Optimizing Health Over the Holidays
’Tis the season: to-do lists, cooking, shopping, guests, decorating, parties, food, and crafted cocktails. How can we approach the holiday season with mindfulness, self-awareness, and intention to enjoy the moments, all while supporting our physical and mental health?
Holiday health tips and strategies:
1. If you have been thinking about your health and wanting to make some changes, start now, don’t wait until after the holiday season. Creating healthy habits before the holidays will provide you with a solid foundation for healthy holidays. Start small; incorporate more vegetables and fruits, whole grains, and lean protein. Take stock on your processed food/sugar/packaged food intake; what can you reduce or eliminate to kick-start your health? Focus on hydration, aiming to drink 8-12 servings of water a day. Speaking of drinks, consider your alcoholic beverage intake. Can you create boundaries or limitations around consumption that will support you through the holidays and beyond? Do you have a daily exercise habit? If not, see how you might fit in a daily walk or yoga class to support energy, overall health, and longevity. Pick one or two areas to start and you will notice a cascading of healthy behavior change. Consider a visit to your physician to determine what areas of your health could benefit most from attention and support. You will feel good heading into the new year with an excellent foundation for optimal wellness and longevity. Some functional medicine practices have specific programs catering to the specific needs of both men and women.
2. Stress management. So much to do and so little time! Daily planning and organization may help you feel more in control of your day. Schedule time for your self-care around your other to-do items. Begin a breath or meditation practice. Some simple breathing technique suggestions include box breathing and 4-7-8 breathing. Box breathing is a technique created for the Navy SEALs. Step 1: Breathe in, counting to four slowly. Feel the air enter your lungs. Step 2: Hold your breath for 4 seconds. Try to avoid inhaling or exhaling for 4 seconds. Step 3: Slowly exhale through your mouth for 4 seconds. Step 4: Repeat steps 1 to 3 until you feel recentered. Or Dr. Andrew Weil’s 4-7-8 method. Step 1: Let your lips part, make a whooshing sound, exhaling completely through your mouth. Step 2: Close your lips, inhaling silently through your nose as you count to four in your head. Step 3: For 7 seconds, hold your breath. Step 4: Make another whooshing exhale from your mouth for 8 seconds.
3. Practice mindful eating. During stressful, busy times, it is easy to mindlessly nosh on food while walking through the mall or while shopping online, or in front of the TV after a long day. When we eat while doing other things, we are not focused on the sensory experience of eating and typically end up eating more than was intended and selecting foods that might not serve our health and energy needs. Mindless eating can leave you feeling unsatisfied because the choice didn’t meet your needs, or overstuffed because you ate beyond satiety. Eating balanced, planned meals with a basic schedule can help prevent drops in blood sugar that leave you craving quick and simple carbohydrates. Plan for meals every 3-4 hours (depending on hunger cues) and be sure they are balanced with protein and fiber; both are nutritional powerhouses and effectively balance blood sugar, preventing hunger. Steps for practicing mindful eating: Step 1: Listen to your body and stop eating when you are full. Step 2: Eat when your body tells you are hungry (stomach growling), vs. when emotions tell us to eat (bored, lonely, upset). Step 3: Eat at set times, vs. randomly eating throughout the day. Step 4: Intentionally choose foods that are nourishing for your body, vs. those that are comforting with low nutritional content. Step 5: Sit down, without distractions (phone, TV, computer) and just eat, taking the time to notice taste, flavor, texture. Put your fork down between bites and just enjoy with gratitude the experience of nourishing your body, knowing the choices that you make support your overall health and well-being and enhance longevity.
4. Holiday time/party time. Along with the stress of the holidays, there is also plenty of joy and festivity. Sometimes the stress and busyness of the season can lead to overeating and sloshing back a few too many martinis. The mindset might even be, “Well, it’s the holidays, eat, drink, and be merry!” And I’m not here to say you shouldn’t, but a mindful approach to party-going might help you avoid those unwanted added pounds come January. This approach will also provide you with more feel-good energy, glowing skin, and less inflammation. 1) Consider moderation. If you have a festive dinner on the town planned for the evening, be sure to consume light, healthy meals for breakfast and lunch: maybe a green smoothie for breakfast, a salad and lean protein for lunch, and maybe a light snack (handful of almonds) before heading out. Fasting before the dinner can lead to a drop in blood sugar, creating carb cravings and overeating. Not to mention that cocktails on an empty stomach can lead to that boozy, woozy feeling and reduced decision-making around drinking. Heading to your dinner with slight hunger will support choices that will leave you feeling satisfied, vs. stuffed and bloated. Enjoy a few indulgences with intention and then start the next day back on track with your healthy choices. 2) When entertaining or cooking at home, add more vegetables, lean protein, and whole grains to your repertoire. Roasted asparagus, carrots, or sweet potatoes also add a pop of color to your table. These foods are wholesome, delicious, and nutritious. Creating a meal with lots of healthy options and maybe a decadent dessert or specialty cocktail is a great way to balance healthy options with festive indulgences. 3) Slow down during your meals. Those holiday, food make us eager to eat and indulge and overeat. Eating slowly and mindfully will allow for a more joyful, sensory eating experience and give your stomach enough time to send the hormonal signal to your brain that you are full. 4) Consider portion control during festive dinners and throughout your days. Smaller meals can improve digestion and reduce caloric intake. 5) Take the focus off the food and drink, and enjoy the evening of social connections and conversations. Be calm and party on!
5. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. Do yourself a favor and buy an insulated water bottle that holds at least 20 ounces and fill it at least three or four times throughout the day. Carry it around like your BFF and sip throughout the day. Hydration will keep you skin dewy for those glitzy parties, keep your digestion in check, and support overall health.
6. Don’t forgo exercise. Time may be of the essence, but all you really need is a 20-minute HIIT (high-intensity interval training) workout, or strength workout. Add that to all those steps you’ll be taking (aim for 7,000-10,000 a day) and your muscles and cardiovascular system will thank you. Not to mention the mood-boosting endorphins a good sweat will gift you.
7. Be kind to your circadian rhythm. It’s easy to stay up late watching the Hallmark channel while wrapping all those gifts, but I encourage you to stick to your sleep schedule. Irregular sleep can lead to poor quality sleep, exhaustion, carb cravings, mood swings and daytime sleepiness. Be strict about your bedtime and wake time. Hallmark will be there for you tomorrow.
8. Self-care. We talked about exercise, stress management, and eating well, all of which support self-care. It is still important to check in with yourself, get support from family, and delegate to others. You don’t have to do it all and shouldn’t be expected to. Take the time to go for a walk, escape the company and the to-do lists, get a massage, mani-pedi, meditate, or do anything else that helps you get centered and balanced.
Preparing and planning for your healthy holiday season vs. a free-for-all mindset will help you bring on a healthy and happy new year without the need for those restrictive New Year’s resolutions.
At the Anti-Aging and Longevity Center, your optimal health and longevity is our passion. With programs focused on the specific health needs of both men and women, we create individualized care plans supporting your vision of health based in science and medical technology.
