Healthy living during the holidays

The holiday season is a time with family, friends and fun, but it is also a time that is filled with lots of food and sweets. Exercise and dieting can be hard to maintain during this time of year. Finding the time to exercise can be tricky during this time of year, especially if you are traveling.  Spending time outside could also help reduce some of the stress that can come with the holidays, even if you are just relaxing. A recent study suggests that spending 20 minutes in an urban park will make a person happier regardless of whether they are engaged in exercise during the visit. The holidays are filled with lots of treats, and for some it can be an overwhelming task to stay on a diet. It’s such a nutritional wreck that a lot of people just give up entirely on the quest to eat healthy during the holidays. But there are ways to indulge in your favourite holiday treats without giving up all your nutrition goals.

we have some tips and tricks to help you stay the course this year, so you can enjoy the season while remaining healthy and fit. Here are some suggestions that can help keep healthy during the festive seasons;

• Prioritize exercise, exercise can boost endorphins as well as feel-good neurotransmitters like serotonin, making it the perfect holiday stress buster.  Start out early in the day whenever possible before obligations sidetrack you. Complete as many repetitions of each exercise as you can within 20-30 seconds. Take 20-60 seconds to rest between exercises, or you can immediately move into the next exercise to make things harder. Complete this circuit 2-5 times.
• Center the holidays on family and fun, not food. You don’t have to over-indulge on the big day and subsequently sit around watching TV or dozing all afternoon. Make the holidays active or interactive.
• Create moments for mindfulness. Find a few moments every day for gratitude: for your family, friends, job, your health, and any other blessing you feel. Research shows expressing gratitude can even improve mood disorders, such as depression and anxiety, and pausing to reflect on the good in your life can set a positive tone for your day. It also helps improve sleep disorder.
• Do not skip meals and only eat food that you love but avoid over-indulgence by eating well balanced meal for breakfast and lunch.
• Decide what you are going to eat before you get to the table. This will limit any last-minute grabbing that can overfill your plate.
• Wait 30 minutes after finishing your first plate before getting a second helping. This will give your stomach enough time to tell your brain that it is full, and you will be less tempted to overeat.
• Take a walk after your meal. This help you burn off some of the foods you eat and help you digest the food better, which reduces heartburn, indigestion and bloating. 
• Watch alcohol consumption. Drinking too much makes you more prone to make bad eating decisions. Research also shows over-consuming alcohol can adversely impact your immune system.

The holidays are a time to spend with family and friends, and with a few smart choices, you can enjoy all the traditions and maintain a healthy lifestyle.