far as the East is from the West

Christmas is this week!! I look forward to the Christmas season every year, it is such a sweet reminder of the imperfect messes that are still redeemed and made whole. This year I am extra excited as it will be my first Christmas married to Jake and we will be travelling to visit my parents in South Carolina to celebrate with all of my siblings and their spouses (There will be 13 of us in total!).

There is so much excitement with the holidays, buying and wrapping beautiful gifts, Christmas lights, all the flavors and smells that come with holiday cooking and baking and so many more!

I want us to enjoy the holidays this year, to enjoy eating the extra cookie or getting the second plate of food without beating ourselves up over the day. I want us to enjoy each moment with family and friends rather than counting each calorie or macro. Will one day of eating “unhealthy” derail your entire diet or health journey? No. Listen to your body throughout the day, eat when you are hungry and stop when you are full, most importantly give yourself grace as this can be a tricky thing to navigate.

Allow yourself to relax and not feel so restricted in your eating. I believe that it is hard for our bodies to fully thrive if we are constantly withholding or dreading meal times. Time spent with friends and family around a meal are some of the sweetest moments that are often taken for granted.

A couple things I try to do during the holidays or on Christmas is to stay hydrated throughout the day and move my body. Invite your family or friends to join you on a walk (in Illinois we don’t always have snow on Christmas and the weather can be pretty mild so this is a little easier here) and take time to breathe in the fresh air and catch up with family.

I hope the one thing you take away from this post is to listen to your body. Holidays can be filled with a mix of emotions and it is hard to always stay on top of your eating plans or workout goals. Give yourself grace!

Merry Christmas

Hannah