5 Ways to Stay Healthy During The Holidays
It's Holiday Season and this means office parties, potlucks, social events and treats galore! We have you covered with our top 5 ways to stay healthy this holiday season.
1. Schedule your priorities.
What gets scheduled gets done! Look at your calendar for the week, carve out time for meal prep, workout sessions, self-care time, work and events. This helps YOU dictate your schedule rather than events and tasks running you.
2. Choose wisely when eating out at restaurants and events.
Just because you aren't at home doesn't mean you can't make healthy choices. You can skip the bread basket, have a salad as an appetizer, and go for protein options like roasted chicken, grilled fish or a bunless burger with veggies on the side as your main. Having a healthy snack before you attend events will also help reduce overeating at the event or help you make a healthier choice because you aren't starving when you arrive. I share more healthy options in my guide to eating healthy while dining out.
3. Bring your own healthy holiday dish!
This is my favourite tip for the season! We are all becoming more health conscious and when you bring a healthy dish that is still tasty others are going to appreciate having the option! Need ideas on what to bring? We've got you covered with our FREE Healthy Holiday Treats Guide! Take some old classics and turn them into delicious healthy versions that will become your new favourites.
4. Manage your stress.
It is no secret that the holiday season tends to increase the stress in our lives. We have extra things to do, money to spend, events to attend the list goes on. The problem here is that stress wreaks havoc on your immune system and mental state. This does not help our cause during one of the busiest seasons. To help, we can re-frame our approach to the holidays and make it more about experiences together rather than "gifts" and learn to say no to things that don't line up with where we want to spend our time and energy. When we feel better we do better. Deep breathing, yoga and meditation are some easy habits to implement that have numerous health benefits for managing stress!
5. Optimize your sleep!
Quality sleep is one of those health habits that is WAY underrated. We need about 7-9 hours of sleep a night. This is crucial to reducing cortisol levels, repairing and restoring the body, as well as creating memories and piecing together solutions to our daily problems. Ever wake up in the morning and your problem seems less complicated? That's your brain working things out at night! I love this google talk with Matthew Walker all about the powers of sleep. It will change your perception on this topic! Sleep can even affect our insulin resistance so it is important in more ways than one for your health! Setting aside some quiet time before bed by dimming the lights, avoiding screens like your phone and lap top, diffusing some essential oils, having a chamomile or other herbal tea and reading can all help induce relaxation for a quality sleep.
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