How to Stay Healthy and Sane During the Holiday Season

Introduction

The holidays are nothing if not stressful, I get it. There are a lot of expectations, both societal and self imposed that can ruin the joy of the season. I mean, between the parties, family obligations, and endless to-do lists, it’s easy to put your health on the back burner. One thing that I hear a lot is that how holiday calories don’t count. This can unfortunately lead to a lot of overeating, inflammation from high stress and sugar intake, and the perpetual need to feel like the new year should bring a specific number on the scale. Don’t get me wrong, we all want to enjoy the holiday time. This year, however, let’s focus on finding balance to stay health and sane.

The Holiday Health Trap

Some of the most common pitfalls during the holidays include overeating, skipping workouts, and becoming more and more stressed as special days draw close. Don’t get me wrong, it does get harder to keep your regular routine. Doing this, however, it just going to make things feel worse when you become more sluggish, bloated, and irritable from forgoing your healthy habits.

Instead of trying to pretend that the holidays don’t exist and not enjoying anything, tis the season to practice balance. I always strive to ‘maintain, don’t gain’ around this time if the normal push is for weight loss. Allow yourself to indulge without over indulging. Don’t beat yourself up if you miss a workout because you were with people you love. Recognize the impact of a truly heartfelt gift instead of feeling like you have to purchase everything and the kitchen sink.

The good news? Staying healthy doesn’t mean skipping the cookies or being a fitness saint – it’s about small, intentional choices.

Practical Wellness Tips for the Holiday Season

Mindful Eating with Holiday Treats

Enjoy holiday treats without guilt! Some simple tips to help to prevent feeling that way is to eat slowly, savor your food, and stop when you’re full. I know that it’s hard to not inhale all the treats that only come around once a year, but by really taking your time to enjoy them, you can avoid overeating. Besides, the less you eat at once – the longer those treats will be around to enjoy 😉. You don’t have to avoid grandma’s pie – just don’t make it your main course!

Keep Moving

Maybe you can’t crush an hour long workout every day, but that doesn’t mean that you can get some healthy movement. The key point to remember during this season is to be flexible and gentle with yourself. Even taking a 10-minute walk, doing some light stretching, or a quick yoga flow will help keep you moving and reduce your stress levels. Movement isn’t just about burning off calories, it’s about keeping your energy and mood up as well!

Manage Holiday Stress with Intention

There are a lot of ways to reduce stress. Some of the first things we think of are breathwork, yoga, and journaling. Those are definitely great ways to reduce stress but not the only ones. Find what fills your cup. Is that turning off the tv at night and cuddling with someone you love? Is it working on a craft or project that you enjoy? Maybe it’s bundling up and spending some time in nature. Saying ‘no’ to requests that you either don’t actually want to do or will overstretch you is also something to consider. Even though setting boundaries is hard (and doubly so around the holidays), learning to do say will save you headaches in the long run. So next time you’re taking inventory of all the things you’ve got on your plate, ask yourself “does this bring be joy, or am I doing it out of obligation?”

Aligning the Holidays with Your Values

Taking a look at what really matters to you is going to help you align your holidays with those values. This mean reflecting on what if most important. Is it connection and spending time with others, creating holiday traditions at home, or settling in to quietly reflect on the year. The hardest part of this is listening to your inner voice and not the (incredibly loud) voices of friends, family, and society at large (I’m looking at you social media).

Years ago I was determined to create the Pinterest-perfect Holiday. I would create handmade advent calendars every year (which was actually really cool and fun but would stress me out when I waited until the last minute). I’d make a million cookies and create goodie bags for coworkers. We’d make decorations, tried to fit in as many movies as possible, and have themed foods throughout the month. Don’t even get me started on gifts! And holiday parties? I’d honestly dread going (I’m a total homebody) but then experience serious FOMO if I didn’t. Fast forward and we’re aligning our holidays with our values more and more. We’re moving away from buying things and focusing on experiences. One year, we went backpacking at the Red River Gorge for the holiday weekend and brought along some ultralight string lights for the trees! It was so ‘us’ and made us realize how much better we felt doing what aligned with our personal values.

So what would a holiday season aligned with YOUR values look like? Write it down and let it guide your decisions!

Conclusion

To keep stress at bay and stay sane and healthy during the holiday season, remember that it’s important to focus on maintaining small, consistent steps, being gentle and flexible with yourself, and honoring your needs. This year, let’s focus on thriving, not just surviving, through the holidays.

So what’s your go-to tip for staying healthy during the holidays? Share in the comments – I’d love to hear from you!

If you’re interested in learning more about aligning your values to your health and wellness choices, sign up for the newsletter below where we’ll be diving into that as a New Years kickoff!