Having a Healthy and Happy Holiday
The holidays are full of family, friends, great food, and great memories, but they aren’t always compatible with a healthy lifestyle. When the holiday season rolls around, it’s easy to get a little lax on the healthy eating and exercise that we typically maintain. Fortunately, with a few tricks, it’s possible to maintain a healthy lifestyle year-round
Tips for Eating Smart and Staying Healthy During the Holidays
Moderation
Moderation will be your saving grace during the holiday season. There’s nothing wrong with enjoying an indulgent, festive dinner — but you’ll want to make sure that your meals surrounding it are healthy and nutrient-dense. Have a light lunch like salad with olive oil dressing, and opt for a healthy breakfast the next morning like avocado on whole wheat toast. By eating healthy during the holiday season, you can afford to go all out for a few big meals.
Add More Vegetables
It’s easy to go all-out with our favorite dishes, but sometimes eating better is as simple as keeping more healthy choices on hand. Increase the number of vegetable dishes on the dinner table, finding small twists to dress them up without making them unhealthy.
When in doubt, serve vegetables first — like a salad before dinner or a vegetable-based appetizer earlier in the afternoon. This will help everyone make sure they get the vegetables they need instead of filling up on buttery mashed potatoes.
Get a Good Night's Sleep
This can be particularly challenging with the increase in parties and family in town, but sticking to your sleep schedule will improve your quality of sleep both now and after the holidays. Studies have shown that, unsurprisingly, irregular sleep schedules can lead to poor sleep quality, fatigue, poor eating habits, and daytime sleepiness that can take time to reverse. Avoid this by going to bed and waking up as close to the same time as you usually do.
Take Time for Yourself
The holidays are full of family and friends, and while this can be a great thing, it can also be draining and stressful. Whether you’re staying with family over the holidays or just attending a large number of events, remember to take time every day for yourself. Go for a walk, meditate once a day, do 15 minutes of yoga or offer to go to the store for a few minutes of quiet. This will allow you to recharge and give you some time to yourself.
Find Healthy Alternatives to Your Favorite Dishes
Healthy eating doesn’t mean you have to give up your holiday favorites, all they need are a few modifications. Here is a link to a large list of healthy recipes created by me to help you take a healthier approach to holiday dishes. There is a Creamy Mashed Potato recipe, a Holiday Hummus recipe, a Turkey Apple Breakfast Sausage recipe, and many more! I have also created a Healthy Holiday Cookbook with more delicious holiday treats.
The Bottom Line
Eating well and staying healthy can be difficult over the holiday season, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. By maintaining your physical and mental health with some of the easy tips in this blog, you’ll be able to start the new year off strong.