Most of us see the holidays as an excuse to let down our hair, let out our pants and just throw any and all health concerns to the wind. We’re totally cool with that mentality—after all, what is the point of life if you can’t enjoy it with abandon at one point or another? Still, going totally ham during the holidays can lead to a health hangover in January that’s hard to shake. Here, 9 hacks for sneaking a little bit of good behavior into your good times this holiday season.
9 Hacks For Staying Healthy Through The Holidays
Recent research confirmed that turmeric has a positive effect on genes that cause diseases, especially when ingested with food. The good news here is that turmeric can be tossed into virtually any dish. We love this recipe for Cauliflower Steaks with Ginger, Turmeric and Cumin, but if you're not feeling quite that healthy, toss a little into your mac and cheese instead.
As we head into the holidays, most of us begin to experience an increase in the number of social engagements we're meant to attend nightly. These soirees tend to include copious amounts of cocktails as well as hors d'oeuvres which no supermodel would touch with a ten-foot pole. We don't suggest you refrain from indulging in these treats, but we do suggest you add a kombucha into your daily routine in order to help your over-taxed tummy handle the seasonal overload.
Trying to make your day productive after a few too many apple cider mimosas or eggnogs the night before can be miserable. We swear by taking activated charcoal supplements before bed to help our bodies flush the toxins out of our system and enable us to wake up refreshed. To further aid in the anti-hangover cause—and limit the number of empty calories you're consuming nightly—we suggest you alternate between an alcoholic beverage and a glass of sparkling water throughout the evening.
Research has shown that exercise is as powerful as an anti-depressant when it comes to counteracting the effects of depression, so if you feel yourself getting down around the holidays, as many do, you'll want to make sure you're not slacking on your workouts. If this isn't the case for you, it's still a good idea to keep some form of physical fitness worked into your routine during the chaotic holiday season, as you're likely ingesting less healthful foods than normal. We love Selena Gomez's 10-minute whole body pilates & yoga program, her 10-minute leg-toning workout, and her 10-minute arms & abs workout for quick fixes in hectic times.
We don't expect you to stick to an alkaline diet during the holidays, but it is important to counterbalance the acidity of most festive foods (sugar, alcohol and meat) with some alkaline elements. Try adding hot water with lemon (and turmeric for good measure!) into your morning routine, and make sure you're putting some greens on your plate at the holiday buffet.
We're majorly guilty of this one, especially on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day—if we don't eat all day, we can stuff as much as we want into our faces at the feast, right? Well, you will definitely binge in this scenario, especially on salty, fatty foods. Instead, nibble on healthy snacks in the hours leading up to the big meal—this isn't your only meal of the year, after all, so there's no need to approach it from a scarcity mindset.
If you're the type of person who gets stressed out during the holidays, you'll want to be sure you're mentally prepared to take on the season. Note these eight simple tips for boosting happiness, and keep a list of go-to tricks for maintaining your sanity handy for the holidays. You may also want to keep these all-natural anxiety cures top-of-mind as well as include as many of these anxiety-busting foods into your holiday spread as possible.
If you're not sleeping, there's zero chance you'll be able to resist the sweets and other junky foods offered in abundance during the holiday season. You'll also be less likely to exercise. Try these six surprising tips for better sleep to help you snooze through the stress.
You don't need to wear your tightest pants to Thanksgiving dinner, but you might want to consider not giving your belly endless room to grow lest you abuse the privilege by eating ten times your bodyweight in pumpkin-flavored whatever. Wear something that holds you in without holding you down, so you'll eat until you're full but no further.
