The holidays are here, which means it’s time to cue the festive playlists and stock up on all things chocolate-coated, deep-fried, and crumbled. There’s no doubt that the festive season is fun-filled and exciting, but that doesn’t mean that it’s the best month or so for your health.
After all, along with gifts, games, and decorations, the holidays are also known for stress and doing almost everything to excess. While you should enjoy your Christmas and New Year party, there’s no reason why it should harm you. With that in mind, here are a few tips to stay healthy this festive season.
Follow A Realistic Schedule
From buying gifts and decorating the house, to baking and cooking your favorite festive meals, there is a lot to get done during the holidays. To keep your stress levels low and avoid unnecessary pressure, you should take a look at your schedule and ensure that it is realistic for the time that you have. There’s no point in ruining the festive season by trying to do more than you can. Just enjoy the things that you can do and forget everything else.
Think Before You Eat
With so much food around you, it can be easy to overindulge, especially when there are tasty side dishes available with no set portions. That being said, with a bit of mindfulness, it is possible to steer clear of any added holiday weight. You just need to watch what you put on your plate and be aware of your body. Make sure you stick with healthier options, only eat treats that are available around Christmas time, and stop eating once you realize that you’re full.
Drink Plenty Of Water
It’s not uncommon to confuse hunger with dehydration, but this is especially true when you’ve had a few, and there’s a buffet table right in front of you. Rather than eating every time you think you need to, you should drink a large glass of water instead. Even if you realize you are definitely hungry, at least you’ve hydrated yourself too. Because it’s colder throughout winter, most don’t drink as much as they need to, which can affect mood and digestion, thus impacting your fun.
Watch The Late Nights
Christmas or New Year's parties can easily go on well into the morning, but you should keep an eye on how many late nights you have throughout the festive period. When we don’t get enough sleep, our bodies and minds are both affected, leaving us tired, cranky, and emotional. This lack of sleep also triggers the release of a hormone that increases our appetites, leading to overeating. For this reason, you should try to stick to getting around eight hours of sleep each night.
Take Time To Yourself
Christmas and New Year are all about spending time with those you love, but that doesn’t mean that you should be surrounded by family and friends the entire month of December. This can quickly lead to burnout, which will harm your mental health and make it difficult to enjoy the rest of the festive season. To avoid this, you should take some time to yourself now and then and do something on your own, whether it be having a relaxing bath, reading a book, or maybe playing a game that you really like.
When I feel stressed or I really need some time to take my mind off things for a bit, I play a childhood online game that really calms me down and relaxes me. I'm talking about the well-known Solitaire, a game that I grew up with and a game that I really enjoyed and still enjoy playing. I discovered it again on Plays.org and I've been playing it daily ever since. It's fun and it keeps my mind busy with something else rather than stressing over things that are out of my control.
Make Exercise An Activity
With so much else to do throughout the holidays, finding time to work out can be a challenge. After all, baking cookies or watching a Christmas film is always going to be more appealing than going for a jog. Because of this, you need to make sure that you include exercise in your schedule and turn it into an activity. Instead of spending hours bored in the gym, have a snowball fight with your children or take a walk in the park.
In the end, it's all about doing what's best for you and your mental health. The main idea is to enjoy your holiday season to the max and take care of yourself while doing that! Have a great 2022!
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