All Posts Tagged ‘Christmas’

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This Christmas

December 21, 2015
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I’ve had two things in the back of my mind for the past few weeks that I’ve been wanting to write about. You could call them rules or guidelines, but basically they’re just two things that I would like to sit down and talk with you about over some hot coffee. I can’t do that, but I’d love to hear what you think, so please feel free to leave a comment.

  1. Be mindful of what goes in your mouth. This is something that I try and practice all the time but especially during the holidays, when there are more parties and treats around than usual. Rather than completely withholding from any and every treat that passes by, and rather than indulging in every single treat that passes by, make intentional and conscious choices about which off-plan foods are ‘worth it‘ for you. Avoid automatic eating, like bowls of snack foods (chips, popcorn, candies) that are easy to consume in large quantities without even realizing it. Avoid high sugar and high alcohol drinks that quickly lead from one drink to three or four drinks. When you make an intentional and conscious choice to enjoy something that you know is not the most nutrient-dense choice for your body, go ahead and enjoy it. Please don’t try to work out how many burpees you need to do to burn off however many calories you consume in that off-plan choice. (It doesn’t work that way anyway, so don’t waste your time.) Please don’t call it a ‘cheat’, or label it as a bad choice or bad food. Be mindful about your choice, and then enjoy the heck out it.
  2. Be mindful of what comes out of your mouth. ‘Tis the season for adults all over North America to be saying things like, “As soon as the holidays are over, I’m starting a diet”, “I really need to work off all these holiday sweets”, “I’m really packing on the pounds this Christmas”, etc. Here’s the thing: your children can hear you. And they are learning to associate the holidays with gaining weight, and the New Year with losing weight. Mamas, they see you cringe at yourself when you look in the mirror and they hear your big, discontented sigh. If you’re going to drink eggnog in front of your children, just drink it. Don’t drink it and then talk about how many calories are in it and how far you’ll run tomorrow to ‘burn it off’. They are putting it all together in their sweet, innocent minds, so let’s be mindful about the words we use to describe our food choices. Eat your food, and focus on the more important things like family, connection, traditions, and joy.

(Read a lot more about the way we talk with our kids about food and exercise here. It’s something I’m super passionate about, and I would love to hear your opinion!)

Keep these things in mind, and enjoy your holidays. Merry Christmas from my family to yours!

 

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Healthy Holiday Tips

November 17, 2015
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Every Wednesday morning I lead a walking/running class at Breakaway, a program that runs out of North Langley Community Church. For this week I’ve been asked to speak for about 5 minutes to the collective group of women and give them some fun and light healthy holiday tips.

I met with my sidekicks Jessica and Sheena and we came up with 5 simple tips for staying on track during the holiday season, and they encouraged me to share them on this blog as well, so here you go (the long version)…

  1. WATER. Don’t forget to drink it. ‘Tis the season of hot drinks – and usually these drinks are full of sugar, dairy and alcohol. It feels natural and instinctive to drive through the Starbucks drive through a few extra times during the Christmas season, and to almost always have a red cup in hand while grocery shopping or running errands. I’m not against the occasional fancy Christmas drink and I’m certainly not against coffee, but I am strongly against mindless, excessive consumption. My advice is this: pay attention to how much you are consuming. Choose consciously. Enjoy every sip, but enjoy less of it. A cup of coffee when you wake up in the morning is fine, but you don’t need one every time you leave the house, or every time you sit down to relax, and you don’t need 4 glasses of wine at the Christmas party. One will do. If and when your hand feels empty (I’ve noticed that for many people, it just feels natural to be holding a drink in their hand), replace those extra drinks with WATER. Water is your friend! Try it with lemon or fruit in it. If you want something hot, try herbal tea. Keep flushing out all that extra sugar and caffeine that most people ingest during the holidays by drinking water, water, and more water.
  2. SLEEP. More than water, sleep is your best friend. It’s healing and restorative in so many ways. It’s essential for full enjoyment of the holiday season. Aim for 8-10 hours on as many nights as you possibly can. If you start to feel sickness coming on, rest and sleep as much as you can. Sleep heals. Moms with young children and those who struggle with insomnia – just do the best you can. About an hour before you want to fall asleep, turn down the lights in your home. Put away your phone and laptop, and make sure there are no lights on in your bedroom, including computers or digital clocks.
  3. JUST ONE BITE is okay. This one is something that Jessica mentioned she learned while doing her Whole30 challenge. She explained that the permission to STOP eating something if you don’t like it really made a difference. For example, if you’re at a Christmas party and you fill your plate with Christmas goodies. and then take a bite of something and don’t like it, you don’t have to finish it. For some of us, this can be revolutionary. Give it to your partner, or throw it out. Don’t finish it just for the sake of finishing it. Let it go. Eat something if you really enjoy it, and don’t eat it if you don’t enjoy it. Sounds simple, but next time you’re at a party, be mindful of what you’re tasting and see how often you eat something even if you don’t really enjoy it. It happens more often than we think!
  4. CROWD OUT. One of the first techniques I discuss with clients is the “crowding out” rule. When you fill your plate during a meal, start with the healthy options. Fill your plate with protein, vegetables and fruit FIRST. Eat what’s on your plate, and then decide if you need or want anything else. Crowd out the less healthy food with healthy food. The more you fill your stomach with nutrient dense, filling food, the less space there is for empty, useless food.
  5. MOVE. Move your body as often as you can, in as many ways as you can. Find a way that you like to move your body: dancing, running, walking, hiking, yoga, etc. The possibilities are endless. Think outside the box! Jessica and Sheena had the cute and clever idea of making up short, effective workouts to do while your Christmas baking is in the oven. A quick scan on Pinterest led to these, and there are many more ideas out there.

