Celebrate the Festive Season with Ease: 10 Simple Tips to Eat, Drink & Move Mindfully
- milanwomennetwork
- Dec 15, 2024
- 8 min read
It’s not about depriving yourself, or frustrating your family with statements of ‘I can’t eat that’! or ‘I can’t do that!’.
Instead, in this time of celebration and time-out, it’s about bringing more balance into the equation.
It’s easy to achieve with these 10 simple tips to avoid feeling bloated, hungover, out of shape - and therefore, guilty!
I hope these nuggets will help you get the most out of the festive season,
in a more mindful and joyful way.
Written by: Ché Maria Milani
As someone who doesn’t really celebrate Christmas, I love the festive season.
The decorations, the lights, the markets…and naturally the food and good wine is never neglected.
And often this is exactly what we equate with this time of year - lots of eating, drinking and being merry.
But maybe also a bit of overindulging. And neglecting whatever fitness routine we have in place.
But how boring it would be to have so much self-discipline and self-restraint.
I suppose a happy medium falls somewhere along the lines of being attentive, and simply working with what you have at hand.
So, here are a few of my favourite ways to approach a holiday season that doesn’t leave you feeling bloated, hungover, out of shape - and guilty.
Instead, you can face this time of year with hopefully a little less stress and pressure, and just enjoy yourself!
Let’s start with the drinking part:
Set intentions before you take a sip
When going to a gathering of any kind, think about how much you actually want to drink - before you even arrive! Will you have just one drink?
Or a few, but not mix them?Or a couple, but with non-alcholic drinks between?
This tactic will help you make conscious decisions instead of being swept up in the moment!
For an added bonus, you can let your party-partner-in-crime know, and they can keep you accountable.
Drink slowly and savour it
Instead of downing it (out of habit, or stress?), try to drink slowly, really enjoying each sip.
See the drink as an accompaniment to your conversation, rather than the one thing you’re going to focus on.
Talk more, sip less.
Throw some water in the mix
This is my personal favourite as I usually need to force myself to drink more water anyway.
But before getting to the lunch, or the dinner, or the event, I drink lots of warm water at home. (I prefer warm as it’s easier for me to drink and just feels more hydrating!).
This is how I tackle the dehydration aspect of drinking alcohol.
Then, I try to alternate my drinks with glasses of water. It means going to the loo more often. But that’s perfect for someone like me, who needs some time out from big groups.
This way, I don’t get so tipsy and don’t really need to count my glasses of wine. I can simply enjoy drinking until I feel I’ve had enough of the taste, not because I can’t stand up straight.
If it’s the dining aspect (especially here in Italy) that’s worrying you, maybe these suggestions could help…
Listen to your body’s cues
This one seems a bit obvious, but it’s often the obvious that’s easily forgotten.
(Italian) Christmas meals tend to be quite abundant. And definitely more than two courses.
So before blindly diving in, assess how hungry you really are. Coupled with this, pacing yourself will help too.
If you suspect you have 4 courses ahead of you, and you’re able to dish for yourself, don’t plate mountains of food for each course.
Keep it modest - also because chances are, you can go back for seconds if you enjoyed something!
I know there’s often pressure to eat loads as proof that you’re enjoying yourself, but that’s not the case. In fact, a host would probably be more offended if you stuffed yourself too early on, and had to decline dessert and everything that goes with it!
(but we’ll get to a few tips to manage hosts who love to feed)
Eat slowly
Another tip that always helps is to eat like a sloth. Slowly. Mindfully.
You absolutely don’t have to eat as fast as everyone else. (And I’m proof of this, being suuuuuch a slow eater. I can assure you, no one minds).
Eating slowly means that you can enjoy your meal, but also that you won’t overstuff yourself - your body will tell you once it’s had enough of a particular dish.You’re free to leave something on your plate, especially if others at the table are pushing for the next course.
And hopefully like this, you’ll be leaving some space in your stomach too.
(I’m very food-waste conscious, as maybe you are too, but sometimes there’s simply nothing to be done - especially if you’re dining in large groups and you don’t want to gorge yourself. Of course, having the freedom to serve yourself is a plus here, but not always a given - so work with whatever situation you’re in, and don’t beat yourself up about it.)
Respect your limits
Nowhere is it written that you have to be a Christmas martyr.
We love to say yes in order to be polite, but we can stick to our own limits and boundaries when it comes to eating - instead of being rolled out the door and going home ready regretting every mouthful.
You just have to be diplomatic and charming about it, especially in the face of a gracious (but persistent) host / hostess who’s spent ages preparing the food and the table.
