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(Submit) My Profile (Submit) My Subscriptions (Submit) Log Out cbc masthead logo Edmonton LIVE Edmonton More Streams Radio One Listen Live host picture CBC News Canada CBC News Navigation * Home * Opinion * World * Canada * Politics * Business * Health * Entertainment * Technology & Science * Video * Canada * Edmonton Have holiday stress? Lower your expectations, experts say Go easy on yourself, say experts in food, fitness and mental health By Natasha Riebe, CBC News Posted: Dec 22, 2016 5:23 PM MT Last Updated: Dec 23, 2016 4:48 PM MT Office workers gather for an elaborate potluck meal in December. Office workers gather for an elaborate potluck meal in December. (Sylvain Bascaron/CBC) Related Stories * Newborn's death leads to book on grief and surviving holiday season * Edmonton home aglow with Christmas cheer The office Christmas party, drinks with old friends, dinner with family over the holiday season — chances are you've had two or more social events in December where you may have or will be overindulging. The holiday eating and drinking blitz is hard to resist and its effects are difficult to ignore. The trick is not to be too hard on yourself, experts in food, fitness and mental health tell us. Guilt and regret will make the effects of calorie consumption worse. Set reasonable goals "I sometimes hear, 'Oh, I'm not going to eat any chocolate,' or 'I'm not going to have any sweets all of Christmas,' " said Robin Anderson, a registered dietician with Edmonton's Southside Primary Care Network. "Then that's really hard to follow through on," she acknowledges. Robin Anderson The ‘all or nothing’ approach usually ends up backfiring, says registered dietician, Robin Anderson. The "all or nothing" approach usually ends up backfiring, she points out. Then people go overboard and think, "I've ruined my goal, why bother?" When setting limits for yourself, Anderson recommends being 80-per-cent sure you can do it. "It's not about restrictive eating over the holidays, it's about restrained." Whether it's wine, eggnog, special coffees or Nanaimo bars, try to enjoy in moderation. "I'm not going to have as much of it as I would like to, but I'm going to still enjoy it." Avoid high expectations Setting reasonable goals when it comes to fitness is also useful, echoes Jeff Woods, the owner of Custom Fit personal training in Edmonton. With extra time demands throughout the holiday season, it's better to accept that you may not fit in your usual routine, he said. Guy running Exercise is great way to manage stress over the holiday season, says Jeff Woods, a personal trainer in Edmonton. (Supplied) "Instead of going to the gym or doing a run and thinking that you're going to spend an hour — people think that's a daunting task — so reduce it, just do 20 to 30 minutes." Even 20 minutes a day of walking can make a difference. "Not only are you going to manage your stress more effectively over the holiday season," he said, "but long term in terms of high blood pressure, heart disease, risk of stroke or heart attack, it is all far reduced if you're just even engaged in a walking program." A mental-health check When it comes to your mental mettle over the holidays, lower expectations may be more crucial. Entertaining family over the holidays usually means setting the scene for a fun, fulfilling time, explains Shelina Merali-Tate, a social worker at the Southside Primary Care Network. You may be setting yourself up for disappointment. 'The holiday season is supposed to be relaxing.' Shelina Merali-Tate, a social worker at the Southside Primary Care Network "When the time comes, sometimes those expectations are not being met and that's when people sort of feel deflated — that it wasn't what it was supposed to be like, or meant to be." For those tasked with preparing Christmas dinner and entertaining, Merali-Tate recommends setting boundaries and asking for help. "Make sure you schedule in some quality time for yourself," she advises. "Even if it is time away from the house, from family members — because we do need our own space and time to just regroup." Plan but don't worry If you have one or two dinners to attend over the holiday season, Anderson recommends simply embracing the festivities. "Don't go crazy but enjoy it and don't worry so much about setting some fairly restrained eating for