Greetings, Babes,
Easy does it
Holy goodness, the holiday crazies are in full swing in NYC! It's easy to get overwhelmed at this time of year. The energy is so intense, especially in NYC, where we're insanely busy and cold and rushing around while surrounded in 8 million other people who are busy and cold and rushing around. And with all the extra things going on - parties, gift prep, end of year work stuff - sometimes it feels disorienting, disquieting, de-centering, and it's easy to lose sight of how we'd like to live and plunge head first into the egg nog and comfort food.
But even in the midst of a big wave of crazy, small efforts towards balance and restraint matter. They might not be much on their own, but little adjustments and simple practices add up to impactful changes and have a balancing effect, even if we have to take the long view to see the effects. I'm talking little things like taking the stairs, eating a salad after dinner, going to class instead of happy hour (or at least before you go to happy hour), eating sugar only once a day... you get the idea.
For many of us, November-January can be one long binge on party food and cocktails, leaving us frustrated, insulin-resistant, and uncomfortable in our clothes come January 2nd. And while I think it's entirely human and good to celebrate and feast and indulge, a few personal checks & balances can go a long towards mitigating the negative feasting effects while maximizing the pleasurable ones:
- exercising often, even if it's just a few squats and planks here and there throughout the day, or a brisk walk after a big meal.
- choosing the indulgences you really truly love and abstaining from ones that don't matter as much. Say you love Christmas cookies. Skipping toast at breakfast and drinking an unsweetened cappucino instead of a peppermint mocha is worth at least five frosted cookies, wouldn't you say? The trick is to find little exchanges that work for to strike a pleasurable balance that feels effortless. For instance, not-pregnant me will intermittently fast 4 or so days a week and freely enjoy all the Tex-Mex temptations in Austin, TX where we spend each Christmas. Pregnant me? I'll eat alllll the food, but will be mostly sugar- (and definitely margarita) free. I might not "work out" much while we're gone, but I will take Diego for walks and playtime every day and will probably do a few bridges, TVA breathing and stretches, just to feel normal.
- eat salad/vegetables. Then eat protein. Then eat other stuff. Filling up on vegetables and protein means you'll have less room for foods that are all too easy to eat way too much of.
- have some vinegar, pre-meal, especially the carb-tastic ones. Helps with blood sugar response and can be anything from a capful of apple cider vinegar to the vinegar in your salad dressing.
- enjoy yourself. Truly acknowledging what you love and sharing it with others is a gift that will help you feel both full and fulfilled :)
Baby steps to a less pollutive world
Small adjustments can have a big impact on our outer world, too. The problems we collectively face - namely, global climate crisis and its resulting armageddon - feel bigger, more imminent, and more impossible to solve than ever before, especially considering our current administration and its deep commitment to being total environmental assholes. It's hard not to be overwhelmed by the widespread death of corals, the melting of permafrost and forests that are 90% gone. But just like the little steps we take towards balance within ourselves, any step that contributes positively to the world we live in is worth taking, such as:
- saving gift bags and tissue paper for wrapping gifts next year.
- making coffee at home, at least once a week. Think about it - if even half of coffee-drinking New Yorkers did this, that's easily 3 million less cups each day! (I'm totally making up these numbers, but you get my drift.) This logic applies to reusable grocery bags, wearing a sweater and turning the thermostat down a degree, using straws and baby wipes as adults...
- buy less plastic. Even if it's technically recyclable, plastic is made from fossil fuels and sucks.
- buy second-hand or sustainably made clothes, like Girlfriend Collection or Athleta.
- buy local whenever possible. The less distance something has to travel to get to you, the smaller your "carbon footprint" is.
- support companies doing good work and publicly renounce those that aren't. Companies just want to make money and will give consumers what they want. Insisting on packaging standards, quality ingredients, etc. whenever possible will, eventually get the point across.
I don't mean to lecture, only to point out that our culture is so "all or nothing" that it's easy to fall into the trap of "well, I ate pie for breakfast so today is shot, might as well just go ham and then diet like crazy in January," and that this self-defeating mindset translates into lots of different behaviors. It's better to do a little, whether it's for yourself or the planet, than nothing at all. And the little things really do add up!
Anyway loves, I truly hope your holidays are great and that you feel as wonderful as you are. You all mean the world to me and I can't wait to see your awesomeness in class soon. All the best to you in 2020 and beyond!
Warmly,
Annie
