How To: Handle the Aftermath of Too Many Sweets
We’ve all been there. Too many pieces of candy from your kid’s trick-or-treat bag, an extra few bites of dessert before bed even though you’re not hungry, birthday parties, family dinners and soon the holidays. And while there are ways to enjoy all of these fun celebrations and delicious foods and treats in a moderate and healthy way, there are also times where that just doesn’t happen, and we end up eating and living in a way that doesn’t make us feel good. So below are some simple ways to handle the physical and mental discomfort and help you handle the aftermath
First, what NOT to do:
DON’T beat yourself up for what’s already done. Whatever you ate, whatever workout you skipped, whatever you didn’t do that you “should” have done is now in the past. Even if it was 5 minutes ago. You can’t go back and undo the past, and therefore ruminating and beating yourself up over it is only causing you more stress, anxiety and discomfort. It’s bringing the past into the present moment and therefore robbing you of the this time, which could be spent in a much more productive way.
Which leads me to my tips on what TO DO when you find yourself in this situation:
Learn from this situation without judgement. To help you get on board with the whole no dwelling or berating thing, start to change your focus to identify any lessons you can learn from this. Did you have a stressful day and the candy was a quick fix in the moment of chaos? Did you go all afternoon without eating until a late dinner where you were starving and mindlessly going for all the good food in sight? Maybe you didn’t have all the healthy swaps in your kitchen that could have given you that satisfaction in a healthier way. Maybe you restrict these foods and therefore they’ve become irressistable when you’re around them.
Remember that you are human, and not only are humans not perfect, but you’re allowed to have moments of not doing or feeling your best.
Drink hot water with lemon to help aid digestion. Not only the hot water soothing on your body, but the lemon ignites the detoxification process to help your eliminate what it needs to.
Move your body. The isn’t to “work off” the calories that you ate or to punish yourself for having a good time. This is to help you move through the mental feelings that come up while also aiding your digestion. Yoga can be a great way to physically and mentally move through the sugar crash, especially twists which help massage your organs and ring out the junk.
Add in greens and fiber. I’m not going to tell you to cut carbs and get strict with your food intake, but instead to just try and add in the foods and nutrients that are going to help you get back to feeling good and to that will help your previous day/night/week have minimal effect.
