Hi, guys.

It's me, Lisa.

And I'm Emily, and we are the festive and conscious collaboration podcast.

What up, Lisa?

What up?

Collaboration nations.

Collaboration nation.

How's everybody do it?

I know.

It sounded so.

It sounded good.

Yeah, it sounded good.

I like that we can use that.

In some type of way.

I don't know.

We'll put it in the bank for.

Future hit how I wanted it to.

Okay.

Hey, I didn't get a new notification.

I just want to make sure we're recording.

Are we recording from your end?

We are, yeah.

Beautiful.

Yes.

Good, because I got.

I got some good stuff for y'.

All.

It is the Tuesday of Thanksgiving week, as we are recording this, and I have decided to really put my coaching hat on today and just give you guys some real practical tips as far as navigating the holiday season without sending health too off track.

In particular, nutrition.

And, you know, this is certainly not about being perfect or restrictive or, you know, just to a point where you're not able to enjoy yourself.

Being able to enjoy yourself and spending time with.

With loved ones is a huge part of health.

But that said, you know, we've all probably experienced at some point just getting too overboard, and it starts to get a little spirally, and that just has, you know, some.

Some lingering effects on mental and physical energy.

And just nobody wants to feel particularly bloated and in digestive distress and.

And all those things that.

That'll.

That'll carry over far beyond any.

Any benefit that we get from the holidays.

So let's just go through some real easy, practical strategies to approach these times.

And really, you can use these for any sort of event or, you know, meal or situation that you may go into.

That's.

That's not 100 in your control.

There's so many events on my calendar, and, like, a lot of times I like it when I'm going out and I can see the menu ahead of time so I can strategize what I'm going to be doing.

But most of these events, they're just like potluck, or I don't.

Or they're catered.

I don't know, like, what's there.

So, you know, loved ones cooking and.

Right.

Like, they want, you know, bad for.

Not trying something someone need.

Yeah.

Yeah.

So.

Well, yes and no.

We can kind of.

We can kind of get to that.

I. I feel like, you know, along with this is just a little side quest before we get started, because this is in the list of tips, but I feel like food, right.

Nutrition is as personal of a, an, an issue or a concept as, you know, religion or spirituality.

Yeah.

Like, or intimacy for that matter.

Like, you know, this is not what I do.

Yeah.

I get it to.

On one hand that people, you know, I'm like this.

I, I.

Food is very much a love language, even in the gifting side of things.

Like, I love to cook for people.

People.

But at the same time, we, we can't put ourselves in.

Or we shouldn't.

Yeah.

Put ourselves in not ideal situations or situations where we are like in pain or hurting just to sort of make somebody else comfortable in that.

So it's like food consent.

Yeah, it is, it is.

And some people can get really high pressure with it.

And look, I know it's a mom thing all the way around thing.

Right.

But, but at any rate, we, you know, we, we really can't succumb to that pressure in a way that, so.

Like, here's my strategy that I used at a party recently.

I was given like a plate.

Like they plated the food for me.

And what I did was I took it and I walked around and then I got another plate and put it on top of that one.

Oh, there you go.

Yeah, I was still walking around and.

Then like I got.

Or you can just walk around with it too.

Yeah.

But I was actually like hu.

And I just didn't want, like, I just don't like someone else plating my food.

We shouldn't have to explain to people why we're putting the, the amount or the type of, like, we, it really shouldn't be a thing that we have to explain.

It was like a magic trick.

There's food.

No food.

But, you know, there is this idea that, like, it's not an idea, honestly, it's pretty much a fact.

But just because something's normal or common.

Excuse me.

Just because something's common doesn't mean that it's healthy or good or normal.

Right.

And yeah, really, if we concern ourselves too much with like doing what everybody else is doing.

The norm is unhealthy.

Yeah.

The norm is metabolic dysfunction.

And so, so true.

We have to actually carry ourselves outside the norm in order to be healthy in this modern climate.

And that's just the way it is.

So, so.

But there are ways to go about it without having.

And you know, it's kind of one of those things where in the vast majority of circumstances, if you don't make it a thing, it doesn't have to be a thing.

Or, you know, if you just kind of take things in stride and, and say, hey, it's not, you know, yeah, but I can't eat this.

I'm just choosing not to.

So.

Yeah.

So, okay, let's, let's, let's dive into these, these tips.

Let's get real practical with it.

So first tip is going to be to pre game your plate.

All right?

So before we even go out to an event or, or a holiday meal, have yourself, well, depending on what time the meal is like, if it's a true dinner, like a lot of us eat Thanksgiving kind of in the middle of the day.

