Healthy For The Holidays: Tips For Feeling Fit

It can be hard to stick to a healthy routine during the holidays. With all the delicious foods, seasonal treats, travel, parties, and other distractions, it’s easy for good habits to go bad. But it doesn’t have to be that way. With a little planning and mindfulness, you can enjoy all the holidays have to offer without overindulging or getting overwhelmed. Here are some tips to keep you feeling fit and healthy while enjoying your fair share of holiday cheer.

Stay Hydrated

One of the easiest ways to be healthy during the holidays is to drink lots of water. Hydration is a great form of health promotion, but it’s particularly important when we’re busier than usual, off our regular schedules, and eating irregularly. Here are a few tips from Everyday Health that can help:

• Drink Water When You Wake Up and Before Meals – It’s important to prioritize hydration, but it’s most helpful in the morning and before eating. Try to have about two glasses of water after you wake up and then one glass before every meal or snack. Staying hydrated can also help you feel fuller and eat less, which is another benefit.
• Eat Your Water – Fruits and vegetables have a high-water content that can help you meet your hydration goals. Fruits like cantaloupe, strawberries, and watermelon and vegetables like lettuce, cabbage, celery, spinach, and cooked squash are about 90 percent water.
• Get High-Tech Help – If staying hydrated is hard because you’re busy or forgetful, there are high-tech canteens and apps now that can remind you when it’s time to drink and how much. Many of them are even driven by your body’s own specific needs. Check one out if you’re interested or add it to your holiday wish list!

Eat A Balanced Diet

A lot of people think extreme strategies – like skipping meals – are the way to holiday diet success. But that’s just not the case. Eating a balanced diet throughout the day, including breakfast, will keep you properly fueled and less tempted to fill up on snacks and sweets. Consider these suggestions from the Cleveland Clinic:

• Eat Mindfully – Before you eat, assess your hunger. If you feel hungry, take a look at all the options available and make the best, healthiest choices (while leaving some room for occasional snacks and treats).
• Don’t Go Hungry – Before you go to a holiday party, eat a healthy snack like a serving of your favorite fruit or a handful of nuts. That way when you arrive you won’t be as tempted to hang out by the food table and graze.
• Focus On Fruits And Veggies – Eating plenty of fruits and vegetables each day is a great way to help fill up without exceeding your calorie count. Compared with other snack foods, fruits and vegetables contain fewer calories and more nutrients. What’s more, the fiber in fruits and vegetables will fill you up faster than traditional snacks.

Stay Active

Holiday schedules and travel make staying on your workout routine harder than usual, but that doesn’t mean you can’t stay active. Accept the limitations, understand that some activity is better than none, and get a little creative.

• Prioritize Your Workout – If your active time is important to you, make sure you schedule it into your day no matter what else gets added. That might mean making it part of an early start before the day gets away.
• Go For A Walk – Walking is the perfect default exercise. It’s easy to do anytime, anywhere and it doesn’t take any special equipment.
• Take The Stairs – If you can, skip the elevator or escalator when you’re out doing your holiday shopping. Taking the stairs may not seem like much of a workout, but if you do it enough times, those extra steps add up.
• Tighten It Up – Do what Active.com calls a "condensed-but-intense workout." Create a tight 30-minute workout combining three lower-body exercises (squats or lunges) and three-upper body exercises (push-ups or chair dips). It may not be as complete as you’re used to, but it will keep you on pace until you can get back into your typical routine.
• Partner Up – It always helps to have a friend involved in your plan to keep you on schedule and accountable to one another, so don’t be afraid to buddy up.

Stress Less

Mental health is just as important as physical health. And it’s easy to get a little overwhelmed around the holidays. That’s why it’s important to find ways to embrace the spirit of peace and joy that embody this time of year. Here are some suggestions from HealthLink:

• Take Time For Yourself – Pay attention to your own needs and feelings. When you feel your stress level rising, pull back and spend a little time by yourself. Breathe deeply, meditate, or do something else that relaxes you. Then rejoin if and when you’re ready.
• Rest Up – One of the best ways you can take care of yourself and help deal with stress during the holidays is to get plenty of sleep. That starts with keeping a regular sleep schedule whenever possible and even taking a nap every now and then when you need to quickly recharge your battery.
• Unleash Your Inner Child – Try to look at the holidays with the same kind of awe you did as a kid. It’s hard to do that now with all the activities and expectations, but every now and then, sit back, relax, and look at the lights, decorations, and celebrations with some innocence and wonder. It can do wonders for you and your spirit.

From all of us at Mount Carmel, we hope you, your family, and friends have a healthy and happy holiday season!