Mindful baking for the holidays

Mindful baking for the holidays

Even if you’re not a baker (like me!) baking treats is part of the holiday season! Unfortunately, it’s also a time that we tend to sabotage ourselves. The tastes as part of “quality control”, the licks here and there, the mindless eating of the edges of the brownies or broken pieces of cookies all add up. And what’s worse is that then not only do we feel yucky from all the sugar, we feel frustrated with ourselves. We know better, why can’t we do better?! 

With a little mental preparation we can do better! Follow my tips and tricks to enjoy some holiday baking without sabotage or depriving yourself!

Before baking:

1. EAT before you start. If you’re baking on an empty stomach, you’re setting yourself for a difficult time. Grab a high protein snack to fill you up sufficiently before you get started.

2. DECIDE how many treats you are going to eat. This can help deter those mindless bites. Create a realistic goal, instead of telling yourself that you’re not going to eat any of it. This helps get us out of that all or nothing mindset.

3. REMEMBER your intentions with the baking experience. Instead of focusing on the food, remind yourself of why you’re baking. It’s about the spirit of the holidays, the time spent with family or friends, the way you show love and the giving spirit this time of year. This will put your mind on the reasons, not the sugar fix.

4. KEEP healthy snacks on hand. Put out some veggies or some berries so that when you feel like you want to swipe a cookie, there is a healthier option visible and accessible.

While you are baking:

1. CRANK UP the holiday music. Sing and dance while you bake. It keeps you moving and joyful which is both good for your blood sugar and your holiday spirit!

2. SIT DOWN when you are ready to enjoy your decided amount of sweet treats. Instead of eating standing up, put your items on a festive napkin or plate, sit down, and really savor what you’re eating. Allow it to be an experience!

3. STAY AWARE. So much of our baking comes from a place of nostalgia. We tend to make the same things every year. We already know what they taste like, so think about that while you’re eating them. Maybe you only need a few bites to satisfy that desire. Most of our nostalgia comes from the smells more than the taste so make that work to your advantage.

Afterwards:

1. PACK them up. If you plan to keep a lot of the treats, put them in containers where they are not super visible. This time of year we are overstimulated, making our willpower weaker. What does this mean? It means that everytime we walk through the kitchen, if those treats are out, we’re going to have to hear about it in our brain. That’s a lot of self-talk we’re going to have to engage in, so making the treats less visible can cut down on some of that. 

2. ENJOY the treats you really really love and leave the others. Don’t sabotage your health goals for mediocre choices just because they are there. If you’re going to put off your weight loss and health goals, make it worth it. 

I hope that these tips help you prepare your mind for holiday baking and allow you to thrive not just survive! Happy baking! 

If you need some mindset tools to help you thrive during the holiday season, jump into my mini-course SSS: Holiday edition. The course is open from mid November through the end of the year. It’s a 7 day course, you pick your own start date, and I give you two weeks to complete it. In just a few minutes a day, I teach you how to shift your mindset and change your self-talk so that you can enjoy the holidays while achieving your health goals no matter what they are. Join HERE.