The holidays are upon us and along with all the festivities, there can be some challenges for our health journey. This time of year doesn’t need to derail our healthy habits. Here are some tips to healthify your holidays and still enjoy the festivities.
Be Safe – Fire and Ice
Fire: Cooking related house fires peak on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day. It can be easy to get distracted while preparing meals and a kitchen fire can happen very quickly. It is a good idea to have a working fire extinguisher in your kitchen ready.
Inspecting all your Christmas lights before using is important to prevent house fires which also increase this time of year.
Ice: If live in the northern climate, snow and ice can be another area to bump up your safety practices. In the 2016-2017 holiday season, 29,700 patients received medical attention for a fall caused by ice or snow! It is important to be diligent about keeping sidewalks and driveways clear of ice.
Overall Wellness
The holiday days can bring much joy with all the festivities, but it can also bring on some stress: spending too much, hosting holiday events, hosting family members, being alone, family conflicts, and generally a whole lot going on. I encourage you to take some time for yourself – this will be different for everyone – but it can help to recoup and re-center. This may include taking a walk, taking a bath, reading a good book, or a time of meditation and reflection.
Getting a good night’s sleep goes a long way on managing stress and your overall wellness.
Stay as active as possible, even in little ways, such as parking further from the door or taking the stairs, and keeping up your exercise routine can help manage stress.
Holiday Feasts
The biggest challenge of the holiday season is often the food. Aunt Mary’s pumpkin pie, Grandma’s sugar cookies, the turkey, the stuffing, the bubbly, and all the wonderful food that we enjoy during the holiday season.
The weight gain of two to five pounds happens between Halloween and New Year’s. Here are a few tips to enjoy your holiday food without thwarting your health goals.
Maintaining your regular eating schedule and when you do eat, eat slowly, chewing your food well. You can check out a post I did about the importance of chewing your food here.
Limit the bubbly as this can add a lot of extra calories plus it can cause depression and a loss of sleep. A good rule is no more than two drinks and no more than one per hour. Stay hydrated with water to stay in control and avoid alcohol on an empty stomach.
Choose wisely! You choose what goes on your plate so choosing wisely is a great investment in your health. If the meal is buffet style, look over all the food before filling your plate. You often will be less inclined to pile as much on your plate. The average calories eaten on Christmas Day is 7000! This is three times the recommended amount. Even if it is all healthy food, eating so much more than you are used to will overwhelm your system, leaving you feeling bloated, tired, and sluggish.
Entertaining tips:
As a host during the holidays, there are some things that you can do “help” your guests and yourself to stay on point with healthy choices. Using a little bit smaller plates for serving; the smaller plate doesn’t allow as much food to be piled on so can be helpful with portion control. Serving food in smaller portions and “mini-size” cookies/treats goes a long way with portion control.
Liquid calories are another area that can add up quickly with lattes, mochas, punch, eggnog, and alcohol beverages to enjoy. Choosing smaller portions or enjoying less often can help eliminate those extra liquid calories.
Taking a few small steps can make a huge difference on your health journey through the holiday season, but it is still important to enjoy the time with family and friends. I have prepared a free “Healthify Your Holidays” info sheet, you can check that out here. Do you have tips that you use to keep your holidays healthier? Share in the comments below.
Be Blessed and Be a Blessing,
Heather
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