Want to have a healthy holiday season and give your body and mind a break? Before your life gets too busy, make a plan and start a resolution to exercise and eat right. Pencil in morning exercises. This will make it more difficult to cheat. Â If you are not a morning person get your clothes set out and your morning beverage ready to go. Jump in the shower for a few seconds to wake up and get going.
Finish your exercise regime with a shower and a healthy breakfast of oatmeal and fruit. You will be amazed at how energetic you feel. Keep this up during the holidays and your energy levels will be on high and stress will be low.
Love those holiday buffets and you return to the table over and over again? The trick is to keep your plate barely covered the first time around. Pick very small portion of the foods you want and then go back for just a little more of your favorites. Don”t be greedy and avoid trying to sample everything in large quantities.
Feeling like the holidays are all about buying and satisfying the material soul? Balance your life by giving to a charity, working in a soup kitchen or providing dinner to the shut-in and lonely. Make this a season to really give. You might not think that giving provides you with physical health, but think again. Studies have found that the act of giving reduces the levels of cortisol or the stress hormone in your body. If your budget is small, don”t worry about giving money; time is just as precious and just as helpful.
What do you do with all those treats in front of your face? If there are treats everywhere you turn in your workplace, you might just go ahead and indulge yourself. Allow yourself one treat per day. Don”t focus on what you are going to eat tomorrow and do keep your desk stocked with healthy snacks. Stay away from the treat area. If it is in your break room obviously avoid that room. Try walking around the building on your break.
Want to increase your exercise and eating habits? Sounds good, but the holidays are not the time to add stress to your life. Keep up with what you are doing. Â With all the activities, foods, running round and errands it is almost impossible to keep up with everything going on. Don”t add more to your plate. Keep the schedule you currently have, but make sure you keep that exercise schedule. Take the time to eat something healthy every meal. Pick out one extracurricular activity a week and make that activity your focus.
Add healthy foods to your holiday diet? You can do it with just a few variations. If you need a quick pick me up, eat a spoonful of almond butter. Almonds reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease, give energy and are awesome. Â Add frozen grapes to your midnight snack. Low calorie, cool, and stop the ice cream cravings. Greek yogurt is highly popular and if you eat it with berries, honey and nuts you will have high protein reserves. Keeps your blood sugar stable and helps to stop those mid-morning crashes.
You can create healthy communications in your family by talking about the holidays and what everyone in your family expects. Discuss finals, school holiday plans and social life. Get rid of the peer-pressures for your children by regularly talking with them. Use the dinner table as a healthy conversation location. Plus add those healthy foods that will keep everyone going strong!
Fix the sugar cravings during the holidays. Reports from the Health, Medical & Wellness unit at CNN reports that nearly 20% of the total calories in family”s diets come from sodas, energy drinks, desserts, fruit drinks, candies and ice cream. All the yummy things you love! Subtly remind your family that sugar-rich diets contribute to diabetes, heart disease and cancer. Optimize you and your family”s health by avoiding the sugar gorge. Pick one special sweet a day and limit yourself.
Have a happy and healthy holiday season by resolving not to be a glutton and break all the healthy habits you have developed during the year.