Healthy Holiday Habits

Enjoy Your Favorite Foods - Just Don't Overindulge

Chill. No one is going to snatch away your plate of Grandma's mac and cheese and force feed you a carrot instead. The holidays are about many things, and one of them is delicious home cooking. That doesn't mean you have to eat everything in sight. Eat the holiday food you've grown to love, just don't eat it all. If you eat small portions and indulge in moderation, you shouldn't have any trouble fitting into clothes in the New Year.

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Lighten Up

This might be blasphemy to holiday-food purists, but sometimes it can't hurt to lighten up some of your traditional family recipes. Go through your holiday menu and see where you can substitute evaporated skim milk for cream, baking for frying, olive oil for shortening or butter, and smoked turkey for ham hocks. Your guests probably won't notice, and, if they do, they might just like the newer, lighter version better than the original.



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Let Go Of Your Leftovers

If you're throwing a holiday party or hosting a dinner, chances are you'll end up with a refrigerator full of left over food by the end of the night. The leftovers offer plenty of midnight snacking opportunities for you and your family, but keeping all of that heavy, delicious food around might prove to be too much of a temptation for overeating. Instead of hording, send your guests home with leftovers. Keep a little for yourself, if you want.


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Don't Worry, Be Happy

It might be easier said than done, but a key to holiday-season health is staying calm and stress free. Somehow, in the midst of emptying our bank accounts on high-priced Christmas presents, worrying about being the perfect hostess or host, and obsessing over inconsequential details, we to forget enjoy the people around us even the ones who usually stress us out. When we're stressed and depressed, we often become sedentary and resort to food for comfort. In the interest of your own mental and physical health, relax and try not to lose sight of what the holiday season is all about.




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Stay Active

Your family is in town, spirits are high but wallets are probably emptier than usual. Don't sit around in a tryptophan-induced haze! Get out, stay active, and enjoy your relatives. Depending on where you live, you can take walks, ride bikes, or head to a park and play a little family football. The sky is the limit. No matter what you do, staying on the move will do more good than sitting on the sofa munching on sugar cookies. If you are running to the mall or to the grocery store for some last minute shopping, park on the far end of the parking lot. Inside, walk up the escalators instead of riding them to the next floor.



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Make Up For Unhealthy Meals

Getting ready to gorge yourself on buttery mashed potatoes, gravy, and sugar-loaded desserts? Plan ahead: Eat healthy and keep up your exercise regimen the week before and after. Attending your office holiday party at night? Eat a low-cal breakfast and munch on a salad for lunch that day. During the holidays, it's natural to let a few of your normal nutrition and exercise rules fly out the window some of the time. Make up for those lapses with a good diet and fitness plan that you stick to throughout the season.



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Lay Off The Drinks

Alcohol is your waistline's silent killer at any time of the year. Those seemingly innocuous little glasses of vodka and cranberry juice and bottles of beer are packing serious caloric punches. And during the holidays, that high-calorie drinks get supersized. Holiday beverages like eggnog are loaded with calories think nearly 400 per glass. Keep that in mind when you're on your way back to the punch bowl for thirds and fourthsand fifths and sixths. Don't deprive yourself of a taste, but switch to some beverages that don't involve heavy cream and egg yolks before things get out of hand.


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Remember Yourself

Eating, drinking, and sleeping are essentials to human survival, but it's surprising how many people forget the importance of these things during the holiday rush. No natter how busy your schedule might be, you should remember to eat breakfast, stay extra hydrated, and get a good nights sleep. The holidays won't be any fun if you don't have the energy to enjoy them.


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Don't Hover

Sticking around the food table at holiday parties is a sure way to overindulge on unhealthy treats. Instead of hovering over the chips and dip, grab a small plate of food and go mingle with your co-workers, friends, and family.


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Give Back

The holiday season is a joyful time, but it's also a time when our hearts are heavy and our problems weigh on us. We miss our lost loved ones more than usual, and family and financial issues always come to the forefront. This sadness affects our mental and physical well-being. One way to lift your spirits is to lift the spirits of others. Volunteering at a soup kitchen or a nursing home will give you a mental health boost and leave you feeling as good as the people you helped.


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