Helpful Holiday Hints

The holidays are approaching at the speed of light! And with the holidays comes the natural tendency to succumb to the pitfalls of the holidays, i.e., throwing any healthy intentions out the window.

Well, rather than wait until the first of the year to make good choices, (which is often short lived) why not have a plan so that you can get through the holidays unscathed and feeling good? Nothing is worse than the guilt and regret that follows the holiday season, so here are some suggestions to prevent holiday hangover!

• Cut your calories by about 25%. You’ll find that it may simply mean one less Christmas cookie and glass of eggnog. Or perhaps simply, skipping that second helping. Figure out approx. how many calories you’re taking in and see what you can do to trim down calories along with your waistline!
• Eat less sugar. I know, I know the holidays are loaded with tempting sugar laden treats. I didn’t say avoid them completely, just eat less. Try to stay away from sugar during your regular meals that way when you decide to have a holiday treat, you want fall in to a sugar coma!
• Get some “quiet time” in to your holiday routine. The holidays are filled with chaos, the best thing you can do is limit stress which can be done by making time for quiet. You might consider a yoga class or Tai Chi class, schedule a massage or simply curl up with a good book. Whatever your choice, making time for relaxation is your best defense against overload!
• Focus on Fish! Try to eat fatty fish, rich in Omega’s a couple of times per week. Stay away from farm raised and focus on wild fish. Might be more expensive, but farm raised is not something you want to be eating. Click here to learn more about farm vs. wild fish.
• Get at least 30 minutes a day of regular exercise! If you can sit down and watch your favorite television show for an hour, you can make 30 minutes for exercise. Multitask and exercise in front of your favorite television show!
• Surround yourself with good friends and family. Nothing does more to enhance the quality of your life than to surround yourself with close friends or to volunteer your time to help someone. You get what you give!

Those are just a few tips that you can use this holiday season. Here is to a great season and your health!
Cheers!