What if the holidays were not an interruption to your wellness journey, but simply part of it?
Here we are again. Halloween candy fills the bowls, Thanksgiving plans are underway, and Christmas parties will soon fill the calendar. There are beloved family recipes and classic desserts we remember from childhood.
And somewhere in the background, a whistle starts blowing.
Too much sugar!
Too many carbs!
You should not eat that!
You already had dessert!
Meet the Nutrition Referee
You may know this character well. In fact, the Nutrition Referee might not even be another person sitting across the table. Often, that voice has lived in our own heads for years, clutching an invisible rulebook filled with good foods, bad foods, allowed foods, and forbidden foods.
When the referee takes over, food stops being nourishment and connection. It becomes a test we are constantly worried about failing.
I would like to suggest another way to approach the holiday season. It is a gentle perspective I have shared for many years, rooted in real life wellness.
My Annual 1095
If we use three meals a day as a simple illustration:
3 meals a day × 365 days = 1,095 meals in a year.
Now imagine a large glass jar filled with 1,095 smooth stones. Each stone represents a single meal.
Reach into the jar and take out Thanksgiving dinner. That is one stone.
Take out Christmas Eve dinner. Another stone.
Take out Christmas day feast, your birthday dinner, an anniversary date, a friend's wedding, and a wonderful meal enjoyed while traveling. Go ahead and take out a piece of Halloween chocolate, too.
Now look down at the small handful of stones resting in your hand.
Then look back at how many stones are still in the jar.
That is your Annual 1095.
We often become so focused and anxious about a handful of celebrations that we completely forget about the hundreds of ordinary meals that make up our year. The holiday dinner is not the whole story. The path you walk most often tells the bigger story.
The 90/10 Mindset
For many years, I have leaned into a simple 90/10 principle with my Annual 1095. If approximately 90 percent of the meals I choose nourish my body and support the energy I need, that leaves plenty of room for pure celebration.
Ten percent of 1,095 meals is about 109 meals. That is more than enough room for parties, travel, and cherished traditions!
Over the years, my own rhythm has naturally shifted closer to 95/5. But here is the most important part: my number does not need to be your number.
This is not a diet. Your body is uniquely yours. Your family history, culture, preferences, and personal goals belong to you. The ratio is not the lesson here.
Awareness is the lesson.
- What are you practicing most of the time?
- What foods truly nourish and energize you?
- What traditions bring genuine meaning and pleasure to your table?
Your "Why" Changes the Conversation
For decades, we have been handed everyone else's rulebook. We are told how to eat, which foods to avoid, and what numbers to track. But real wellness begins with a very different question:
What way of eating allows me to nourish myself and live the life I am called to live?
And beneath that question lies the most powerful one of all: Why does that matter to you?
Maybe you want sustained energy to run and play with your grandchildren. Maybe you want stamina to garden, travel, work, or create. Or maybe you simply want to wake up each morning feeling light, rested, and ready for the day ahead.
When you understand your why, you are no longer following an outside set of rules. You are making conscious, loving choices for your own life.
Quieting the Referee
When the Nutrition Referee blows that whistle this season, remember that you do not need to argue. You simply have to stop handing over your power.
Instead of saying: "I cannot have that."
Try saying: "I can have it, but today I am choosing something else."
Or perhaps: "Yes, I really want that, and I am going to savor every single bite."
Both responses are conscious, grounded choices. And if you eat something that leaves you feeling sluggish afterward? Treat it as information, not failure. Notice it, learn from it, and meet your next meal with grace.
The Path You Walk Most Often
Imagine walking across an open field of tall grass. Walk across it once, and you barely leave a trace. But walk that exact route tomorrow, the next day, and the week after that, and a clear path begins to form.
Our daily wellness practices work the exact same way. One nourishing meal does not build a whole lifestyle, and one slice of pumpkin pie does not erase one.
There is a beautiful line in Psalm 90:12: "Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom."
Perhaps our 1,095 meals can offer a gentle reminder of that same wisdom. They are not tests to pass or fail. They are 1,095 opportunities to nourish, gather, celebrate, and practice.
You do not have to solve all 1,095 meals right now. Just meet the next one. One bite, one choice, and one practice at a time.
Practice Wellness Daily™
Elisa McClure | Nourish Body • Mind • Spirit
elisamcclure.com
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