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Creators & Guests

Host
Mikki Williden

What is Mikkipedia?

Mikkipedia is an exploration in all things health, well being, fitness, food and nutrition. I sit down with scientists, doctors, professors, practitioners and people who have a wealth of experience and have a conversation that takes a deep dive into their area of expertise. I love translating science into a language that people understand, so while some of the conversations will be pretty in-depth, you will come away with some practical tips that can be instigated into your everyday life. I hope you enjoy the show!

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Bye!

00:10
Hey everyone, it's Mikki here. You're listening to Mini Mikkipedia on a Monday, and this Monday I want to chat about the festive season. So we are November 13th, if you're listening to this, when it is released, and that leaves us basically five weeks until the big day. And not only is it just one day, because of course if it was just one day, we wouldn't make such an issue of it. It is...

00:39
numerous social occasions, morning teas, breakfast out, dinners out, after work drinks, random snacks and chocolates around the office and around home, and everyone trying to catch up before the end of the year. It's funny how that happens eh? Like you don't see people for months and months and suddenly we all must catch up before Christmas. Like no one's going to be around you know the following year or come January 1st.

01:08
Anyway, so last week we spoke a bit about just mindset stuff, and mindset is absolutely critical at this time of year. And generally speaking, I come across with people, there are two predominant mindsets of people who struggle at this time of year. Obviously that is not everyone, but there are people who feel really anxious about attending social occasions, not being in

01:37
the increased availability of junk food around. You know, these are the things which do stress a lot of people out. And it means that they can't enjoy the social occasions and the time spent with family and loved ones and friends. So you've got that group, and then you've got the stuff it group. The people who are like, well, I was doing fine, but things have started slipping in. And basically there's no point. There's no point to trying to

02:07
eat a certain way or think about my food now. That's what 2024 is about. I'm just going to relax and enjoy myself and come what may at the end of 2023. And I've got to say that both of these personality types can really benefit from some simple structure which means that they can enjoy this time of year without being overly anxious and without

02:36
overanalyze and overthink everything that they do, and they don't have to give up on all of those hard earned behaviors and habits that have been built across 2023. And you don't have to go without or feel deprived, yet still maintain the structure of your habits as we head into the festive season. And of course, as I said,

03:00
This is not everyone, there are people who absolutely have things dialed in and they can sail through this time of year and not overly stress about it, knowing that if they do gain a little weight, that they've got the tools and strategies to help them lose it again come the new year. And weight gain at this time of year isn't inevitable, but it is common. And particularly if you are someone who celebrates Thanksgiving, that might take you.

03:29
all the way from November through to January. But even if you aren't, then as I said, there are just many sort of end of year things that happen that take you out of your usual sort of routine and structure. And routine and structure, as much as they sound like words that are boring and a bit too practical and no fun at all, they're the things that are gonna get you through. And you can have routine without deprivation. So,

03:57
Here are just four different boxes, if you like, to structure the next few weeks around. And all that I'm really asking you to do, if this is an area that you struggle in, is spend some time, spend some time thinking about what's happening at this time of year, so you can plan accordingly. And in fact, planning, prioritizing, preparing, and then reflecting

04:27
that if you are able to check a lot of these things off under each of the boxes, then you're probably gonna go a long way to sort of sailing into the Christmas season feeling really good and also looking at having a stellar 2024. And I think that's what most people would love. So let's start with planning.

04:51
You won't know everything that's going to be happening between now and Christmas, but I imagine a lot of us already have social occasions in the calendar. So now's a really good opportunity to sit down and have a think about how you're going to approach these. Which ones will you be having a drink at? Which ones will you be sober driver? Put things like that on the calendar and evaluate them in light of other activities.

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For example, if you're someone who exercises usually after work, you're noticing that you've got a lot of activities that are coming in that sort of post-work time window, after work drinks, dinners out, things like that. Then, can you shift your exercise routine to the morning or to lunchtime at this time of year? So just a little bit of planning can mean that you keep your really good habits, but you're not going without with some of these social occasions.

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Also plan your meals and keep that structure that you've had for the last few months going so you don't end up just going, I'm just out all the time so I'll just wing it. A good diet doesn't happen by accident, so make sure with the meals that you can control that you're planning them accordingly. Now's a really good time to bring in that social support as well. Tell other people you're trying to strike a balance this holiday season.

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And that part of that might be saying no to some activities or nights out for a few drinks or foods that might be available, like, you know, Betsy baked her favorite chocolate cake and brought it to work and now wants everyone to have a piece. If you tell those people around you what you're trying to do, your friends are going to want to support you in that. So give them the opportunity to do as much. And having that social network

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really helps adherence this time of year? And it might even be an online network as well. Maybe it's not people actually in your immediate vicinity and people that you're in person with. Might be a social network, it can just be your work colleagues, might be your best mates. Can any of the catch-ups that you're trying to organize sort of encompass some sort of activity or include foods that you feel really good eating and that really work for you?