But if it's a, if it's a true dinner, eat your normal, don't sit there and starve yourself all day and, and come into the event ravenous.

Eat how you normally eat before you come in.

You know, come into a meal and if it's maybe earlier in the day, just have a small meal that is packed with lean protein and non starchy veggies.

Okay.

So a lot of these, you know, holiday foods that we tend to eat tend to be much, much higher proportionally in carbs and fats.

So let's make sure that we get some lean protein in.

Right.

Chicken breast is an example.

Maybe more leaning towards the egg white side of things or you know, some lean ground beef or turkey and non starchy vegetables.

So you know, your green veggies, basically anything that's not, you know, potatoes and root vegetables and that kind of thing.

Because these are going to be your most satiating foods.

They're going to be, you know, your protein is the most satiating of the macronutrients right out of your protein, your carbohydrates and your fats, the protein is, is going to fill you the most and the fiber in the non starchy veggies is going to be very filling.

And those two things tend to be potentially a little more lacking in all of your kind of traditional holiday gifts.

So have yourself a small meal with plenty of lean protein and some non starchy vegetables before, before you go pretty close to, before you go to your holiday meals so that you're not ravenous when it's time to make your plate.

And that drastically reduces the likelihood of you overeating all the more indulgent foods.

So if you've been fasting, then break your fast before going to the event.

Yeah, absolutely.

And, and yeah, you know, I may not just use that as a day if I, I certainly wouldn't use that as a day to like start learning to fast because, you know, fasting, fasting is a muscle that needs to be trained, essentially.

You can think it like, think of it like that.

So now is not the time to like, start fasting if, if you have not done that before, right?

Yes.

Okay, so, and certainly, yeah, certain, that's actually the, the worst thing you could do because you, you won't be adapted yet, that muscle won't be trained.

And then you're, you're way more likely to be just ravenous as you, as you enter that, that holiday meal or event.

All right, so the next tip is a strategy for structuring your plate once you get to the event, if you are able to make your own plate.

So start by filling your plate with whatever the available protein and vegetables at the events are and eat them first for the same reason.

Right?

So that way when you go, and this is not to say that you have to restrict yourself from the fun foods or the more indulgent foods, right?

Look at them.

But you will satisfy your true hunger first with the more nutrient dense options.

Right?

Because your body goes, oh, okay, we're actually getting the things that we need in.

And then so that way again, once you get to smaller portions of the more fun foods that you want to try, you'll be way less likely to overdo it and just eat all the fun foods, not eat all the things.

Yes, yes, yes.

So super easy.

Start with protein and vegetables both at home, and then once you get to the event and eat them first.

All right, now next tip.

You, you mentioned the potluck idea, and I know a lot of these events are kind of more potluck style.

So, so if that's the case, then you can use that as an opportunity to bring a dish that, you know you will enjoy, but that, you know, maybe lacking at, at, at the event, if you can.

I know that the proteins tend to be more expensive, but if you have, you know, the resources to do this, depending on the size of the event and stuff like that, bringing a, bringing an option for, for protein could be good.

Or, you know, if you're doing something, if you're going to an event with a turkey or ham or whatever and you, you eat those things, then you, you might be all set in that regard, but maybe you bring a vegetable because those do tend to be lacking at these events.

You know, even your green bean casseroles and stuff, they have a bunch of other stuff.

Yes, yes.

So maybe a nice salad or, or some kind of, you know, good vegetable dish that, you know, you like or if you have, you know, I know one thing that I like to do just on a regular basis is make typically more indulgent foods, but in a healthier way.

And that can mean a lot of things, whether it's, you know, decreasing the carbs and the sugar or just generally using higher quality ingredients than what you typically might find in something that, that could be a good option so that, you know, you have, you know, something kind of safer to reach for that you genuinely enjoy, that'll still kind of scratch that itch.

So, so that's, that's the tip for a potluck style event is to, to bring something healthy.

Essentially.

I do that and I'm like kind of known for bringing the healthy thing and no one likes it and that's all I'm eating.

But that's okay.

Like it's okay to be known for the person that's bringing the healthy thing that no one wants to eat.

Well, I also, I don't know, I mean, I pride myself in kind of being able to make stuff that is healthy but that people enjoy anyway.

And, and it's again, it's one of those things where if it doesn't necessarily have to be a thing if you don't make it a thing.

Like if you don't, you know what I mean?

If you don't make a big deal out of, oh, well, everything here is going to be just garbage and gluttonous.

So I'm gonna bring, but just, you know, if you bring a beautiful salad and don't make it seem like, yeah, that's weird, then I think it's more like healthy stuff actually being delicious and something.

