With the holidays well on their way it is easy to get caught up in all of the events with family and friends that you tend to neglect your health. Here are 5 tips on staying healthy and sane throughout the holiday season.
1. Schedule your workouts
When making plans for holiday shopping, cooking and attending events leave an hour between work or one plan to the next to get in a good workout. This will keep up your energy levels and will keep you in shape amidst all of the holiday stresses and potential over heating we are all guilty of.
2. Plan your meals and educate yourself on the nutrition and serving size of typical holiday foods
A favorite meal planning system for many of us is myfitnesspal which is an app that assists you in tracking your eating habits and meals. You can also use the app to learn about the nutrition in the foods you would usually indulge in over the holidays. When you know that you are going to a Holiday Party, Thanksgiving dinner or even a Cookie Exchange make sure to estimate your consumption for that day. By planning ahead you can then lower your intake in other meals that day and you can educate yourself on what to expect for a caloric intake with the common foods served at these parties. For example, if you know that you will be heading to a party with appetizers and small snacks eat a smaller breakfast and educate yourself on common serving sizes and caloric intakes associated with appetizers you would most often see at these events. This will keep you from overindulging.
3. Remember to stay balanced
It is incredibly easy to forget to eat balanced meals throughout the day when we are faced with holiday snacks and events with our favorite treats. Make sure that you are still eating your fruits, veggie and getting the protein you need. Keep more of these types of foods around you to keep you incorporating them into your diet. For example, keep a granola bar, banana and some nuts on your desk and reach for those instead of the holiday cookie tray. This will keep you healthy and focused.
4. Drink water and take your vitamins
When we get busy and stressed out we tend to reach for more caffeine and skip over the important steps like taking our vitamins. If you can relate to this then we suggest that you make water and vitamins more fun so you don’t lose the nutrition from these elements. Gummy vitamins and energy packets for your water are two excellent ways to make these boring nutritional items more appealing during those busy moments when all you want is that extra coffee or to run out of the house in a hurry without taking your vitamins.
5. Take the time for you!
Our last recommendation for surviving through the holidays is to make sure to take time for your self. With all of the hustle and bustle the holidays can bring it is common to forget to get enough sleep, rest and to treat yourself to that hour of your favorite TV show or to finishing that book you were reading. Make that time for your self so that you don’t burn out!
Written By: LeighAnn Cook