07:13
because the main purpose of the catch up isn't necessarily the food, it's about seeing each other. So there can probably be some middle ground that can be reached there, but only really if you tell people around you that that's what you're trying to achieve. If you do have meals that are, that you know are off plan, that is fine. I mean of course it's fine, but importantly though, if you've planned to have a meal,

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that you know you're going to go out to the barbecue place or to, you know, something like that where you might enjoy all of your favorite foods. You don't have to stress about it. It is just one meal. And then the next opportunity is the opportunity to get back into the swing of what you're trying to do most of the time, because no meal ruins anyone's diet plan. And the more that you recognize that you don't have to catastrophize it, the easier it is to stay on track for the rest of the time.

08:08
So you don't have to feel anxious about it, nor do you have to just go, oh, stuff it. I've had one meal off. I'm just gonna leave it until after Christmas. And the other important thing with meals that you have already planned to, you know, go off plan if you like, is that it helps alleviate that feeling of deprivation or restriction that can occur if you feel like you're constantly saying no to things, which is not a problem to say no to some things.

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Obviously, and it's actually necessary this time of year if you do want to keep on track, given the opportunities to eat off plan. But if you say no to everything, then you can run the risk of feeling deprived and that deprivation can then signal in your brain that scarcity mindset that means that you basically go entirely off plan. So these are just some things to think about. So planning is the first thing. The second thing I want you to consider is prioritizing. And obviously these are going to overlap. My four little boxes.

09:07
but sleep almost always goes out the window this time of year, you need to prioritize your sleep. Oftentimes we are up late because we're out at, you know, end of year gatherings, you know, graduations, all things like that, but we're still having to get up at the same time. So try to allow that eight hours in bed and try to protect that as much as you can. That might mean saying no to some activities, which of course we'll talk about, but if you...

09:35
are able to dial in your sleep this time of year, everything else can really fall into place. I mentioned that if you're someone that exercises in the afternoon, you find yourself going out all of the time and you can't exercise, then it is on you to find another time to do it. And it is on you to prioritize your exercise if you can want to continue to feel good across this season. And let's face it, like,

10:01
Those of us in the Southern Hemisphere, it's a perfect time of year to get out and about and be active, right? It's the perfect time of year. And it's a little bit more challenging in the Northern Hemisphere as the days are getting shorter and it is getting darker. But you almost always feel better when you prioritize exercise, so put that on the top of your list. Also, you may get invited to tens of different activities across the course of the next few

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you don't have to go to all of them. Does it mean that you have to prioritize some over others in order for you to get the type of sleep that you wanna be getting and the exercise that you want to do? So you can stay the best version of yourself basically. You know, it's really almost our default action to always say yes to a lot of things, even the things that we don't really wanna do. So do have a think about that and try and prioritize the activities that you really want to be doing.

11:02
And right now, stress levels can be pretty high as we're gearing towards the end of the year. So stress management, however that looks for you, is something else that needs to be prioritized. And often we don't think about stress management unless we're sort of in the middle of a super stressful time, which is almost at that time, that's when you would have wanted those habits and behaviors around stress management to be dialed in. So it's really important for you to continue

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the Headspace app, the journaling, the sauna, the cold water immersion, whatever you're doing to help with stress, it's important to continue to do that. It is one of the first things that tends to slide this time of year as our calendars get more and more booked up. And with that, if you recognize that you're someone that needs downtime, don't forget it. And we often try to be everything to everyone, whereas taking some time for yourself

12:00
that also comes into stress management, but that's super important as well. Regardless of your eating situation, be it that you're having meals in the house, you're ordering takeaways in because it's just really late or you're around somebody else's house, prioritize protein. Make that the centerpiece of your meal, regardless of what meal you have, because that has absolute flow on effects to your energy, your concentration, your blood sugar management, your appetite, and your ability to stay

12:29
the best version of yourself. And then think about activity outside of exercise. It is super important to maintain active levels, even particularly if you can't make your structured exercise session, but even if you can, just so you're continuing to get that blood flowing through you to feeling really good because you're moving, which is what our bodies are designed to do, and keep that step count up.

12:58
and in lieu of a structured exercise session, it is still a good way for your metabolism to tick on over and for you to expend calories. Because this is geared towards you continuing to progress towards your body composition goals. Now, prepare is my third little box, which I just want to go over. And obviously some of these come into the previous two, but don't forget your food prep each week. And

13:26
Part of the planning probably needs to ensure that you're continuing to put in your calendar and prioritize the food prep that needs to occur to allow you to make better choices when you're in control of your food. Protein choices for lunch and dinner, get them organized, know what you're having. Salads and lunches, organize these things so it's super easy for you to grab and go. That doesn't involve spending money.

