Three Easy Ways to Stay Healthy (And Sane) this Holiday Season

We’re well into the holiday season now, so watch out, because here comes the seasonal junk food at the office. Here come the New Year, New Me slogans. Here come the holiday parties and the holiday drinks. Here come the frantic gift searching, and the “I’ll just put myself on hold until the New Year” mentality.

If you’ve been through any of these battles, it might be the season for a new approach. Try these three ways to stay healthy and sane this holiday season.

• Make a point of walking.

Moderate walking for thirty minutes burns about three hundred calories. This give us 2100 calories for a week. It’s not life changing, but it’s a way to keep ourselves fighting until the holiday obligations subside. Add in two half-hour weight training sessions at about 200 calories each, and we are up to about 2500 calories. It will take 3500 calories burned to lose a pound over seven days. Those numbers make it clear that losing weight takes so much work. Your goal may not be to lose weight this season, or even to maintain. That’s perfectly fine. You’ll still benefit from the movement.

• Make an attempt to curtail somewhat on the food and drink.

There’s no need to be a complete Scrooge, but consider the wisdom of not going completely overboard, either. Indulge lightly and with a bit of thought.

• Make a post of keeping your water intake up.

We often confuse thirstiness with hunger, so staying diligent about drinking water can make a big difference. Not only will you be properly hydrated, you won’t mistake thirst for being hungry.

If you find that these three tips cast a big of a negative light on the happiest season of the year, consider how the negative effects of overindulgence, under hydration, stress and no exercise will impact you as we start a brand new year. We encourage you to have fun with friends, family and at the office party. Just make sure that the fun allows you to be responsible with your health. This will make you much happier, believe it or not. Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!