Holiday Edition: Basic Lifestyle Guidelines
It's that magical time of year again! To some that means reconnecting with family, getting in touch with your motivations, and/or enjoying time with friends. For a select few of us, it might also mean added stress from the in-laws and overindulgence.
Inevitably, there will be some challenges to your fitness and health routine from holiday party after holiday party! However...
Here are a few simple tips to help you enjoy the holidays and continue your progression towards your goals!
1) BREATH MORE
With family coming into town, holiday parties, and cocktail hours balance of work and rest will not be ideal during the holidays. So to manage your stress we recommend that you stop throughout the day to take some belly breaths aka diaphragmatic breaths.
This type of breathing will help you reduce stress and keep your immune system working at full capacity, both of which tend to be overloaded during the holiday season.
2) GET MORE SUN EXPOSURE
During this season we tend to go to bed later than normal which, over time, can have a negative effect on your circadian rhythm. A great way to lessen the damage is to ensure that you get adequate sun exposure. This sun exposure can come in the form of going for an afternoon walk or having those evening drinks outside and watching the sunset (weather permitting). Since we live in cold climates and we don’t get as much sun in the winter we could benefit from the addition of a Happy Light.
3) REFLECT ON YOUR GOALS
The holiday season is a great time to reflect on their progress and gain new motivation.
During this time of year, we are typically reunited with our friends and family and are reminded about what is truly important to us. Take this opportunity to reflect on what worked and what didn’t during the previous months.
4) ENJOY IN MODERATION
The holidays are synonymous with indulgence and while it’s easy to deploy some complicated diet strategy in order to avoid those extra calories, the best approach is often the simplest.
Enjoy your favorite foods in moderation but recommend chewing each bite thoroughly (30 times) and post-meal walks.
Chewing each bite thoroughly will increase the change that your body can digest the food properly and the post-meal walks will help reduce insulin spikes and boost their NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis). Try to incorporate other family members to keep yourselves accountable and promote smarter choices in the ones we love.
CONSISTENCY & SIMPLICITY DURING THE HOLIDAY SEASON
Staying on track during the holiday season can be difficult. But instead of setting you up for failure with complicated health recommendations, keep it simple. Consistency is the key to progress and simple behaviors are easier to be consistent with.