13:55
at the takeaway shop. Get your exercise clothes out the night before, so it's non-negotiable, you're just gonna get up and train the way you always do. And practice saying no thank you, because sometimes the hardest thing is to actually say no this time of year, or any time of year. And oftentimes when we turn down an invitation, and that might be an invitation to...

14:21
an event or to eat a certain food or to have another glass of wine etc. We leave room for people around us to sort of talk us out of it because we add excuses. We're like, oh no thank you, I can't come to dinner at your house tonight because I've got no one to look after the kids. That then leaves it open for the person asking you to say, oh we'll get our babysitter to do it for you or our kid can watch your kids.

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Instead, just practice saying, oh, no, thank you. I can't make it without giving a reason or excuse. Don't give people the opportunity to sort of talk you out of it. Also, if you're going somewhere else, then try to bring foods that actually suit you to eat. So you'll know there will at least be one thing on the table that you know that you can enjoy and continue to progress your body composition goals, if that is important for you. So.

15:18
preparing meals or preparing foods, even if they're not necessarily the A plus choice, they can still be a solid B and you can still do pretty well. Cause remember it's not about perfection at any time of year. It is just about progress and it is just about doing what you wanna be doing most of the time and then around your food and exercise. And where you can take control, take control. And then finally with the prepare,

15:49
It's important to prepare to manage expectations. And this isn't necessarily just your own expectations about what you can achieve in the next 49 days. It's about other people's expectations. And this is hard. There will be disappointment. Some of it will be yours because you don't meet your high standards of where you think you should be or the decisions that you make aren't always the ones that you reflect later and go, oh, I should have done something else, you know.

16:18
others as well. However, the only person that you can control, the only emotions that you can control are your own. So as much as you can manage your expectations about what you want to achieve this time of year. So part of this does come back into that planning. Do you want to just plan to maintain where you're at? Do you want to continue to progress towards your fat loss goal? You know, so bear that stuff in mind and then let your planning reflect what your goal is.

16:48
But then also because you're saying no to things, because you're leaning on people for social support and in a good way, that'll help you manage other people's expectations around your ability to attend every event or to always engage in, you know, drinking and eating the same sort of food that they might be. So keep your goal in mind. And then finally, what can really help for those people who really do sort of find it challenging this time of year is to use reflection.

17:17
And this might be a daily journal. You might just do little notes on your phone. Think about what went well that day. So you can remember and celebrate the successes as you go along because it's so easy to just focus on, you know, where we feel we have failed, you know? Like, oh, I was gonna have my chicken salad, but someone bought fish and chips, so I'll blow it, I'll have fish and chips. Well, I've failed now. And we know that's not true. You haven't failed. You just made a different decision.

17:47
So by reflecting every day on some of the other small successes, like you ticked off your exercise, like you planned your food, it reminds you of how far you've come. And I think that's super important. But also do think about what could go better and how might that look. So it's sort of you're focusing in on other strategies that help you reach your goal. If you weren't able to sort of implement those strategies today, what could you do tomorrow that might make that different?

18:16
Remember why, remember why you're doing what you're doing, why this is important to you. And it might be an aesthetic goal, totally fine. It might be so you continue to build strength so you can run around after your grandkiddies. That's awesome. It doesn't really matter what your goal is. What matters is that it's important to you. And the more you feel you are making progress towards it, however small that might seem at the time, it's still super important and

18:45
It's important to reflect and remind yourself of why you're doing it. And then, as I said, celebrate the wins that you make along the way. So planning, prioritizing, preparing and reflecting. These four ideas or this sort of structure or framework can go a long way to helping you feel like you're set up for success in the festive season. And one last thing before I finish up is that Monday's matter Christmas edition.

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taking place Monday, 20th of November. And so that is next week, people. And this week is your opportunity to sign up for four weeks of a structured plan that allows you all of the things that I've been chatting about here to come to the forefront and we make it easy for you. We've got fat loss tools. We've got a really well structured plan for you with shopping lists. We take the thinking out of it. You've got that social support embedded in the plan.

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We've got exercise plan as well, just to take the thinking out of it as well. And then you can pick and choose your flavor of what you want to do. So we'd love to see you. It's just four weeks in the lead up to Christmas. And we still allow for you to enjoy all of the social occasions and the things that you want to, but still feel like you've got that structure in place. It's like a win-win. So that kicks off November 20th. Registrations are now open and you'll find links to that in the show notes.

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DM me, I'm on threads, Instagram and Twitter @mikkiwilliden. I am on Facebook @mikkiwillidenNutrition and I'm over at my website, mikkiwilliden.com and that's where you can sign up. We'd love to have you. All right team, you have a great week. Talk soon.