The holidays are a time to indulge in your favorite foods, drink wine with your friends and family, and relax while enjoying each other’s company. While you should do all of those things, that one day of celebration can easily turn into a whole week or more of being off track from your health regimen. Additionally, the holidays can come with a lot of added stress, which can also negatively impact your health. There are a lot of reasons to enjoy the holidays, but you should also be sure to stay healthy while you enjoy them. That’s why we’ve come up with a few ways that you can stay healthy this holiday season.
Limit Indulgence
It’s perfectly fine to indulge in a holiday dinner, but try to limit your indulgence to special days. If you continue eating Christmas cookies throughout the next week following the celebration, you might find yourself falling off your regimen. Don’t chalk it up to the holiday season, let the treats be reserved for special days like Christmas and New Year's Eve.
The same goes for alcohol, as overindulging in alcohol can not only lead to drinking your calories, but it can also lead to making poor food decisions. Pace yourself as you drink during the celebration, and try not to drink too many of the leftover hard ciders after the day is done.
Keep Stress Low
The holidays can go from joyful to stressful pretty quickly. High stress levels are not going to serve your mental health, nor will they benefit your physical health. During this time, you should make stress relief and self-care a priority. You don’t have to break the bank on a spa day or hot stone massage, as long as you can sprinkle in some activities that are for you, you can keep your head on straight through the holidays.
Amongst all of the planning, shopping, and end-of-year work tasks, try to find time to do something for yourself that you know you enjoy. For instance, you can take 10 minutes to practice mindfulness, do yoga, or set out a time in the day to get lunch with your best friend. These small things that bring you joy and give you a moment of peace can help you to handle any stress that arises during the holiday season.
Stay Active
Don’t let the holidays be an excuse to skip out on your workout routine. Staying active and prioritizing exercise will benefit all areas of your health during this time. You can release stress through physical exercise, as well as stay in shape while you indulge in holiday foods that may not be the healthiest.
Strength training or aerobic activity can be a great way to keep up your exercise during the holidays. Make time to get a workout done in the morning, so you can focus on your holiday planning tasks the rest of the day. You can even make it a family activity by making the celebration an active one. Maybe after you’ve had your feast, the family can play a game of touch football or go for a walk.
It is easy to fall off of your health regimen, or even put off starting one, when the holidays come around. Everyone should be able to indulge themselves, but the important thing is knowing when to stop indulging. Managing stress and remembering to stay active during this time will have an immense impact on your mental and physical health. If you are struggling to stay healthy this holiday season, Premier Medical Association offers nutritional services and more.
Premier Medical Associates is an affiliate of the Allegheny Health Network and is the largest multi-specialty physician practice in the Greater Pittsburgh Area. Our highly experienced care team provides services like nutrition services and primary care for you and your loved one’s needs. Visit our Monroeville office or call us at 412-457-0422 for more information.
