We all love the idea of kicking back and enjoying the holiday seasons, however it is important to define what this truly meals. How much more enjoyable would our time spent relaxing without family and friends be without the sluggishness and guilt that comes from the all too common phenomenon of overeating, overdrinking and lack of movement around celebrations? What truly brings us more joy?
This holiday season; why not take your celebrations to a new level by enjoying everything this period has to offer; amazing company, food and physical wellbeing without the compromise of potentially hurting our health.
Below are 4 simple, easy to adhere to tips to replace over-indulgence with feelings of satisfaction and overwhelming joy and gratitude this festive season:
- Eat mindfully: Instead of mindlessly eating large quantities of food out of food out of habit, shift your focus to how lucky you are to enjoy this time with your family and friends. Focus on creating rich conversations and connections, eat slowly and experience gratitude for each moment, rather than focusing solely on food and drink
- Make some health alternatives: get creative in the kitchen this holiday season by making some of your favorite classics with a healthy twist! For example, create a delicious healthy mud cake using beans or beetroot to keep it moist and rich (there are lots of gluten, dairy and sugar free recipes online), sneaking some extra vegetables into your dish, creating some meat free alternatives, or experimenting with a raw dessert
- Continue to move: Exercise is like a free medicine; it helps to keep us happy, our hearts healthy and our bodies young. Including exercise in your holiday regime is essential, even if you are away on holidays or are thrown out of your normal routine! You might like to instead take your family or friends for a walk in nature, on a bike ride, outside to play a game of backyard cricket or football, or you might even organize an exercise circuit to do all together! Always aim to keep it fun and social to fit the theme of ‘holiday celebrations’
- Moderate alcohol: We can use similar practices from eating mindfully when it comes to our alcohol consumption. Focus on enjoying holiday events and situations for what they are, drink water between alcoholic beverages and find some healthy, delicious alternatives to help cut back your alcohol intake over the festive period (for example soda water, Kombucha, vegetable juice, homemade healthy alcohol free eggnog).