So, we are in the midst of the holidays and that means parties, shopping, good food, traveling and family time! All good things, right? As long as it’s managed properly! The holidays are no surprise but sometimes it feels like we don’t have enough time to get it all accomplished.
This time of year can play havoc on our diets. When the holiday season spins up and we are all in full swing, we tend to get lax on our things that require discipline, yep I said it- the “D” word! But let’s think about this. When we get super busy, we tend to not eat as healthy because we either grab something on the go, or we are eating all the treats that people like to share. When it’s cold outside, some people don’t have access to fruits and veggies like the rest of the year. Also, when it’s cold a salad just doesn’t warm you up!
Stress- For many, shopping for others can be stressful, trying to figure out what would makes someone’s eyes light up when you give it to them while keeping up with all of your other monthly bills AND trying to fund Christmas gifts for all of the loved ones. People also feel stress of trying to get everything accomplished and not forgetting someone or something.
Exercise- T-I-M-E. We can get spread so thin with our time because of all of our regular duties, such as work and running kids back and forth, and then we add in parties, dinners, shopping, short weeks and traveling- when do we find time to exercise? Generally, exercise gets left out. When we stop exercising our moods can suffer, we can gain weight and upset our metabolism.
So we have about 6 weeks of stressing, eating improperly, partying, traveling, skipping exercise and weight gain and low levels of sunlight. It’s no wonder people get sick after the Holidays! It’s referred to as “flu season” many times, but maybe we’ve just treated ourselves so poorly for a month and a half that our immune systems just finally break down.
What to do? That’s going to be a personal decision, but (here’s that D word again) Discipline to some degree will help you to manage your way through the holidays and maybe not feel the need to have so many New Years resolutions, which die by February anyway!
First, don’t deprive yourself from the enjoyment of this time of year, but be resolute in what you want. Make a list and a schedule and hold yourself accountable right through the season. Make a list of who you are going to buy gifts for, agree on amounts with your spouse or significant other, set a budget and mark gifts off the list weekly. Keep a diet journal, an app like MyFitnessPal can record all of your intake nutritionally, will show you each day your calories and exercises, and if you are going to gain or lose weight. You know you are going to eat holiday food, but a good idea is to eat very healthy the meal or 2 before so you can pig out on your favorite dishes when you get there. Limit yourself to 1 serving instead of eating like it’s your last meal! Exercise can be as simple as hitting the treadmill our walking outside if it’s warm enough for at least 20 minutes 3-4 times. This may sound like a lot of time, but let’s be real, we waste 20 minutes laying on our phones waiting for our favorite shows to come on. DO SOMETHING while you’re waiting! Mix it up -push ups, jumping jacks, sit ups, stairs! it’s only 20 minutes. Try to get outside and soak up some sun because our bodies need it. Start taking some immune boosting supplements like Vitamin -D or C that will help you fight off any “bugs” you may encounter. And last but not least, get to your chiropractor. Studies have shown the correlation between the nervous system and the immune system, and if the nerves are working like they should, you will give your immune system a fighting chance. At Health By Logic in Beavercreek, Ohio we encourage people to enjoy themselves but be accountable for their health decisions, and we try to educate our patients so they can make informed decisions. Give us a call 937-426-0777.
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