Yeah, I think our age group is more embracing of that healthy.

You know, when I go to something that's more age group, it's like the, you know, no offense or anything, but most of the time, not all the time, it's, you know, the, the grandmas and the great grandmas that you're going to see that like they cannot wait to eat the most unhealthy things with marshmallows and everything.

And it comes from them.

You know, it's almost like the, you know, the comments when you show up to a party, oh, you need to put on some weight, can't you put on some weight?

You know, that kind of stuff.

And I think that's, you know, it's fine.

It doesn't, it doesn't bother me.

Like, that's just as toxic as telling somebody they need to lose weight.

Right?

It is.

But you know what?

I think, like someone that's in their 80s sometimes, if that's the way they are.

I'm not going to try to, like, retrain them.

And that's not.

That's not for everybody, because I know, like, you know, my friend Dr. Miriam, in her 80s, she's super healthy and she loves to try new healthy things, and she, you know, she would never do that.

So that's not to say for everybody, but it's kind of like that old, like the cultural.

Like, you need to put some meat on your bones or get a second helping or I bet you brought like, the healthy dish again.

I don't want that.

I want the marshmallows, so.

Which is fine.

And there are always people that are like, oh, like curious.

They want to try something different.

I think it's good to bring it.

But yeah, I don't think it's not always the guest that's bringing the.

Making an issue of things, especially if it's part of our normal, healthy lifestyle.

Yeah.

I mean, I think we could probably do a whole episode about kind of navigating that.

But I think.

I think a lot of it, you know, if we can sort of set boundaries and carry ourselves in a way where we're not, you know, we're able to just sort of smile and nod through that because, I mean, honestly, like, whether you're 80 years old or not, and I get it.

Yeah.

But honestly, that's.

To me, that's just as inappropriate.

You're commenting on someone's body and you know that just dead be just as inappropriate as me being like, hey, you sure you want to eat that?

Like, do you need.

You know what I mean?

Yeah.

Two sides of the same coin.

So, yeah.

So just try to approach it with a little grace and.

And, yeah.

Just not.

Not let anything like that get to you.

Yeah, exactly.

Okay, so.

And maybe we will.

Maybe we will do a topic on that one day if people, you know, let us know, comment, share in the group, if.

If that's something that.

That you'd be interested in.

Hearing us talk about navigating, okay.

This is a big one.

Huge bang for your buck in terms of impact that this will have on how you feel and how you process the meal.

And that is to get in some movement after the meal.

Does that mean you have to go for a jog?

No, it does not.

If you want to go for it, if that's your thing, I'm not doing that.

But if you can take a walk, even if you can.

If you can recruit, like, the whole family to take a walk, that's healthy in so many ways.

And kind of a lost art in my mind.

You know, that, that used to be kind of a tradition.

But yeah, if you can take a walk, amazing.

All right.

But if you, if you're not necessarily in the position to do that for whatever reason, any, any sort of movement that's going to get your muscles contracting is going to be amazing for both digestion of the meal and for blood sugar control following the meal.

Because those muscles and that, I mean, it can be the most gentle of movement, like a walk, but just the contraction of those muscles will suck up any excess glucose in the bloodstream like a sponge, without having to release excess insulin.

So again, that whole, the, the kind of physiology of that is like a whole other podcast.

But you will feel a thousand times better than if you just do the kind of like, okay, I'm gonna slump down on the couch right after the meal and just, I mean, watch the football game.

By all means.

Yeah.

First do some squats, some air squats, right.

Or some couch squats.

Do some wall push ups or even.

And they have done research on this.

Calf raises under the table.

Like if you literally are in some kind of situation where you can't even get up from the table, start pumping your calves under the table that contracts muscles.

And they have found, they have showed this in research that, that like, I think it's like, don't quote me on this, but I think it's like 30%.

Like it is significant the amount that it would decrease the, the blood glucose spike, which, you know, just to kind of briefly touch on what that means for the way you feel, you know, that'll prevent like ravenous cravings later, right, from the subsequent dip in, in blood sugar.

That's as dramatic as the, the original spike.

That'll prevent, you know, mood changes, people can get anxious, you know, all these sorts of things and it'll prevent brain fog, right?

Yeah.

So you'll just, you'll feel a lot better.

Just take some gentle movement following the meal.

It doesn't have to be like a full workout.

10 minutes, 10 minutes of movement.

Just get those muscles contracting.

Here's a bonus that's related to that.

That is not on my list, but if you want to get extra, extra credit, right, for leveraging movement in a, in a impactful way before a meal.

