one little spot where OTHER stalkers like me can get information in the blink of an eye. This CAN be very helpful—especially when you need to reach a large group of people very quickly. A long post written by me four years ago popped up in my Facebook “memories” this week. It is pertinent to my topic today, so I will attempt to share it, in brief (Have we met? When have you ever known me to be brief?) My then 15-year-old son was on a camping trip (under duress, I might add,) when I received a call from one of his youth leaders informing me that he would be taking my son to urgent care because he had been whipped in the eye by a tree branch. (I immediately began forming images in my head of his attempts to d...
Read more