5 Tips to Stay Healthy This Silly Season

It’s almost Christmas and not too much longer until we welcome the New Year! It’s an exciting time of the year when we are busy partying but many of us end up putting on extra weight and having to work harder in the New Year to get rid of what we have gained…Yep, we all want to enjoy life, catching up with friends and getting together with families & relatives but there is a way to do this in a healthy way. I’m not going to mention super obvious things like watch your alcohol intake, don’t go overboard with cakes and sweets or eat more vegetables. Just wanted to share some wisdom from Ayurveda (the ancient healing system from India and sister science to yoga), mindfulness and my home country Japan where the average life expectancy is one of the longest in the world. Here are 5 simple tips for anyone wanting to have a healthier festive season this year.

1.Have a light diner
(And make your lunch main meal of the day)

Midday is when our digestive fire (known as Agni in Ayurveda) is the strongest so it’s considered the best time to have your main meal. This is a challenge for many (including myself) as diner is often the only time we can sit down together as a family. But do you remember a day when you had a big dinner (especially late dinner!) and not sleeping well that night (because your digestive system is working hard to break down the food) and waking up heavy the next day? Oh this is the worst feeling! I LOVE the feeling when I wake up light in the morning. If this is tricky to implement daily, you can start with weekends and holiday is definitely a good time to give this a go as you have your family members with you all day!

2. Don’t eat when you’re not hungry

This may sound obvious but how many of us end up snacking all day long? Or you may be eating your emotions, always turning to food when you are feeling emotional. Eating when not hungry overloads and confuses your digestive system and messes up your natural appetite.

3. Practice hara hachi bu
(Japanese word meaning eat to 80% full)

This is the saying any Japanese person is familiar with. Hara means stomach, hachi bu means 80% and it’s encouraging us not to overeat and always leave some room left in our stomach. Okinawans (people who live in the southern state of Japan called Okinawa) have the world’s highest proportions of centenarians, and they seem to be good practitioners of this principle. Eating only until you are 80% full allows you to digest food efficiently and doesn’t put unnecessary strain on your digestive system.  

4. Practice mindful eating

Take your mindfulness practice to the dining table! Use your senses when you eat. Take time to look at your plate and observe the colours and shapes of each ingredient. Take a moment to tune into the sense of smell and soak up the beautiful aroma of your meal. Chew your food well and enjoy the texture and different flavours. This has always helped me not to overeat.

5. Get moving

Right after meal isn’t the best time to practice yoga, but we don’t want to be hitting the couch especially right after dinner. How about going for a walk? Upright position aid digestion and it will help you lower the blood sugar level too. My favourite time to practice yoga by the way is before breakfast. Wake up light, stretch out a bit and meditate, what a great way to start a day! It may not be possible to do this everyday especially if you have a little one to care for or you have schoolchildren on holiday but try and find the time that works for you (maybe your bub’s nap time or after your kids go to bed at night) and do it often. Little bit of yoga is totally better than nothing!

Hope this will help you have a healthier festive season. If you are interested in learning more about Ayurveda, I invite you to come join me inside the Mindful Mama Membership. This is the only place where I share everything I know about Ayurveda and you can access the self-assessment quiz that I created so that you can discover your dominant dosha(s). You will receive weekly Ayurveda tips & ideas to help you stay balanced.

Mindful Mama Membership is the only place where you can receive ongoing support from me. It's designed for busy mums of young kids who seek life balance through yoga, Ayurveda and mindfulness. If you want to reduce stress and find more calm so that you can be more present and patient with your kids, you're in the right place! <<CLICK HERE>> to find out more about the membership.

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*Both codes expire on Tuesday 26th December 2023 and applicable to the first payment of the online membership. 

🎁 Anyone who signs up for the membership by 26th Dec 2023 will also receive free access to an online mini course, the Self-care Toolbox for Mindful Mums

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About Chika

Chika is the founder of Wa Yoga (Wa is a Japanese word meaning harmony). She is a Yoga Australia registered teacher, student of yoga for 15 years, teaching yoga & mindfulness for the last 9 years and mum to a school-aged daughter. She specialises in offering online courses and memberships for mothers of young children and young families so that they can enjoy stretching from the comfort of their own home.

She has a gentle approach to teaching yoga and her classes are always infused with mindfulness, reminding people to slow down and come back to the present moment. Her mission is to inspire and motivate other mums to start incorporating yoga & mindfulness into their daily self-care ritual.  

She is a creator of Mindful Mama Membership, the online membership for mothers who aspire to embrace daily practice of yoga, mindfulness & Ayurveda so they can find better balance to achieve optimal health. This is the best place to receive her guidance and the only place where she can offer you ongoing support. Inside the Mindful Mama Membership is the only place where Chika shares what she has learned from the ancient wisdom of Ayurveda and how to incorporate it into your busy, modern family life. You can find more details by <<CLICKING HERE>>