If you use that as like a resistance training day, your muscles will actually be begging for, to get those glycogen stores refilled.

So if you are able to, and you could again, even kind of, you know, if this, if this suits the dynamics of your family or, or whoever you're hanging out with.

You could even make this like a, a connecting moment, like before dinner, like, hey, let's all go out and we'll do, you know, it's like a turkey trap squats.

Let's do some like, yeah, get some kind of little resistance workout in before the meal that will reduce the negative impact of the meal.

So that's just a bonus.

All right.

But definitely, definitely, definitely get some gentle movement in afterwards.

And lastly, whatever happens, let's protect our mental health and remember that.

Remember what the holidays are for, right?

Because we already do this thing, I think culturally that's really unfortunate where we have really just made the holiday season like stressful.

Additional stress in your stress bucket instead of doing it to just sort of flow naturally and just allowing it to be a de stressor where we can really take advantage of the time spent around our loved ones to get that oxytocin and that relaxing.

And so it, you know, if we're, remember, if we're overfilling our stress bucket, that's not good for tacking on the holiday pounds, if you will.

Right.

Like that.

That'll just propel any potential weight gain or what have you.

So let's do what we can to decrease that stress load from the holidays.

And whatever happens, no shame, no guilt, okay?

Because that tends to perpetuate, you know, if we have one bad day, even if our, our, our prepping strategies happen.

But we, we kind of let ourselves go overboard anyway.

It's just a day.

If we start to dwell on that and start to, you know, punish ourselves, what actually tends to happen is then we go into the whole spiral where one day becomes the entire holiday season.

And that's where you see people gaining 15 pounds from November through December, which is obviously not ideal for a lot of reasons.

Just health wise, okay?

We're just talking pure health wise.

Like it's not good to, to gain weight in a short period of time, okay?

So whatever happens, embrace this idea of no shame, no guilt.

Enjoy the time with your loved ones.

If you do fall off the wagon for a meal or even a day, it's okay.

Just get right back on it.

Just get right back on it.

Don't.

Don't feel that guilt and shame.

Don't start the punishment and avoid one meal or one day turning into that whole spiral.

And this doesn't have to be.

That's really it.

That's.

That's it.

That's the post, guys.

This doesn't have to be like an elaborate thing.

It's just kind of, where can we incorporate these little, I mean, really simple strategies to prevent holiday meals and events from turning into a downward health spiral?

So just a quick question.

Okay, that was all really good information.

Perfect timing.

Is there anything like, I love what you said about, like, don't like, linger on the guilt or shame that you overdid it or you didn't get your steps in or whatever.

But I love that, like, that's great for mental health.

But, like, is there anything for our bodies, like, after care, should we go overboard?

Is there besides, like, sleep and everything?

Is there anything like, is.

You know, is it.

I always.

And I.

This probably does nothing, but I always drink like a lot of lemon water the day after I eat.

Like.

No, I think that does do something.

I don't think we need to go too overboard in like, detox, you know, intervention.

That can just.

I. I think that can just sort of increase the guilt and shame spiral.

But, yeah, no, I think just.

Just really dialing in the nutrition at that point.

Lots of hydration.

I love.

I do lemon water every day.

I've been doing kind of a concoction of like, I'll.

I'll cut up some ginger root and cement leaves and boil them to essentially make a tea, and then I'll squeeze some lemon in it.

I've been doing that every day.

Just.

It makes my gut feel good.

It makes it smells good.

It does.

It smells good.

Makes your house smell good.

And so.

And if I find two, I can use that or I can even use, like, if you like apple cider vinegar, like a little bit of even apple cider vinegar in some water.

That's important.

Don't just drink it straight.

Put it in some water.

But those things can help too, if you.

Because one thing that can happen when we do eat a bunch of carbs, right?

Like at a.

And if.

And I'm not saying don't do it right, but when we eat a lot more carbs than.

Than usual especially, or a lot of sugar in particular, that sort of begets more cravings, even if we do do the things right with the protein and everything.

So I find that the, the ginger tea and.

Or the apple cider vinegar and water kind of helps to shut the cravings back down.

Yeah, I think that's a good idea.

And again, just.

Just getting right back on the wagon.

Just, you know, try to get some steps in the next day if you have the opportunity to get some resistance training in and put that, Put the food to work right that's the thing that I like.

Do not try to cardio it off.

If that's where your mind's going, don't try it.

It takes like, I mean, a ridiculous.

Like you would have to run like six miles to, you know, burn off one piece of pie or something.

If you're right, if you're looking at it at that.

So don't.

Don't look at it as this transactional thing where now you have to burn off calories that you consumed.

