Holiday Danger Ahead

Nine days and counting!  And the panic starts to settle in for many baby boomers and older adults as we struggle to take care of last minute shopping, bake holiday goodies, and look great for festive dinners.

And so we eat foods we normally wouldn’t, and we stop exercising, and we lose sleep, and we stress…bah humbug!

Keep wellness in mind this holiday season!

I find at this time of year it’s best to focus mainly on the wellness issues of which I have total control: what I put in my mouth and how much I move.  (I could go to bed early to try to get more shut-eye, but many times I wake up at 3:00 a.m. and stay awake worrying about something that becomes very silly once the sun comes out!)

Here are 3 simple tips to boost healthy holiday-time eating and physical activity:

Food

  • Maintain regular eating times as much as possible.  Don’t skip meals or eat large dinners and desserts late at night.  You don’t want your blood sugar to drop too low in between meals, and your food digestion should be concluded by 6:00 p.m. or earlier.
  • Walk away from sweets as much as you can.  High sugar foods can cause inflammation and drain energy.
  • Keep lots of fruits and vegetables available for snacks and desserts.  And make it easy to find them—place a bowl of fruit in a prominent place; pull some carrot sticks out of the bag and put them in a container with sliced cucumber or zucchini at eye-level in the refrigerator; rinse off grapes and cut bunches down to snack-sized bundles that are not hidden in the bottom drawer of the refrigerator.

Physical activity

  • As with eating, maintain your regular activity schedule as much as possible.  If you usually get up early and walk, continue doing that.  If you clock 10,000 steps per day, don’t let that record fall by the wayside.
  • Make it a point not to sit too long.  Every 30 – 60 minutes, stand to break up sedentary activity with 2 – 3 minutes of walking.  Extended sitting time tells your body to shut down and prepare for death; after 90 seconds of movement, you’ll start pushing blood sugar and blood fats again into cells to be used for energy, decreasing the risk of diabetes and heart disease.
  • Find an accountability buddy.  Statistically, you’ll be far more likely to keep your exercise commitments if you do them with somebody else.  And sometimes just having someone to talk with during the holidays can help boost your mental status.

Enjoy family, friends, and good times this holiday season.  But be sure to take time for yourself with the gift of wellness for 2020!

  • For more ideas to keep health in mind this holiday season, give me a call.  We can see if any of my programs or products work for you!

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