7 Tips for a Stress-Free Holiday Season

This article is in partnership with Tattersall Functional Beverage Let’s be real. The holidays are supposed to be merry and bright, but sometimes they feel more frantic and fried. Between the shopping, the hosting, the travel, and the sugar rushes and crashes, our stress hormones don’t always get the memo that this season is about joy. Here’s how to actually unwind this year in body, mind, and spirit, so that you can show up as your calmest, most grounded self and actually enjoy the holiday season. 1. Keep Your Blood Sugar (and Mood) Merry and Bright When we’re stressed, cortisol spikes and so do cravings for sugar and carbs. Keeping your meals balanced with protein, fiber, and healthy fats helps stabilize blood sugar and keeps those “holiday hanger” moments in check. Make starting your day with a protein-rich breakfast a non-negotiable. Hard-boiled eggs with sliced avocado or Greek yogurt with berries and hemp seeds are two go-to easy options. You’ll have more steady energy and patience for those long checkout lines and holiday traffic. 2. Move to Manage Stress (and Digest the Cookies) You don’t need a 60-minute workout to get the mental health benefits of exercise. Even a brisk 10-minute walk after meals can help regulate blood sugar, improve digestion, and trigger endorphins that counter stress hormones. Think of movement as your emotional reset button not a punishment for indulging and you may be more motivated to get it in. This holiday season make an after lunch or dinner bundled up walk your movement and “me” time. 3. Reimagine “Happy Hour” If you love the ritual of a cocktail but not the aftereffects, consider swapping your drink for a zero-proof option that still feels special. One favorite in our holiday rotation: Tattersall Functional Beverages—non-alcoholic, THC-infused drinks made with adaptogens and electrolytes to help you enjoy without the hangover. Their Uplift blend contains adaptogens like lion’s mane and rhodiola rosea to deliver the perfect state for lightening the mood and socializing. The flexible dosing and predictable effects make it the perfect low-calorie mocktail for a festive night out or a mindful moment after a long day of hosting or holiday chaos. THC beverages are for adults 21+ and should be enjoyed responsibly — start low, sip slow, and savor the experience. 4. Protect Your Sleep Like It’s a Holiday Miracle Sleep is a pillar of a nutritious life for very good reason. Sleep is when your body restores and repairs. There will likely be some later nights out during the holidays but on those nights at home you’ll want to focus hard on your sleep hygiene. Aim to keep a semi-consistent bedtime, limit alcohol (it disrupts REM sleep), and swap your scrolling habit for something that helps your nervous system downshift such as reading or journaling. A great swap for the glass of wine while wrapping gifts is Tattersall Functional Beverages Unwind—all the zen, minus all sleep disruptions. Also, you may want to consider a sleep supporting supplement such as magnesium glycinate. 5. Choose Rituals Over Routines One of the reasons holidays feel magical as kids is because kids love rituals and traditions. As adults, we often lose that sense of intentional pause and fun. Try bringing it back in a healthy form: light candles with dinner each night, end the night with a cozy tea, or light a fire and make your holiday gift lists as a family. Small moments of mindfulness go a long way toward lowering stress. 6. Stay Connected — But Set Boundaries Connection lowers stress hormones like cortisol and boosts oxytocin, the “feel-good” hormone. But don’t confuse connection with overcommitment. Choose quality time with the people who fill your cup and give yourself permission to say no when you need to protect your energy. 7. Unwind with Intention Managing stress isn’t always about doing less during the holidays, it’s about doing what actually makes you feel good. Whether that’s a long walk, a good book, or a Tattersall Functional Beverage Unwind mocktail by the fire, make space for those moments that help you exhale. Because that’s where the real holiday magic happens, when you’re calm enough to feel it. This holiday season, skip the pressure to make it “perfect.” Instead, make it peaceful. Balance your blood sugar, protect your sleep, move your body, and find little ways to unwind that feel good — body and soul. You can go to Tattersall Functional Beverage and use the code KERI15 for a special offer. This offer is valid now through December 31, 2025. It can be used on all products except the $10 “Just Try It” box and cannot be combined with other promo codes or discounts.