That'll get you nowhere fast.

But, you know, if you are a person who, who regularly ex.

Is, you can definitely leverage the meal the next day with a.

A really good strength workout.

Just use it as, as energy, as fuel.

Yeah, I, I remember, like, not, not to say anything bad about, like, the whole orange theory method and everything, but when I used to do that back in the day, that was like always the most popular day.

And they did these insane, like.

Like you wouldn't see people for weeks.

And then all of a sudden, right after Thanksgiving or, you know, you know, Christmas and New Year's, it was like they did these extreme workouts.

I'm like, oh, my God.

Well, that's also a really good way to get injured.

Yeah, no one.

Yeah, no one get injured or have.

A heart attack, especially if you're already kind of pre inflamed from eating a bunch of sugar and stuff like that.

Like.

Yeah.

So just, Just get back on track.

Just get back on track with the good habits.

Don't try to overcome anything, you know?

Yeah, that sounds reasonable.

Yeah.

What are you bringing to your, like, Thanksgiving?

What are you doing?

So I'm actually doing a little friends giving brinner.

Just.

Just.

Yeah, just a couple.

Few of us.

And I am gonna chef up some cheesy eggs and bacon, and I got some chicken sausage.

So we definitely got the protein covered there.

And I'm gonna make for some fiber.

I got these cauliflower hash browns from sprouts.

They do have some potato in it, but they're.

They're mixed with.

With cauliflower as well.

So there's a little more fiber, little.

A little bit less carbs there, a little better balance.

And I've never had these, but I was talking to somebody else about them and they were like, oh, my gosh, those are so good.

So I'm really looking forward to trying those.

So I got cauliflower hashbounds.

I'm gonna do like a little arugula salad kind of thing and tomatoes.

So we'll have like the veggies there, but you still get like the hash brown vibe.

And then I got these really bougie, high quality waffles.

And so.

Yeah.

So here's just a little example.

I'm not saying anybody needs to do this, but here's just a little example of how I'm gonna make, you know, something quite indulgent.

Still indulgent, but maybe a little bit better.

So I got.

For the waffles, first of all, I got really good quality waffles there.

And they're grain free and they're made with like whole, you know, whole food ingredients, but they're still really good and delicious.

And I got.

For the syrup, I got both real maple syrup and then I'm gonna mix it with this monk fruit syrup syrup that I got.

Yeah.

And I'm gonna use like real grass fed butter or whatever.

So we can be nice and indulgent but also kind of mitigate, you know what I mean?

Bombing a little bit.

That's special because it's not something you normally have, but like.

Yeah, yeah.

So it's.

We're still, you know, we're gonna indulge, we're gonna feast.

Right.

But we're just.

I just make some little.

And like, since I'm going real full on full fat bacon, right.

The sausages, I'm gonna.

I'm doing like chicken sausages that are a little less.

That are higher in protein and, and less so in fat.

But it's not like, it's just making, to me, how I view it is just making a little bit smarter choices without it feeling like diet food, you know?

Right, right.

Like, be mindful of the nutrients you're taking in and people just feel better.

We'll just.

Yeah, we'll just feel better for.

And more satiated and less likely to get into that place where we're just like, like full to the brim but still shoveling food in our mouth.

I've been there, you know.

Yeah.

So.

So yeah, that's.

That's what we're doing.

And I'll be with a couple of really cool people and I'm actually working.

Yeah.

Thanksgiving, so.

So.

Yeah.

Time and a half.

A little bit.

Time and a half, baby.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I. I get it.

I hear you.

But that sounds lovely.

I like it.

Thank you for the tips.

I think they're gonna come in handy.

And I, I for I for one vote.

You know, just maybe we talk next time or you know, a little bit more deeper into the season.

How to navigate the, you know, the etiquette relatives yes.

We're telling you to eat.

Yeah.

Yes, exactly.

Okay, I'm down.

Alrighty.

Cool.

Well, guys, that was good.

I hope you guys got as many good tips as I did.

Yeah.

And let us know if you've got any.

Any more strategies that you like to.

Yeah.

Approach the holidays with.

Yeah, all right.

Yeah, let us know.

Inside of the Conscious Collaboration Collective, our closed and private Facebook group, we've welcomed a few new people in there, all really amazing and, you know, shout out to Felicia McCaskill, making some connections in there for some new speaking opportunities where she was found on our podcast.

So congratulations and we will see you on the inside and do your best, but don't beat yourself up.

Yes, yes.

All in moderation.

All right, guys, we'll talk to you in five.

Talk to you in five.

Bye, guys.

Bye.