A favourite fun exercise that the three of us love is called the Squatty Potty. Make a pact with a couple of friends to do the Squatty Potty challenge for a full week. The challenge is to do 10 (or more!) squats every time you use the washroom. It’s silly and light hearted, but a good way to get moving. Every little bit helps!

Take care and enjoy this wonderful Christmas season with your friends and family.

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Holiday Gift Guide

December 5, 2014
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The holidays are here and gift buying is in full force. Let’s hold off on the boxes of Purdy’s chocolates and look at some healthier and more constructive gifts for this Christmas. Here’s a list of some of my favourite wellness related gifts that any health conscious person on your list is sure to love!

Cookbooks

1) Against All Grain and Against All Grain Meals Made Simple by Danielle Walker.

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These cookbooks have quickly become my absolute favourite paleo cookbooks. I’ve been working my way through them and so far I have been wowed by every recipe. Aside from just the awesome recipes, Danielle Walker herself is a wonderful and inspirational women. I’ve read her personal story on her blog and met her in person and she really is beautiful, inside and out.

Click here to order Against All Grain from Amazon.

2) Well Fed 1 and Well Fed 2 by Melissa Joulwan.

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These two cookbooks are a must have for anyone on your list interested in doing the Whole30 challenge. These cookbooks are Whole30 approved and full of delicious, flavourful recipes. I have used my copies so much that the pages are now curling at the edges and my favourite recipes have some food splatters on them…oops.

Click here to order Well Fed from Amazon.

3) The Paleo Kitchen by Juli Bauer and George Bryant.

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My favourite thing about this cookbook is the simplicity of the recipes. They don’t have long lists of rare ingredients or a ton of steps, yet they turn out tasting like you’ve spent hours in the kitchen. They are simple enough to allow my 3 year old, Charley, to feel like she’s doing most of the work when she helps me make dinner. One of our favourites is the Chocolate Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread. Mmmm!

Click here to order The Paleo Kitchen from Amazon.

4) Practical Paleo by Diane Sanfillipo.

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This book is a must for anyone new to the paleo lifestyle. It’s full of shopping lists, guides, meal plans, recipe lists and everything you need to get started. It’s one of the first paleo cookbooks I owned and really got me excited about cooking and eating this way.

Click here to order Practical Paleo from Amazon.

Edibles

1) Vanilla Pecan Coconut Butter by Caveman Grocer.

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Oh my goodness. This stuff is a real treat. I met Caveman Grocer at a farmer’s market in Whistler BC and really liked her right off the bat. She makes this delicious coconut butter herself which is extra awesome because I really like to meet the people who actually make the food I eat. My favourite way to eat this is with apple slices but it’s really versatile, and I wouldn’t judge you if you ate it right off the spoon.

Click here to order Vanilla Pecan Coconut Butter.

2) Green and Black’s Organic Chocolate.

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There’s always at least one odd person on your list that you can’t find a unique gift for so you end up giving them chocolate. I encourage you to be ethically conscious this year and consider ordering from a fair trade chocolate company like this one or many others you can find.

Click here to order Green and Black’s Chocolate or find some in any ethically conscious grocery store around you.

3) Level Ground Direct Trade Coffee.

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This is a great brand to purchase from for the coffee snob on your list (aka ME). Direct trade is always your most ethical choice for coffee and this company does not lack in full, robust flavour. Even the decaf is fantastic, and that’s saying a lot coming from me!

Click here to order Level Ground Direct Trade Coffee.

Kitchen Gadgets

1) Paderno Spiralizer.

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You already know how much I love zoodles (zucchini noodles) and I’ve had lots of people ask what kind of tool I use to make them. This is the tool I would use if we had enough kitchen space to store it.

Click here to order the Paderno Spiralizer from Amazon.

2) Veggetti Spiralizer.

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THIS is the tool that I actually use. It works well for now but I’ve still got dreamy eyes for the Paderno.

Click here to order the Veggetti Spiralizer from Amazon.

3) Silicone Baking Cups.

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Both of my kids love paleo baking and we were going through muffin tin liners like crazy. I hated seeing all that waste and so recently invested in some cute silicon baking cups. My kids love the bright colours, and they are BPA free, easy to clean and of course reusable.

Click here to order some Silicone Baking Cups.