yourself." If you have two or three events a week over the course of December and the beginning of January, she suggests a little more restraint may be called for. hi-turkey-dinner “It’s not about restrictive eating over the holidays, it’s about restrained,” says Robin Anderson. "If I have 30 different opportunities to overeat in the next month, you bet that if I don't have a plan or a goal going into it, that in January I'm not going to feel super great." If in the past, the indulgences and commitments over the holidays have left you feeling exhausted by the time you get back to school or work in January, Merali-Tate has one more reminder: "The holiday season is supposed to be relaxing, and that's just important for people to try and incorporate that during this season." * Report Typo or Error Send Feedback Stay Connected with CBC News * Mobile * Facebook * Podcasts * Twitter * Alerts * Newsletter Advertisment Weather Severe weather warnings or watches in effect for: Wednesday [29.gif] Mainly cloudy -2°C Thursday [02.gif] A mix of sun and cloud -2°C Friday [02.gif] A mix of sun and cloud -4°C Saturday [17.gif] Chance of flurries -3°C Sunday [00.gif] Sunny -16°C More Weather | | Latest Edmonton News Headlines * RCMP Fort McMurray man charged after Newfoundland couple killed by alleged impaired * 'Owl roadkill season': Another great horned owl hits truck, survives * Former CEO concerned about future of northwestern Alberta dinosaur museum * RCMP investigate suspicious death on Paul Band First Nation * Canadian politics 2016: A year in pictures Edmonton Index Promos * Jonathan Denis and Stephen Carter Alberta PC policy convention fallout continues with lawsuit launched over C-word * Goetz family Christmas wish to be home for holidays didn't come true for many Fort McMurray families * Ryder and Radek MacDougall, spruce grove vigil Spruce Grove shows support for 2 boys killed in murder-suicide * Edmonton Turkey Drive CBC Edmonton surpasses Turkey Drive fundraising goal Top News Headlines * 67145707 Star Wars actress, bestselling author Carrie Fisher dead at 60 * Helium rush in Saskatchewan as province taps into 1.8 billion-year-old rock read comments video * ‘Nobody does what we do’: Being one of the RCMP’s 70 divers is not for the faint-hearted * Trump not allowed to dismantle foundation while it's under investigation * Thousands attend Mexican girl's 15th birthday after Facebook invite goes viral Most Viewed * Edmonton mother accused of killing daughter had mental illness, friends and family say * Canadian Blood Services desperate for donations * 'Owl roadkill season': Another great horned owl hits truck, survives * Edmonton mom charged with killing 21-year-old daughter * Former CEO concerned about future of northwestern Alberta dinosaur museum * RCMP investigate suspicious death on Paul Band First Nation * Identical Alberta quadruplets star in cute Christmas photo shoot * Don't forget these winter driving tips for bad Alberta roads, AMA says * Police charge mother in Edmonton's 41st homicide Don't Miss * Rona Ambrose 'Complete insanity' to pursue carbon tax now that Trump will be president, says Ambrose * Leonard Cohen Remembering Leonard Cohen, and Edmonton's Sisters of Mercy * Autonomous Vehicles on mine sites in Australia are now being tested in alberta Oilsands workers worry driverless trucks will haul away their jobs * Alberta School for the Deaf School board discriminated against deaf teacher over service dog, ruling says * Jordan Yarmey shown in a high school photo Family in fentanyl manslaughter case speak out about their 'living nightmare' * Fort McMurray dawn 6 months after Fort McMurray fire, new homes and renewed hope for some — but not all * Marissa Nakoochee Pregnant and homeless: Edmonton coalition aims to give women pathway to better futures Explore CBC * CBC Home * TV * Radio * News * Sports * Music * Life * Arts * Kids * Local * Documentaries * Comedy * Books * Parents * Indigenous * Digital Archives * Games * Contests * Site Map Stay Connected * Apps * RSS * Podcasts * Newsletters & Alerts Services and Information * Corporate Info * Public Appearances * Commercial Services * Reuse & Permission * Terms of Use * Privacy Policy * CBC Shop * Help * Contact Us * Jobs * Doing Business with Us * Renting Facilities CBC CBC gem logo Radio-Canada ©2016 CBC/Radio-Canada. 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