Maintaining Healthy Habits Over the Holiday Season

So, it’s that time of year again. For many of us the holiday season means time with family, but also it means meals with lots of turkey and pie… and possibly alcohol. Spending time with loved ones and making new memories to cherish is the highlight of the year for a lot of us, but unfortunately it can also be the time of year when the healthy habits we’ve been so good at maintaining get derailed. Oftentimes Thanksgiving followed closely by the various Winter Solstice holidays can be just the right combination to get us back into bad habits and set back our health goals. With that in mind, here are some tips that can help you stay on track with maintaining a healthy and balanced lifestyle.

• If possible, don’t completely throw away your routine

So often the challenge of the holidays is that we throw away our usual schedule; sometimes this is having family visit from out of town and making time for things we usually don’t, or maybe we are the family from out of town and we find ourselves away from home and our usual structure. The holidays don’t always lend themselves to maintaining healthy routines and regular exercise, but it is still possible to do something to maintain those habits. Pack gym clothes. Try to find the time. Also, remember that just because you’re exercising for 30 minutes rather than an hour is okay as long as you keep it going. If you don’t have a gym membership where you are, go for a run or walk instead. You can also do pushups or other simple exercises. Regardless of what you do, just remember that as long as you are doing something to stay active that is always better than just completely giving up.

• Indulge, but set limits

Are you going to have a plate of the delicious turkey dinner? Absolutely! Is it a written law that you must get a second helping? No, not really (I mean unless your family are weird food authoritarians who control how much you eat… I don’t know what your life is). It is of course always going to be tempting to overindulge, but if you embrace philosophy of just having a taste or one serving of the food available it might serve you well in keeping the calorie count down.

• Still honor dietary restrictions

In some ways, this one is easier depending on what your restrictions are. For example, if you’re abstaining from alcohol, you can give that up with limited fuss and still enjoy the rest of the meal. Similarly, if you have given up lactose, it isn’t the hardest thing in the world to give up milk or avoid whipped cream on pie during the holidays. Other dietary restrictions like vegetarianism, veganism, and other variations may require some openness and willing to collaborate with family. Whether you’re the person cooking or being served, this can be talking about meat alternatives, having a special plate prepared, or even just agreeing that the person with the restrictions doesn’t have to eat certain items.

• Limit stressful family interactions

Another factor that can lead to overeating or eschewing exercise routines over the holidays is stressful family interactions. We all have different family dynamics and there’s a chance that in some ways this might not even apply to many of us, but even family members you have healthy relationships with can contribute to lapses in good behavior. Maybe it’s pressure from your parents to try the dessert, or talking to your aunt about politics makes you want to take up smoking again, or something as simple as letting your guard down around your siblings and drinking too much. Regardless, part of being an adult is that sometimes you have to set boundaries and if possible it can be best to limit such interactions if possible.

Happy Holidays from Leaner Creamer! We hope you all stay healthy and safe!