The holiday season is here, and with it comes a lot of candy eating, overindulging, and just generally bad behavior. Now that you’re getting back on track after all the overeating from Thanksgiving and Christmas.
take some time to do these six healthy things during the holidays.
1. Be Active
It doesn’t matter what holiday you’re celebrating, if you’re getting into shape during the holidays, it’ll pay off. Studies have shown that being active at least five days a week can reduce the risk of heart disease by 30%. So go for a walk with your partner on Christmas morning, go for a run in your nice outdoor gear right after lunch, or learn an easy new dance routine with your entire family on Christmas Eve. We all know exercise is good for us anyway, so let’s make this as fun as possible while we try to get some exercise and lose weight.
2. Eat Well
It’s easy to over-indulge during the holiday season. But if you don’t lose your resolve, you’ll watch all of those hard-earned pounds come right back on. One of the best ways to avoid this is to eat well before going out with friends, or checking out those Christmas cookies at work. You’d be surprised how much tastier high protein foods like nuts and fruit can be while keeping your appetite satisfied.
3. Drink Water
One of the easiest things you can do to stay healthy all year round is drink plenty of water. For one thing it helps prevent dehydration, which is more common that you might think when we aren’t eating properly and our bodies are not getting enough fluids. Additionally, drinking water keeps your body flushed of toxins and it’s a factor in proper waste elimination. That coupled with the fact that water is a major factor in skin health and other aspects of health means that drinking plenty of water on a daily basis will keep your body healthy all year round.
4. Take Time for You
When you’re celebrating the holiday season it’s easy to get caught up in everyone else and just focus on them, which is great when Christmas holidays are about giving back to others. But there’s something to be said for taking time for yourself, especially if it’s something you enjoy doing. Whether you like to bake and decorate cookies with your daughter, spend the day decorating your home, or whipping up some new recipes, make sure you carve out a little time for yourself. It’ll let you maintain a positive outlook and give you the strength to help others.
5. Watch Your Words
The holidays are a great time to get together with friends and family and have some laughs. However, when we’re all in such close proximity it’s easy for things to get said that end up hurting feelings or making us feel judged by another person. So be careful about what you say this holiday season. Just because you’re joking, doesn’t mean the person you’re talking to is. Use your words carefully and watch sensitive topics, otherwise it could ruin your holiday cheer.
6. Make New Rituals
There are many traditions that come along with the holidays. However, if you’re feeling the stress of everything happening at once, or just not feeling up to it this year, make new traditions of your own. Take a moment to think about things that really matter to you and make sure they happen this holiday season. Make time for the special people in your life, and start new ones if you don’t have any. That way you can put your own special spin on the holidays that’ll make you feel more centered.
Conclusion
If some of these suggestions seem a little ambitious, don’t worry about it. No one expects you to do everything at once. Just try to do one thing at a time, or one each day in preparation for the big event, and you’ll be well on your way to having a productive holiday season which will help keep your weight loss long term.