9 Ways to Survive the Holidays with Your Health Intact
It’s tough to stick to a healthy routine every hour of every day every other month of the year, but the holiday season brings a whole slew of new challenges. When the height of cold and flu season is jam-packed with parties, full of warming cocktails and tantalizing treats, it can seem impossible to stay on track. Here’s how you can stay healthy during the holidays, guaranteeing a more joyful January.
Stay Active
Do something every day to just move. Trying to adhere to a strict workout regime can be difficult for some through the busyness of the holidays. Instead of trying to get to the gym five days a week, focus on doing at least one thing every day to get you moving. This could be going on a walk with family or trying out a new and fun fitness class with a friend (hello, holiday specials!).
Get your family and friends involved. With health precautions and mandates in effect in most of the country, why not enjoy the time together with family and friends in an outdoor setting. Going to the mountains for the holidays? Go for a family hike! Hanging out around the house? Gather everyone to go for a bike ride or walk around the neighborhood. Or do something fun like participating in a turkey trot 5K/fun run in your area on Thanksgiving morning! There are still plenty of virtual options available!
Think short and make it count. With limited time through the holiday season, I like to keep my workouts short and sweet. HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) workouts are a great way to get your heart pumping in 30 minutes or less with minimal to no equipment. Looking for a workout to try at home? Check out the workouts in our blog.
Focusing on Nutrition
Quality over quantity. Have you ever eaten so much that you make yourself feel sick? Sound like Thanksgiving Day to anyone? Friends and family know that I love to eat, and I often feast with my eyes before my food even touches my mouth. The problem with this is that my eyes are often times bigger than my stomach as I’m loading up my plate and I end up stuffing myself full. Instead of seeing just how high you can stack your plate, take a look at the holiday spread and decide on a select few items that you want to try, first. You can always go back for more, but chances are you will be satisfied with the foods you chose!
Savor your foods. We’ve talked about mindful eating before. Now it’s time to put it into practice by engaging all five senses when eating that delicious slice of pumpkin pie or forkful of green bean casserole. Being mindful of what we are eating forces us to slow down, allowing our body to process and digest our foods better. Listen to your body when it tells you it’s satisfied instead of reaching for just one more cookie or bite!
Eat before you go. Go to that holiday party, that is. Having a healthy snack before heading out the door to get to the next holiday festivity can help prevent overeating once you’re there. Have you ever gone to a party ravenously hungry and end up stuffing your face with cheesy dip, holiday chex mix and cookies wondering why you’re just not feeling full? Well, because those things aren’t as nutritionally satisfying as that apple and peanut butter or turkey sandwich you could have had before you left.
Emotional Wellbeing
Practice gratitude. It’s the season of thankfulness and what better time to remind yourself of what you are grateful for in your life! Spending five minutes each morning to practice gratitude can help set a positive and uplifting tone for the day.
Focus on friends and family. The holidays are meant to be a time to sit back and relax with friends and family. Be mindful not to let your ever-growing to do list or work commitments get in the way of spending quality time with your loved ones. I’ve found that as life gets busier and I have more responsibilities, it’s easy to miss out on these moments with those that I care about most.
Give yourself some grace! While the holidays are not an excuse to go haywire on your healthy habits, it is okay to give yourself a break from time to time. So you overindulged at the holiday party last night or you didn’t make it to the gym to workout today. That’s okay! Do the best you can with the circumstances you’re in and don’t beat yourself up if you “messed up”.