Add Fruits and Veggies, but Enjoy Christmas Cookies, Too: Simple Tips for Healthy Living Over the Holidays
Trying to maintain healthy habits during the holiday season can be a challenge. Travel, busy schedules, and extra social events can make it hard to stick to our usual routines. However, neglecting our well-being might lead to guilt, regret, and ultimately sabotage our goals.
Rather than setting rigid expectations, a simpler approach is to adopt micro-habits into our holiday celebrations. Here are some tips to incorporate healthy behaviors while still enjoying the season:
Firstly, prioritize fiber and protein in your diet. Mokari, a registered dietitian, recommends not letting go of nutritious meals and snacks, even in a world of indulgences. “Adding side salads, vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein to your meals can counteract the negative effects of excessive holiday eating.”
One easy way to stay balanced is to pair healthy and less-healthy options together. “Order a salad at a restaurant, then satisfy your sweet tooth with dessert,” suggests Mokari. You can also adjust portion sizes and choose what looks good to you rather than following strict guidelines.
Staying active is vital for our overall health during the holiday season. We don’t need to leave the comfort of our seats to reap the benefits; simply changing our posture can be a great way to incorporate movement. Try standup activities like family board games, stretching during Netflix breaks, or casually jumping rope in the yard while visiting with loved ones. If you’re stuck watching a movie, casually do some leg lifts, bend over, or stand-up moves.
For added ease, pack simple exercise equipment, like resistance bands or even just a deck of cards, to use on the go. You can sneak in quick workouts with dance challenges, hide-and-seek, or playing badminton with your kin. Santas, a fitness contributor and mind-body coach, emphasizes that every movement counts, whether we’re exercising or not – as long as we reconnect with our bodies.
“The holidays are a time of giving and sharing with love ones,” Santas emphasized. “It’s our own guilt and rigid thinking that we need to rethink, rather than feeling limited or confined by what is perceived as ‘normal.’
Lastly, remember to listen to your body and focus on nourishing your mental, physical, and emotional being, not just trying to “keep up appearances.”
Ultimately, the holiday season is a time to take breaks from our rigid self-imposed expectations, appreciate time with loved ones, and recharge for the months to come. By allowing ourselves to relax, flex our muscles, and add small doses of wellness amidst all the festivities, we’ll come out the other side feeling refreshed and whole, without sacrificing an iota of the joy that truly defines the holiday spirit.”
