Staying healthy during the holidays — oh, the struggle! Everyone feels overwhelmed by the pressure to be a social butterfly and purchase the perfect gifts for their loved ones. Sound familiar?
The holidays are the busiest time of year for most people, which can make it hard to stick to your health and wellness goals. The holidays are considered the season of giving and thinking of others, so it can be way too easy to lose yourself in the fray. Stress can easily get you down, and ruin what’s supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year, but you don’t have to let it overpower your holiday cheer.
Here are some tips and ideas to help you maintain good health and wellness during the holiday season.
CREATE A YOGA OR MEDIATION RETREAT DAY
Take a true break from the hectic rush of the holidays, gather some of your friends and family and choose a day that you have nothing else on your calendar. Dedicate some space in your home for your retreat; it can be as a simple as a corner in room. Include fresh flowers, serene music, essential oils and candles and dedicate yourselves to getting grounded.
PRACTICE SELF-CONTROL WITH FOOD
The holidays are filled with cookies, muffins, cakes and countless other temptations. A lot of people pull out their elastic-waisted stretchy pants from the back of their closets so they can eat sweets and delicious foods to their hearts’ content. However, leading a healthy lifestyle is only effective if you stick to it all the time — even during the holidays. Eating healthy during the holidays and practicing self-control, especially when you’re constantly surrounded by an assortment of your favorite treats, can be difficult. My favorite tip: Don’t let a holi-day turn into a holi-week or holi-month.
Having said that, there’s nothing wrong with mindfully having a treat or two in moderation.
GET PLENTY OF SLEEP
Like “final exam” anxiety, “holiday” anxiety is real, and it can be worsened by a lack of proper sleep. Sleep deprivation is a major cause for concern during the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. Most adults require an average of seven to nine hours of sleep for their brains to function normally. Of course, the amount of sleep required varies from person to person.
Getting a good night’s sleep is key to staying healthy all year round, and during the holiday season, it ensures you have enough energy for all of the social events and activities that fill up your calendar. Otherwise, that holiday burnout just might hit you like a ton of bricks—and fast.
Enjoy quality time with loved ones
Making time to visit friends and relatives is exactly what the holiday season is all about. While it can be exhausting to try to make time for every single person in your life, even a simple phone call or Christmas greeting is enough to brighten up another person’s mood and let them know that you’re thinking of them. You might even notice that the more you do this, the more others will return the favor.
PLAN AHEAD
One of the most important holiday wellness tips you can follow is to plan ahead so you can stay on top of your errands and your to-do list. Planning ahead and getting your holiday shopping done early can help you avoid the stress of having to brave the hordes of last-minute shoppers. You can feel satisfied knowing that all your holiday shopping and preparations are done well ahead of schedule and you can just sit back, relax and enjoy the season.
I wish you all a very happy, healthy holiday season filled with family, friends, love and cheer.
Karol Brandt is an executive host with Scarlet Pearl Casino Resort, as well as co-author of the Amazon best-seller “The Struggle is Real: Finally Break the Dieting Cycle, Transform Your Mind and Body, and Evolve into The Person You Have Always Wanted to Be” and the “30-Day Evolve Challenge Journal.” Contact Brandt by email at karol. brandt@scarletpearlcasino.com, Facebook/ The Struggle Is Real or Instagram at karolbrandtnola.
