Eating around the holidays can carry a multitude of thoughts with it. We often carry shame and guilt with us into holiday eating. What would happen this year if instead you allowed yourself to savor and enjoy the food around the holidays? At Coastal Fitness and Correction, we are committed to your whole corrective exercise experience which includes your nutrition.

Here are 5 ways we recommend practicing healthy eating habits throughout the holiday season.

1. Eat with Mindfulness:

Be attentive to each food that you place on your plate or in your mouth. Choose the foods that you know you can savor and enjoy in the moment. Be present as you fully enjoy the foods that you love. Notice how you take in the food visually, how it smells, the texture, and the taste.

2. Limit Peer Pressure and Set Boundaries:

If you know you will be pressured by family or friends to eat more or eat foods you would rather not eat, plan to politely say “no” and enjoy the presence of your friends and family. Remember you can still commit to yourself and your fitness goals, even when others are asking you to go beyond healthy boundaries you’ve set in place for yourself.

3. Cook with Care and Ask for Help:

When you cook your meal, choose whole food ingredients that are from reliable, organic, and/or local sources. Be mindful of snacking as you cook. Ask a friend or family member to help taste test. Employ them to help cook if you feel overwhelmed and unable to join the table. Find accountability in someone who will check on you in the kitchen to make sure you are being cared for as well.

4. Break Unwanted Cycles:

Recall how you have eaten at holiday events and meals in the past. How have you felt after the meals? Are there any habits you wish you would change? If so, choose one habit or cycle you don’t wish to continue and celebrate the holiday by making a small change. Take joy in a small step for yourself that you know will lead to you feeling good about your choices and not leaving your body feeling negatively.

5. Enjoy, Savor, and Smile:

Allow yourself to enjoy the moment. Recognize that this holiday season and how you eat over this time can be a joyful time for you. Replace shame and guilt with savoring and presence. Enjoy the foods you do love. Identify what you do want to enjoy and be fully present in that moment. Be with your friends and family to wholeheartedly enjoy this short, but bright, season.

We at Coastal Fitness and Correction are committed to your whole corrective exercise journey which includes commitment to your nutrition. Find ways to enjoy healthy eating over the holiday. We wish you all the very best!

We often exercise with different goals in mind. Many people want to lose body fat, build muscle strength, or maintain a healthy body. Another important goal to keep in mind is balance and stability. As we age and go through life changes, often balance and stability can suffer. People may fall or be unaware of their surroundings and accidentally injure themselves. Incorporating regular stability work in your exercise is a great way to build body and spatial awareness.

Here are some ways we incorporate balance into your corrective exercise programs to help you build your stability:

Throughout our day-to-day life, many of us experience ups and downs in our mood and level of motivation. It’s easy to experience days where you don’t feel like doing the items on your task list that you know will help you reach your fitness goals. Motivation can waver widely from one day to the next, and feelings can change quickly.

What is so important to do is to remember why you began your fitness journey and build a roadmap of dedication to achieving your goals. At Coastal Fitness and Correction, we design programs that step you towards your goals. Whether you’re in treatment for cancer or just out of rehabilitation for a knee replacement, the programs we design help you take dedicated steps to where you want to be. And your dedication, regardless of your motivation that day, is the key element to walking your fitness journey.

Think about the differences between motivation and dedication:

Motivation:

• Tied to your emotions and feelings
• Related to your “why” or reason for doing an activity
• Can be influenced by both internal and external factors
• Tends to focus on the end goal: the “finish line”

Dedication:

• A decided action, regardless of feeling
• Related to your “what” and “how” and focuses on doing the action
• A personal choice, fulfilled by personally completing a task
• Flows step by step, action by action

While motivation plays a vital role in setting a goal and understanding your purpose for your fitness journey, dedication is what carries you through each step of the journey itself. Once you set your goal, make a promise to yourself to take one step each day for yourself. And celebrate taking action for the betterment of your health and well-being!

