At The Little Foxes, we’re a friendly bunch and we adore our fellow blogger friends. This post comes to us from the beautiful vegan/blogger/MODEL/all-around lovely gal, Emily, of My Kind of Life (I mean, really. How many people are actual models? Emily is!). Not only is hers a great site, but her experience as a jet-setting model has honed some incredible tips for surviving the holidays with joy, panache, and comfort. We are thrilled to have her here! Check out her gorgeous mug (see: face) and awesome advice below, and share yours in the comments, too! Take it away, Ems!
Photo by Lyall Aston
Emily’s Advice for Feeling Great Over the Holidays
At my house, the holidays look like loose fitting jeans, a roaring wood fire and plates upon plates of homemade goodies. The holiday spirit always makes me feel so warm and happy; it’s the one time of the year where my whole family selflessly gets together to celebrate.
With all of the great emotions that come along with the holiday season, we can still remind ourselves to stay in touch with our bodies. During the holidays I’ve experienced weight gain, extreme sugar addiction, and decreased exercise, to name a few guilt-inducing holiday outcomes. Over the years, I’ve learned to control my triggers and keep a balanced holiday mind and body with these 10 easy steps. You, too, can keep a balanced body and mind, and if you feel like you’re falling off the wagon, grab on to these quick tips to help get back in touch with your body.
1. Keep your routine. In NY, I get out for fresh air every morning and walk to my local coffee shop. When I visit my family for the holidays, I love to take a trip with my husband to the local coffee shop for our morning pick-me-up. I keep my morning routine the same, even over the holidays (and work trips), to assist in keeping my daily routine balanced.
2. Ask your family in advance to skip the empty calorie candies. Feel free to nosh on pumpkin pie or warm cinnamon apples, but ditch the impulsive and valueless candy. Sure, keep your holiday sweet treats around for cravings, but make sure the treats are made with real, whole foods.
3. Look great and feel confident. The holidays are a time for pictures; my family takes a portrait on Christmas day every year. Make sure you feel great and confident when you visit your family so that you look back on the holiday with fond memories. Getting dressed in a nice outfit (even if it’s flattering yoga pants!) and throwing on a little blush, mascara and under eye concealer can make the world of a difference.
4. Take pictures. Since you’re dressed for the occasion, don’t shy away from group photos, even if you’ve gained 15 lbs since your last Facebook profile pic (no one cares!). The holidays are such a positive, happy memory, and being able to look back on the images you take will make you very glad that you snapped some of those precious moments surrounded by the people you love. I tend to take a series of photos of one particular moment and I ask everyone to move around naturally for each snap of the picture. This way, I can go through my pictures and post the photo where we all look confident and happy. This may sound silly and people may think you’re annoying for asking to take a bunch of pictures, but they’ll thank you when you’re asked to email them their favorite shot—which is what happens every time I leave a party. [Check out Em's suggestions for posing like a model for pics here]
5. Get some exercise. Be realistic. I know that there’s a slim chance that I’m visiting the gym on the holidays, especially since I rarely get the chance to spend time with all of my family together in one place at the same time. For this reason, my family builds exercise activities around our get-togethers: The men chop wood together in the yard (I always end up guilted into stacking it into piles), we all walk our dogs through the snow, I have dance offs on the slick hardwood floor with my cousin and I practice yoga and stretch while we gather around the TV to watch football or the holiday parades. I also love to make time to walk around the neighborhood with my family to see the holiday decorations. Group exercise, even if it’s light exercise, is a great way to bond over easy conversation while making happy memories.
6. Prepare yourself for the occasion. With my recent marriage, I inherited two very active nephews and one sweet newborn boy. When I go to my in-laws house for holiday occasions, I wear clothes that I can play with the kids in, bring over a holiday dish that everyone can enjoy and I prepare my mind for something very different than what I’m used to in my own household. The same rule applies for you if your hosting guests, throw a party for everyone, not just for yourself. Of course, all of my parties are all-vegan, but I always have something for everyone. If you’re a bagels, lox and cream cheese for breakfast family, you have to try the Sophie’s Kitchen Smoked Salmon on your tofu shmear bagel; it’s made from Konjac root, which is cholesterol free and tastes just like the real thing (with a very similar texture).
7. Reconnect with old friends. I travel a lot for work and when I’m on vacation or relaxing over the holidays with family, it’s hard to even think about trying to reconnect with old friends, even if it’s high on my priority list. Whenever I have a moment and I’m able to meet up with one of my old friends, I always leave our get together thinking, “I’m so glad we got to see each other!” This connection with old friends is a great way to help you feel rooted and grounded during the hectic holiday season and to carry your renewed friendship over into the new year. Coffee or tea dates are the best!
Photo by Lyall Aston
8. Gift with thought. I used to think that I had to spend a certain amount of money on each family member for the holidays. Over the past few years, I’ve tried something new: gifting with thought. I shop well in advance, and get everyone one gift that I know they will love. Once I buy everyone one or two thoughtful gifts, I throw in funny, small gifts and little extras to make them smile. This is a great practice for mindful gifting; I will even go as far as asking my family and friends to stick to gifts they really want to give me and to please save on all of the “extra” small gifts they usually give. If they insist and want to gift more, I will suggest an animal sanctuary or rescue organization that they can donate to. [Did you see our gift guides, and the latest one on Vegucated for Last-Minute Gifting?]
9. Make a list. If people ask you what you want, give them a list of something you really think you would like or maybe something you need. Every year, I make a holiday list full of things under $100: Cruelty-free beauty products like the Tata Harper Resurfacing Face Mask, a pair of cruelty-free shoes for the new year (Melissa always has great everyday stylish rubber flats), a new Eberjey pajama set, a new lens for my camera, a vegan wine club membership, these are things that are on my list. Of course, my husband gets a list on steroids, like a jacket from Vaute Couture, a new Stella McCartney bag or heels, and all of the little do-dads that I find during my holiday shopping that I wish someone would gift me–those all get joyfully charged to his account.
10. Take a vacation. Sometimes the holidays can make us stir crazy when the entire family comes together with all of their various routines. With everyone’s food allergies and personal requirements, the holidays can be exhausting! For this reason, I take a vacation every New Year’s Eve with my husband to relax before everything is full speed ahead come the first week of January. If you’re on a budget, taking a mini vacation is still worth it. Getting out of dodge for a couple days, turning the phone off, and enjoying your surroundings is the perfect cure all for relationships, stress management, and a fabulous way to start off in the new year!
Over the holidays, we all fall off the bandwagon, especially when it comes to food and exercise choices. Remember to reference these ten tips and check back in with your mind and body from time to time: Make sure that you’re daily choices are in line with how you want to feel post holidays.
If you have tips on how to feel great over the holidays, I would love for you to share with the readers in the comment section below. Happy holidays!
