Let’s be honest, the holidays are the best time of the year and especially for your taste buds, however, they’re not the best deal for your waistline especially if you’ve been trying to shred down a little!
The holiday season is the perfect occasion to spend time with the people you love. There is nothing more joyful and fulfilling than creating memories by preparing and eating delicious meals and desserts, wrapping gifts and decorating the house with your loved ones. These are just a few of the reasons why the end of the year is so great and beautiful.
Of course, when you are having so much fun it is easy to forget how to stay healthier. As much as it’s the best time of the year for the entire family, you can make it the best for your health as well. It is important to understand that the holiday season is not an excuse to eat and drink whatever you want and fall back on your goal of becoming and remaining your best version, thus having to start all over again in the new year.
Imagine enjoying these wonderful holidays without having to worry about jeopardising your healthy journey! That would be awesome, right? Well, with a little effort and planning, you can make this possible and stay healthy during and after the holidays.
“The holiday season is a perfect time to reflect on our blessings and seek out ways to make life better for those around us.” – Anonymous
Below are smart ideas that could help you stay on track. So be smart this holiday season and give yourself a chance with these simple ideas and tips to stay healthy.
1. Be Attentive And Mindful To What You Eat
Let’s be honest one of the reasons why we love the holidays so much is because of all the delicious food we can eat. Between Christmas parties, Christmas and New Year’s Day, we usually eat and drink in excess. So allow yourself time to enjoy your favourite flavours and tastes and take your time, obviously being mindful not to overdo it. When you’re full, your body will tell you and if you’re attentive enough, you’ll feel the signal and that’s the time to pause, emphasise nutrition therapist Alissa Rumsey.
Continuous eating even you’re full can lead to a lot of uncomfortable experiences such as digestive issues and other uncomfortable health challenges like:
- Headaches
- Muscle tension
- Trouble sleeping
- Depression
- Low levels of energy
- Bloating from too much fat or/and sugar
Even though it can be hard to moderate your food intake during this time of the year, you can do this by being tuned to your brain telling you when you have had enough. This is important!
Here are some tips to help you moderate your food intake:
- Eat slowly
- Avoid eating too many appetisers, meats, cream sauce, and desserts.
- Look for healthier choices
- Fill half your plate with vegetables
- Don’t eat everything, only the food that you enjoy the most
2. Eat More Fermented Foods
Fermentation involves the breakdown of sugars by bacteria and yeast. This process helps boost the bacteria and probiotics found in your gut for a healthy digestive system. The other important thing about fermentation is that it helps preserve the food.
These foods are known best for their benefits in your general health and most importantly our digestive system. They include Kefir, Tempeh, Natto, Kombucha, Kimchi, Probiotic yorghut and Sauerkraut. These highly nutritious foods will help you fight seasonal bacterial and viral attacks during the holidays especially now as we’re dealing with the pandemic and also on regular days. So make them your friend during the festive season.
3. Drink Plenty of Water
Drinking water is the best way to stay hydrated during the holidays. Choose water whenever it is possible if you’re not good with plain water you can have a flavoured one or add lemon to your glass. Water accounts for 60% of total body weight and it’s vital to maintain this status for our bodies to function optimally.
Water has a lot of other valuable functions to the body including nutrients transported around the body. Always try to drink water in between your alcoholic beverages during the holidays, this will help you stay hydrated and you’ll be thankful when it’s all over. By drinking water you are not only helping your body to stay healthy but you are increasing highway safety.
4. Get Your Flu Shot (If its Winter Now your end)
The holidays overlap with the flu season (unless you’re southern hemisphere). If you would be travelling a lot, and if you are going to spend time around other people your best option is to get a flu shot. Getting a flu shot will help you prevent flu outbreaks during this magical time and you’ll be able to enjoy your holidays.
One other way to help you prevent illness is to have some regular preventative measures like taking Probiotics. They have been shown to boost your immune system especially during stressful situations or cold and flu seasons. You can also include supplements in your shopping list, they’ll help your immune system boost as well. So if you haven’t started using them, it’s probably the best time to start now, your body will thank you later.
5. Make Exercise A Priority
Any form of physical activity is good for your health and will help you get rid of stress. If possible try to increase your physical activity during the season to avoid stress building up due to a lot of non-stop activities. Increasing your activity at this time has been found to have massive benefits for your overall health.
The great thing about staying active is that you’ll burn more calories and make room for your Holliday food indulgence. But avoid spoiling all your hard work only to put back all the calories with more food.
Here are 5 tips for staying active over the holidays
- Use comfortable shoes, so you could keep moving whenever you can. For example, park farther away to walk to your destination, walk the mall before you shop, etc.
- Take advantage of technology. Use your mobile device and download apps that will help you get moving.
- Take the stairs, doing so instead of the elevator will help you burn extra more calories.
- Clean your house. When you clean your house you are doing a complete workout as you are bending, squatting, running down, and folding clothes. You’’ be amazed at how much calories you burn if you look carefully!
- Build fun activities with your family and friends. The holidays are all about spending time with people so invite them to walk with you.
6. Wash Your Hands Often
During this time of the year, you are always handshaking, kissing, hugging and holding things at the shops and unfortunately, these are great ways to spread infections around. The best thing you can do to prevent getting sick is by washing your hands often and using a sanitiser as possible as you can. Especially now as I mentioned before, COVID-19 has taught us new ways of interacting now, be mindful of all these little things, they go a long way in your health during this time!
Remember, to keep your hands away from your eyes, nose, and mouth. If you sneeze or cough makes sure to cover your mouth and remind those around you to do the same, wear a mask if you have to. If you’re sick or any family member is, let them stay in bed and recuperate.
7. Make Time For Yourself
With the holiday madness going on, there is a risk of exhaustion and stress from not stopping while getting everything ready. Try to find some time between the craziness and give yourself a moment to unwind and recharge for a bit. This will help you become even more productive and enjoy the festivities.
Take a walk, read a good book, listen to soothing and relaxing music or even go have yourself a massage. Studies have also shown that taking time to have self-care e.g. a 45-minute massage can help boost your white blood cells hence strengthening your fight against infections.
Remember the idea is to not run down all your fire while helping everyone while forgetting yourself. So take time to look after yourself, you’ve worked hard all year and you deserve a treat and some rest too!
Finally…
As we know the holiday season should be a time to enjoy and spend time with family and loved ones. However, don’t forget to take time for yourself and stay within the limits you set for yourself to live a healthy active lifestyle. Always remind yourself of where you’ve come from and the journey you’ve been through to get you to where you’re today.
Never forget to take time to have your ‘ME’ time, a few moments by yourself is all it takes to unwind and recharge and prevent yourself from falling back.
I hope you have a wonderful time with your loved ones, it is indeed the best time of the year and it should be enjoyed at all costs:)
Steve
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