Here’s how:
Express gratitude
Opening with a thank you + compliment sets the tone
For example, ‘thank you, this dish is amazing, I can see the care that went into it!’
Be honest, but polite
Share that you’re satisfied or full, but in a way that lets them know you’re still engaged and aren’t shunting their generosity. For example, after your opening above, you could say ‘I’m so full right now, and would love to save space for the next course!’
Offer another compliment
If they’re still insisting, something along these lines will reinforce what you’ve already said.‘Everything is so delicious and I really want to taste everything you’ve prepared, so I’m going to pause for a moment’
Use humour
In my opinion, I’d suggest this only if you know the host / hostess well, and both of you are very comfortable in your chosen spoken language. I’ve noticed that Italians don’t always understand foreign humour (and vice versa). And humour can too easily be misunderstood!
Suggest a takeaway option
Again, this depends on how well you know each other. If you can see that there is or will be leftover food, why not suggest this and express how much you’d love to eat more of it tomorrow?
Hopefully these tips help - the key is to acknowledge the effort and show appreciation for the food, while still respecting your own boundaries so you can enjoy the meal to its fullest!
If you’re a habitually active person, or have spent a chunk of time building a fitness routine and habit, it can be frustrating to suddenly stop due to being away from home, not having time or space, or just simply not being in your usual routine.
As someone who needs to move every day in order to feel comfortable in this creaky ex-dancer’s body, these are my go-to tips for keeping some level of activity going.
Quick bodyweight workouts
Even if you have only 10-15 minutes, and your body length in space, you can squeeze this one in!
(Don’t know about you, but first thing in the morning is the best. I personally knock back 2 cups of warm water, limber up and then exercise - before willpower becomes a thing of the imagination. And if it means doing it in your pj’s to reduce any further obstacles and excuses, do it!)
Keep it simple.
Squats, forward lunges, backward lunges, sumo squats, push-ups and all the plank variations can be enough.
And all can be done pretty much in one spot. Set a timer for 40 seconds of exercise and 15 seconds of rest, and cycle through each action. Then repeat it all again as many times as you want.
(if you prefer to follow someone, Heather Robertson on YouTube is great!)
And if you have kiddies at hand, why not include them?
Let them copy you and join in (so they don’t interrupt you, though you might need to promise them a treat afterwards!) - and if you want, take advantage to add extra resistance to your workout. Overhead presses with your toddler in your hands?
I think that’s doable. (Just remind them to kindly not kick you in the face, as you need to lift them up keeping them very close to your body so you don’t hurt your shoulders).
Or lie on your back and let an older child ‘fly’ with you by balancing their hips on your feet (be sure to hold their hands though) and do reps of leg presses.
Get inventive!
Just be careful, obviously. Know your limits!
I’m not a mom, but I would totally do this.
Short yoga or pilates session
If you prefer something less strenuous, yoga is great for mobility and bringing some conscious breathing in. 10-15 minutes of sun salutations work really well, and are perfect for tight spaces.
Pilates is one of my new favourites for a more concentrated engagement and burn of the muscles. Wall pilates is gaining popularity and again, great for when you have limited space.
In these cases, if you’re not too familiar with what to do, YouTube is your friend.
One of my favourite channels, where you can find a combination of pilates and yoga, from 10 to 40 minutes, beginner to more advanced, is Move with Nicole. And even if she’s not your cup of tea, it’s a good starting point to start exploring others.
Walk, walk, walk!
Literally any opportunity you have to walk somewhere, seize it! To the shops, up and down the stairs.
Park far away from a shopping mall entrance, don’t take an elevator, and don’t send the kids to fetch something you forgot.
If a friend wants to meet for a coffee, throw a walk in there too if it’s not awful weather.
You’d be surprised by how many opportunities we have to walk, but don’t take them…so keep your eyes peeled!
Play with kids & pets
If you’ll spend your festive time surrounded by children, getting involved in some of their games is certainly one way to inject some activity into your day.
Playing outdoor games like soccer or tag are great, or Twister and Hide & Seek, if you’re indoors.
I know that those of you who are parents probably just want to relax (for once!), but if this is your only chance for movement, simply reframe it and see it as something you’re doing for yourself too!
As for those of us who don’t have children, we can slide right in there and do something for ourselves, help out the parents, and keep the kids out of mischief.
All boxes, ticked! And if there’s a dog to be walked, that’s your chance right there. Add in a few rounds of ‘fetch’ and you’ve done your civil service for the day.
Hopefully some of these tips can be beneficial to you, and help you face the festivities with a little less stress and pressure. It’s easier than you imagine, and with a touch more balance, you can tip the scales in favour of a merry holiday season.
Thanks for reading, and see you soon in person at an MWN event!
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