Maintain Health and Wellness During the Holiday Season
The holiday season is a time of joy, celebration, and unfortunately, for many, it can also be a period of stress and unhealthy habits. However, it doesn’t have to be this way. By incorporating some simple strategies into your daily routine, you can enjoy the festivities without sacrificing your health or expanding your waistline. Here are seven top tips to avoid holiday weight gain and illness.
1. Prioritize Mental Health and Stress Management
The holidays aren’t ‘happy’ for everyone. For some, they bring feelings of isolation, loneliness, and sadness. It’s important to remember this and extend acts of kindness wherever possible.
Maintaining stress resilience is also crucial, as mismanaged stress can lead to illness and weight gain. Holiday activities, commitments, and travel can become overwhelming — never mind urgent work deadlines. without urgent work deadlines. Pay close attention to how you’re feeling throughout the day. When you feel stressed, try pausing to take a few deep breaths to calm and center yourself.
Make an effort to get good quality sleep when you can, as sleep plays a major role in how we build resilience to stress (or not). A lack of sufficient quality sleep in itself is stress – and too much of this stress over time can easily lead to weight gain, deteriorating biomarkers, health, and more.
2. Time Your Consumption / Practice Time-restricted eating
Aim to stop eating or drinking (except water) 2-3 hours before bedtime. Eating late can impair your sleep and contribute to weight gain and illness.
If possible, try to extend the time between your last meal of the day and your breakfast the next morning to at least 12 hours. This practice, known as time-restricted eating – or time-restricted feeding – can help maintain a healthy weight.
(Related: Read how I implemented this over the holidays and lost a couple of pounds, despite typical travels and festivities)
3. Boost Immunity through Nutrition
Notch up your nutrients! Here are some must-haves for health, wellness, and prevention during the winter months:
Pastured Bone Broth: Packed with key nutrients, broth also helps to keep us hydrated – in addition to drinking plenty of clean filtered water. Add a kick to your broth with cayenne pepper and anti-inflammatory support with a few shakes of turmeric. (Vegetable mineral broth is a great alternative for anyone not into bone broth.)
💡 Tip: search “bone broth” or “broth” in the Healthy Anywhere app! 📲
Antioxidants: Load up on dark berries, leafy greens, and cruciferous vegetables. Aim for a wide variety and as much as 10 servings each day of whole, organic vegetables and fruit. Don’t forget seasonal fruits like pomegranates, cranberries, citrus, and persimmons.
💡 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 vitamins are essential to our health, bolster our immune system, and contribute to overall vitality. It’s important to consult a medical professional before taking any new supplements. (Vitamin D in particular is possible to over-do as it’s fat-soluble (I’ve seen it!), though rare. Best to check your blood levels and consult with your physician first)
4. Implement a Sugar Strategy
Sugar, especially added sugar, is a known cause of illness and weight gain. It has been repeatedly implicated for contributing to risk for metabolic disease, obesity, and cancer.
Stick to natural sugars like fruit, pure maple syrup, and honey, and avoid processed and added sugars as much as possible. Remember, moderation is key – even with more natural sugars!
💡 Tip: Persimmons and almonds make an easy, excellent dessert if you need something in a pinch.
(Related: Check out our favorite cranberry chutney recipe, using only natural sugars.)
5. Engage in Moderate Exercise
While it may be counterintuitive given the increased gatherings – the holidays may be a time when you need to dial-back your exercise intensity somewhat – especially if your stress is amped up.
Too much or too intense exercise can set your immune system back. However, moderate daily exercise and frequent movement, such as walking, can help boost your immune system and help keep you trim. Be sure to get in a few bursts of higher intensity – but don’t push yourself to make crossfit workouts or run a marathon if you’re short on sleep!
6. Monitor Your 'Fullness Factor' / Practice hara hachi bu
During holiday meals, take the time to pause and tune into your body and notice how full you feel while eating. Practice more of a slow, ‘grazing’ approach to eating (vs ‘gorging’!).
The key is to stop eating before you’re full. On a scale of 10, with 10 being completely full, many consider this to be an ‘8’… we tend to guide close to the 7.
Always feel like you could eat more but choose not to. That’s the sweet spot.
7. Practice Good Hygiene
With all the holiday gatherings, parties, traveling, and shopping, germs abound! Wash your hands frequently with soap and water for about 20 seconds to remove any germs and decrease your risk of catching an illness.
Avoid antibacterial soaps when possible – these are unnecessary and possibly harmful if overused. Between hand washings, take care to not touch your eyes, nose or mouth – to decrease your risk of catching illness.
Don’t forget that masks can also help protect against the various respiratory viruses that circulate this time of year. They can be an effective tool, as needed.
Happy Healthy Holidays!
By incorporating these strategies into your holiday routine, you can enjoy the season without compromising your health. Remember, it’s possible to have a healthy holiday season that doesn’t expand your waistline. Don’t settle for less. Stay healthy anywhere! Here’s to a healthy holiday season. Cheers!
Have you found these or other strategies effective? Do tell – we’d love to hear from you in the comments below.
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