4 Ways to Avoid Holiday Weight Gain Starting with Halloween

We all look forward to the holidays. They’re an excuse to celebrate and break from the norm. While all this celebrating is great and fun and joyful, it can also be hard to superimpose the pleasures of the season onto your clean living efforts, and, for so many, this often means trying to avoid holiday weight gain. Truth be told, your body would probably forgive you if you overdid it on the chocolate for a few days around Halloween, as long as you went right back to your healthy diet afterward. The trouble is that Thanksgiving has to get tucked into November, and then, of course, Christmas and Hanukkah take over December, and then New Year’s somehow slides right into Valentine’s Day to end the season. Do the math: a few days of overindulging at each holiday and we’re talking at least 15 days of celebrating that lands on your love handles, and your body can’t just shake the weight gain off so easily. Eeeek.  So how are you gonna handle this? Before you can plan to conquer the holidays without weight gain, identify who you are around the holidays. Are you the girl who has an easy time eating well during the meal, but can’t help but go crazy when the desserts come out? Are you the guy who starves himself all day so you can have everything when dinner rolls around? Are you the kid you were 30 years ago who has a personalized quart of eggnog in the fridge? If you can figure out where it is most difficult for you to eat well, you can make a plan to be successful. Follow that plan, and not only do you get the reward of not gaining weight, but you get an amazing sense of accomplishment and control that you can feel great about while still thoroughly enjoying the holidays. Top 4 Tips to Avoiding Holiday Weight Gain 1. Have a partner Tell someone who you know has your back, that you’re working on your weight, and what you plan to do to get through a tough holiday meal. “I’m going to keep a glass of water in my hand and not eat anything fried.” Say your version of that to your friend, and you’re more likely to do it. 2. Don’t deprive yourself Not eating all day so you can eat more later, or skipping your favorite apple pie altogether, will lead to feelings of deprivation. That sounds pretty awful and can trigger you to overdo it later. Before your event or meal, fill up on fiber-rich vegetables and a little healthy fat or protein. Think healthy foods like crudites and hummus, a salad with a couple spoonfuls of avocado, or a cup of veggie chili. You’ll eat less when you get to the main event, have more time to socialize, and have the amazing ability to slow down and savor your slice of pie. 3. To booze or not to booze Make sure you’re well-hydrated with good old-fashioned water and you are not thirsty when you hit the party. Delaying the alcohol and deciding to drink less will help you make better food decisions, save you some empty calories, and keep you from feeling so lousy that you don’t make it to the gym in the morning. Booze can also interrupt your shut-eye and you need those zzzz’s to keep your immune system strong and defend yourself against fatigue-related eating. You’ll be more apt to grab a healthy breakfast the next morning rather than a bacon, egg, and cheese croissant. 4. Out of sight, out of your mouth When you are at a party, position yourself as far away from the food as possible. If you’re next to the cheese tray, you’re more likely to eat some than if it was across the room. If you have leftovers from your dinner party, buy to-go containers and send Uncle Joe’s famous stuffing home with the friend who complimented it. This will ensure you don’t make it a midnight snack. Savor the celebratory moment then look forward to eating your special holiday meal again next year (not a few hours later)! There you go. Put this plan in place in your Nutritious Life. You can even arm yourself with a little mantra to keep your plan in the front of your brain from Halloween until Valentine’s Day, so it helps you get through smoothly. Affirmations like, “I am looking forward to my pie tomorrow,” or “Green means go,” (meaning eat the green beans, peppers, and cucumber slices) will keep you focused and positive. Here’s to a happy healthy, weight-stable YOU this holiday season. Give Yourself the Gift of Wellness There’s nothing more empowering than fully understanding how food affects your health and well-being. That’s why we created our Emotional Eating and Brain Food courses, which dive deep into how to live your best nutritious life while looking and feeling amazing.  If you want to take things even further and make your passion for wellness your job or side hustle, join our Become a Nutrition Coach community and be a change-maker for people all over the world. However you choose to join us, you’ll be surrounded by the support and encouragement you need to create healthy habits that can change your life. Give yourself the gift of wellness—we can’t wait to welcome you into the tribe.

5 Smart, Simple Strategies for a Lean Holiday Season

It’s officially the holiday season (yay!), which means festive soirees, gift wrapping, and…sweet treats that just keep on coming. And every year, although we swear we won’t do it again, it’s hard to avoid trying a bite of every glittery cookie, which leads to gaining extra pounds we then resolve to lose come New Year’s. This year, we’re ready to break that same-old cycle (without sacrificing even a moment of joy). Here are a few smart, simple ways to avoid holiday weight gain that don’t include swearing off every piece of pecan pie or avoiding eggnog for the entire season. The best part? Staying lean and healthy will allow you to feel great amid all of the hustle and bustle, so you can soak up even more of the season’s happy vibes. Schedule your workouts in advance. You want your exercise routine to stay as consistent as possible. Hold yourself accountable by signing up for classes or adding your workouts to your calendar in advance. You might even want to treat yourself to some extra classes, since it’s easier to drag yourself out of bed for an early morning sweat session knowing you’ll avoid a cancellation fee and can spend your hard-earned dollars on killer gifts, instead. Bonus: The endorphin rush after class will help keep the stress of the season at bay, and you can refuel with a post workout smoothie. Stay super focused on eating your veggies. Yes, we’re saying it again. If your belly is full of veggies, after all, there will be less room for multiple servings of mashed potatoes. Make sure to eat greens and other winter veggies at every meal. Throw sauteed broccoli rabe and red peppers into scrambled eggs for breakfast, wilt kale and swiss chard into a white bean soup to bring with you for lunch, and lay your salmon filet over a bed of sauteed broccoli rabe as an easy go-to dinner. Stuck with only the options available at a holiday party? Station yourself near the crudite platter and fill up. The nutrients in veggies are important for a strong immune system, and the high water and fiber content will keep you full. Indulge when you actually want to. As you’re unwrapping yet another candy cane, think, “Do I really want this?” Eating mindlessly as you hop from glam parties to office cookie swaps won’t actually ever satisfy your sweet tooth. If it’s not a dessert that makes your mouth water, skip it. Save that indulgence for your Grandma’s pumpkin pie you wait for all year long, and while you eat it, savor every last bite. Drink smart. Champagne is going to be flowing like crazy, so choose a night or two a week to treat yourself to a drink (or two!). Have a holiday party coming up? Save your alcoholic beverages for those nights and skip the glass of wine at your after-work sushi dinner. On the nights you do drink, start with a glass of water or seltzer with a lemon or lime and drink another in between every martini or glass of wine. Staying hydrated will keep you from overdoing it and will help prevent a hangover. Prioritize shut-eye. If you don’t get enough sleep regularly, the constant go-go feeling of the holiday season will make your stress level spike, which raises cortisol in the body and leads to weight gain. Plus, you’ll be more likely to overeat as a result of fatigue. Set a bedtime you want to stick to on weeknights and try to honor it unless you have a special occasion. After all, you’re trying to stay lean and healthy, but you also don’t want to end up spending the season acting like The Grinch.