Of course we have a post for Holidays….
🎶 Making a List, of Five Healthy Holiday Tips, and Checking it Twice 🎶
Rumor has it that the average person gains 7-10 pounds over the course of the holiday season. With so many events centered around food and drink, it’s easy to see how that could be the case. However, it doesn’t have to be.
Here are five tips to help us navigate this season while staying true to our health and wellness goals and still enjoying ourselves.
Move Your Body…….stick to your regular workout routine as much as you can. If you are traveling during this season, just find ways to be active. It could be taking a walk, or playing a family football game. It doesn’t have to be a formal workout, or even done for a certain length of time to benefit both your physical and mental health. Just move.
Drink, drink and drink some more…..water that is.😉 It’s important to keep your body hydrated and it’s very easy to let this slide when we’re busy, traveling, etc. A very general rule of thumb is to aim for half your body weight in ounces. For example, a 150 lb person should aim to drink 75 ounces of water each day. So, bottoms up!
Sleep……‘tis the season for all the things, parties, holiday programs, shopping, wrapping gifts and on and on, which often leads to later nights and/or earlier mornings. Try to stick as closely to your usual sleep routine as possible, aiming for 7-8 hours per night. Your body does a lot of its magic while you’re sleeping. Not to mention getting tired and rundown is a great way to end up spending the holidays being sick and nobody wants that.
Just say no…..in this season of “hustle and bustle”, it’s okay to say no to things. You don’t have to send holiday cards or make trays of homemade baked goods for all the neighbors if it’s going to stress you out. Obviously we all have some things we have to do, but beyond those, pick the extra things that you truly enjoy, focus on those and be okay with letting other things go.
Treat yourself……..just not all day, every day for the entire holiday season. You can eat in a way that supports your health goals AND still enjoy Aunt Cathy’s chocolate pie, some peanut butter balls and frosted Christmas cookies. The key to long term success in health and wellness is that what you do most of the time is more important than what you do some of the time. So a few days of reasonable indulgence (nobody wants to eat until they’re sick) won’t derail your goals, or progress you’ve made. Six straight weeks of it will.
I know I said five, but here’s a bonus tip: you don’t have to “earn” your food and you don’t have to “burn it off” either. Both of these notions can lead to an unhealthy relationship with food and movement. Refer back to tip #5 as often as needed.
If you feel like you need help navigating your health goals during this season, feel free to reach out. Wishing you all a happy, healthy holiday season!