[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”3.17.6″][et_pb_fullwidth_header title=”The Holiday Pregame” text_orientation=”center” header_fullscreen=”on” header_scroll_down=”on” _builder_version=”3.17.6″ title_font_size=”50px” title_letter_spacing=”2px” content_font_size=”20px” background_image=”https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/foodforott\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/empty-couch.jpg”]<\/p>\n
\u00a0By Georgia Andromidas
Nov. 16, 2018<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_fullwidth_header][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.17.6″ max_width=”70%” module_alignment=”center” custom_padding=”45.53px|0px|0px|0px”][et_pb_row custom_padding=”22.75px|3px|3px|3px” _builder_version=”3.17.6″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.0.47″ parallax=”off” parallax_method=”on”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.17.6″ text_font=”||||||||” header_font=”||||||||” max_width=”70%” module_alignment=”center” custom_padding=”0px||”]<\/p>\n
It\u2019s the first snow fall and almost immediately Christmas songs pop into your head, the jingle bells don\u2019t leave you alone until you\u2019ve belted out at least one verse. They\u2019re tunes of peace, joy and harmony, but sometimes the bells get a little too loud.<\/p>\n
Suddenly, your entire routine flips upside down and you\u2019re baking sugar cookies at 2 a.m., eating the dough instead of salad for supper, all the while stressed about running into your ex tomorrow at that Christmas party you got invited to\u2014you know they\u2019ll be there. It\u2019s all so stressful. For Maddi Crane, a second-year university student, even lying on a beach in Mexico can bring panic.<\/p>\n
One of Crane\u2019s biggest worries is the way her body looks, since her family usually ends up going somewhere warm for Christmas.<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course, there\u2019s always pictures,\u201d Crane says. \u201cSuddenly you\u2019re not having to look good just for your family, but for all their Facebook friends. There\u2019s no way to hide anymore if you don\u2019t feel confident in yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n
Psychotherapist Andria Robins says that the holidays can amplify body image issues because of the pressures people feel during this time of the year.<\/p>\n
To find a balance, Robins suggests giving yourself permission to say no; you don\u2019t have to attend every holiday gathering. Finding the balance between \u201cme-time\u201d and social-outings can go a long way. Having a support group or person that you can talk to and express any feelings to instead of bottling them up is also important.<\/p>\n
Robins suggests practicing meditation and breathing exercises. Slowing down the rush around you and taking some time to clear your mind will enable better decision making.<\/p>\n
Healthy eating gets bumped during the holidays, and you can\u2019t blame yourself, being constantly surrounded by delicious comfort foods and deserts will do that to anyone.<\/p>\n
Goodlife fitness manager Will Nass says \u201cDecember is one of our slowest months.\u201d Nass adds that \u201cpeople are getting into the Christmas spirit of indulgence\u2026if you eat heavy, then why try and get a good body?\u201d January is their busiest time of the year at the gym. Nass says that it\u2019s due to New Year\u2019s resolutions and perhaps a little something to do with all that holiday eating people do over the month of December.<\/p>\n
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[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/foodforott\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/side-picture.jpg” align=”center” _builder_version=”3.17.6″][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text text_font_size=”12px” text_orientation=”center” _builder_version=”3.17.6″ custom_margin=”-20px||” text_font=”||||||||” header_font=”||||||||”]Photo by Dexter McMillan.[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.17.6″ text_font=”||||||||” max_width=”70%” module_alignment=”center”]<\/p>\n
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Registered Dietician Helene Charlebois says that Christmas parties are beginning sooner than ever, some as early as November. So, let\u2019s practice \u2013 the Christmas season is here, and you have X amount of holiday dinner parties to attend. Let me walk you through what to do to avoid overeating to the point of nausea, and to not letting the stress of the holidays become too much.<\/p>\n
Before the party<\/strong><\/p>\n For those who tend to eat too much over the holidays, Charlebois says never go to a dinner party starving. She recommends drinking tomato juice, having a bowl of vegetable soup, or eating some oatmeal before attending the dinner. Having this will \u201cfill the void\u201d and not leave you feeling neither full nor hungry when you go up to fill your plate. Stretchy pants are not allowed! Sorry everyone, but Charlebois says that wearing \u201cstretchy pants\u201d gives you permission to overeat. Instead, wear a belt or an outfit that is figure-hugging, so you can notice when you\u2019re starting to eat more than you need.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/foodforott\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/zIbLr3O-Imgur.jpg” align=”center” _builder_version=”3.17.6″ custom_margin=”||80px”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.17.6″]<\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n At the party<\/strong><\/p>\n The saying \u201cwe eat with our eyes\u201d is completely true. When we use a larger plate, our tendency is to fill the plate and eat it. Charlebois says to choose a smaller plate when trying to avoid overeating.<\/p>\n When loading up your plate, she says to go for the veggies first, the protein second, and starch last. The same applies when facing the dessert table \u2013 choose the lowest calorie dessert first \u2013 which is fruit, then continue on from there.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/foodforott\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Your-dinner-plate.png” align=”center” _builder_version=”3.17.6″][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.17.6″]<\/p>\n Another tip Charlebois says is to \u201ckeep something in your hands,\u201d because you are less likely to munch on snacks that you don\u2019t need to eat. Having a drink, a napkin, a business card, or a even a sprig of mistletoe.<\/p>\n The last may even lead to something better than overeating.<\/p>\n Although maintaining a healthy diet during the holidays is important, don\u2019t let the stress overwhelm you. Making it the centre focus of your holidays can steal the fun away from what you really should be focusing on \u2013 friends and family \u2013 and can actually make sticking to your goals harder. A little indulgence is OK. The holidays is celebrating a year well lived and looking forward to what the next has in store.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/foodforott\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/cake.jpg” _builder_version=”3.17.6″ custom_margin=”||”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text text_font_size=”12px” text_orientation=”center” _builder_version=”3.17.6″ header_font=”||||||||” text_font=”||||||||” custom_margin=”-15px||50px”]Photo by Sara Wicks.[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A healthy-eating and stress-free holiday guide.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":34,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-414","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features","et-has-post-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/foodforott\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/414","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/foodforott\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/foodforott\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/foodforott\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/foodforott\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=414"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/foodforott\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/414\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":479,"href":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/foodforott\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/414\/revisions\/479"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/foodforott\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/foodforott\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=414"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/foodforott\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=414"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/foodforott\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=414"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}