Having a productive workout involves resting between sets. While it may seem counterintuitive to rest during a workout, there are key scientific reasons as to why it is important to take each and every second of a rest between sets.

Take a moment to think about your relationship with food. Think about your eating habits and how you feel before, during, and after a meal. A lot of us can tend to build a relationship around food that might be related more to feelings and comfort which can create an unhealthy relationship with food.

5 Signs of an Unhealthy Relationship with Food:

1. Constantly thinking about your next meal.
2. Having feelings of shame and guilt after eating a meal.
3. Following fad or extreme diets.
4. Over-restricting foods and/or binging.
5. Using food to supply emotional comfort, relieve stress, or ease boredom.

Whatever you discover about your relationship with food, notice it with awareness. And then choose some steps to take to build or maintain a healthy relationship with food.

5 Tips to Repair Your Relationship with Food:

1. Recognize food as fuel that your body needs to function.
2. Prioritize eating nutrient-dense foods packed with healthy macronutrients that will keep you feeling fuller for longer. Eat foods high in protein and fiber to satiate and stave off hunger.
3. Form a healthy, regulated diet that works for you. Speak to a healthcare provider or nutrition specialist to cultivate a diet with meals specifically designed for you and your body.
4. Create a plan for stress or emotional ups and downs. Think of and practice healthy ways to relieve stress. Walking, exercise, deep breathing, prayer, meditation, journaling, therapy, and hobbies are just a few activities among many that you can use to relieve stress.
5. Let go. Know that there is no diet or meal that is perfect. Work with yourself or a mental healthcare professional to release guilt and shame related to eating.

There isn’t a way around it: your body needs the right amount of food with healthy nutrients to live well. Consider small steps you can personally take to either begin or continue your healthy relationship with food.

Everyone starts their fitness journey for some reason or another. Yet finding moments of success throughout your fitness journey can be a challenge. Whether you want to lose weight, build muscle, repair injuries, or perform for an event, setting both long-term and short-term goals can help you find success in each step of your journey. Setting goals, in and of itself, can be quite challenging. Here are some tips to set goals for your best success.

Long-Term Goals:

• These are your big milestones. Imagine your healthiest self. What do you want to achieve? Do you want to run a 5k? Keep up with your energetic children or grandchildren? Slow or reverse the effects of a disease or health condition? Whatever it may be, pick just one long-term goal to set.
• Be as specific as possible. The more details you can provide, the more achievable and realistic your long-term goal will be.
• Write your goal somewhere you can see it every day to remind yourself of why you are journeying through a path of fitness. Take a moment to either repeat it to yourself or visualize yourself reaching this goal. Make it a reality in your brain and express gratitude that you will reach this goal.
• Set smaller, specific, appropriately timed goals as steps along the way to your long-term goal. Oftentimes, we make one large goal and become frustrated when we do not achieve it right away. Remember that each step of your journey is just as important as the last. Ask your trainer or a fitness/health professional to help you set smaller “benchmark” goals that you can celebrate along the way.
• Give yourself grace. It is easy to feel guilty or frustrated if your long-term goal isn’t met right away or met in a different way than you expected. Remember that no journey is perfect. And your journey is unique to you and your body. Be kind to yourself as you take a step forward each day.

Short-Term Goals:

• Long-term goals can seem arduous and far off. Sit down to create a map towards your long-term goal. Each short-term goal should be a specific “benchmark” item that you could check off each time you achieve it.
• Know yourself and how often you need to track your progress to keep going. Aim to set short-term goals on a weekly basis, or even daily if possible. Even if your daily goals are mental, take a moment to recognize a choice or change you made that was closer to your long-term goal.
• Ask for accountability. Ask a friend, healthcare provider, or fitness professional to check in on you and help track your progress. You are not alone, and those that want to see you reach your goals will show up and help you.

Whatever your goal may be, remember that no journey is perfect. It’s important to give yourself grace as you keep stepping forward. Consistency is KEY. When you reach your goals, pause to celebrate, and then set new ones!

Remember: your health and fitness journey continues every day.