Maintain Health and Wellness During the Holiday Season
The holidays can bring joy, celebration, and connection, but for many, they also bring stress and unhealthy habits. This year, let’s rewrite the script. By incorporating these simple tips, you can navigate the holiday season with energy and resilience – without sacrificing your health.
1. Prioritize Mental Health and Stress Management
The holidays aren’t ‘happy’ for everyone. Isolation, missed loved ones, overwhelming commitments, and unmet expectations can take a toll. Be kind to yourself and others—compassion is key.
Take a few deep breaths to reset when feeling stressed.
Prioritize sleep; it’s a cornerstone of resilience and immune support.
Practice gratitude or reflect on your blessings daily. Small shifts in mindset can make a big difference.
- Extend kindness to yourself. Don’t get hung up on “slips” or imperfections. Gently move forward with resolve and self-love. Beating yourself up is typically not useful.
Extend kindness to others, even small acts. They create a ripple effect of positivity.
2. Time Your Consumption / Practice Time-restricted eating
Adopt time-restricted eating by stopping food and beverage intake (except water) 2-3 hours before bed and aiming for at least 12 hours between dinner and breakfast. This approach supports digestion, improves sleep quality, and helps maintain a healthy weight. Eating late can impair your sleep and contribute to weight gain and illness.
3. Boost Immunity through Nutrition
Enhance your diet with nutrient-rich foods:
Pastured Bone Broth or Plant-based vegetable mineral broth:
This hydrating powerhouse of nutrients is especially soothing in winter. Add an anti-inflammatory ‘kick’ to your broth with optional cayenne pepper, ginger, and/or turmeric.
💡 Tip: search “bone broth” or “broth” in the Healthy Anywhere app! 📲
Antioxidants:
Incorporate leafy greens, cruciferous vegetables, and seasonal delights like pomegranates, persimmons, cranberries, and citrus. Aim for a wide variety of seasonal veggies and fruit each day!
💡 Tip: use the “Greens” filter in the Healthy Anywhere app to find places with exceptional leafy green veggies and antioxidants! 📲
Vitamin D3, Vitamin C, B Complex Vitamins: These essential vitamins help bolster health, immunity, and overall vitality. Consult a healthcare professional for personalized advice, particularly with Vitamin D3 (blood monitoring is helpful).
4. Implement a Sugar Strategy
Minimize added sugars to reduce your risk of illness and weight gain. Opt for natural sweeteners like honey and pure maple syrup, and enjoy fruit-based desserts such as persimmons with almonds. Moderation is key—even with natural options.
Sugar, especially added sugar, is repeatedly implicated in contributing to risk for metabolic disease, obesity, and cancer.
💡 Tip: Check out our favorite cranberry chutney recipe, using only natural sugars.)
5. Engage in Moderate Exercise
Move daily, but balance intensity. While high-intensity workouts can be invigorating, they may not be ideal if stress or lack of sleep is weighing you down. Choose moderate activities like walking, yoga, or gentle strength training to stay active without overtaxing your immune system.
💡 Tip: Consider dialing down your exercise intensity during the holidays to compensate for added stress.
6. Monitor Your 'Fullness Factor' (a la hara hachi bu)
Practice mindful eating by tuning into your body’s hunger and fullness cues. Eat slowly, savor each bite, and aim to stop eating when you’re comfortably satisfied—around 7 or 8 on a fullness scale of 10. Always feel like you could eat more but choose not to. That’s the sweet spot.
7. Practice Good Hygiene
With increased social gatherings and travel, take precautions to minimize exposure to germs:
Wash hands frequently with soap and water for 20 seconds. Avoid anti-bacterial soaps!
Avoid touching your face. Avoid sharing food or cutlery, especially with someone who’s ill.
Consider using masks in crowded settings.
Happy Healthy Holidays!
Embrace the moment this holiday season. Remember, health isn’t about rigid rules—it’s about balance, nourishment, and joy. Keep moving forward in self-love, and enjoy the season to its fullest.
Have your own strategies for a healthy holiday? We’d love to hear from you! Share in the comments below.
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