Healthy For the Holidays
The holiday season is a very stressful time of year for most people.
You run around shopping for gifts for other people, baking holiday treats, attending parties, and entertaining friends and family.
In the midst of all of this there is rarely time for you to take care of yourself.
When you do not take care of your body your immune system may suffer and you could end up getting sick.
Take a proactive approach this holiday season and follow these steps to put yourself first.
Get enough sleep.
This is the number one rule I live by.
To me, sleep is the foundation for having a good day.
When I am tired my productivity wanes.
In order to get the most out of every day make sure you are doing your best to get 7-9 hours of sleep each night.
As hard as it is to do during the holidays, it is important to eat nutritiously.
Limit how many holiday treats you eat each week.
You certainly do not have to cut them out altogether, but tell yourself you will only eat X number of items per week and then allocate those as you would like.
Also, try to eat regular meals as you normally would.
This will prevent you from overeating if you are offered desserts or candy.
And when you are out with friends or at a holiday party limit the number of alcoholic drinks you consume.
They are filled with calories and drinking at night can interrupt your sleep.
And just as important but equally as difficult this time of year, keep up with your exercise routine.
Even if you think you do not have time to exercise there is always something you can find to do.
When you go shopping park as far away from the entrance as possible.
Find a quick exercise video on this website or head outside for a short walk a few times a day.
Just because you do not have time to get to the gym does not mean you cannot exercise.
Avoid taking on too much but do take time to enjoy the holiday season.
This might mean buying presents for fewer people or shopping online to avoid the time used for traveling to stores and fighting crowds.
Do not commit yourself to too many holiday parties; only attend the ones you will enjoy, not ones you feel obligated to go to.
Remember the real reason for the holiday season and know that this time of year is not an excuse to be unhealthy.
You run around shopping for gifts for other people, baking holiday treats, attending parties, and entertaining friends and family.
In the midst of all of this there is rarely time for you to take care of yourself.
When you do not take care of your body your immune system may suffer and you could end up getting sick.
Take a proactive approach this holiday season and follow these steps to put yourself first.
Get enough sleep.
This is the number one rule I live by.
To me, sleep is the foundation for having a good day.
When I am tired my productivity wanes.
In order to get the most out of every day make sure you are doing your best to get 7-9 hours of sleep each night.
As hard as it is to do during the holidays, it is important to eat nutritiously.
Limit how many holiday treats you eat each week.
You certainly do not have to cut them out altogether, but tell yourself you will only eat X number of items per week and then allocate those as you would like.
Also, try to eat regular meals as you normally would.
This will prevent you from overeating if you are offered desserts or candy.
And when you are out with friends or at a holiday party limit the number of alcoholic drinks you consume.
They are filled with calories and drinking at night can interrupt your sleep.
And just as important but equally as difficult this time of year, keep up with your exercise routine.
Even if you think you do not have time to exercise there is always something you can find to do.
When you go shopping park as far away from the entrance as possible.
Find a quick exercise video on this website or head outside for a short walk a few times a day.
Just because you do not have time to get to the gym does not mean you cannot exercise.
Avoid taking on too much but do take time to enjoy the holiday season.
This might mean buying presents for fewer people or shopping online to avoid the time used for traveling to stores and fighting crowds.
Do not commit yourself to too many holiday parties; only attend the ones you will enjoy, not ones you feel obligated to go to.
Remember the real reason for the holiday season and know that this time of year is not an excuse to be unhealthy.
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