Prioritising healthy habits is something more of us should do, however finding a happy balance will help us with the chaos of the holidays, seeing family and friends on top of maintaining your healthy habits.
Sounds very overwhelming. As we can all recognise the value of regular sleep, exercise and good nutrition to ensure you are feeling refreshed and energised. However, it is also important to spend time with friends and family for your own well being. Yet, maintaining a good well-being and health over this time is easier said than done.
You will not be able to maintain your routines and that’s okay. It is important to enjoy yourself whilst moving where possible. This blog will incorporate a few tips and tricks to help you take control of your health these holidays.
Set realistic expectations
When we set goals for ourselves we must ensure they are realistic, long and short term. What is achievable for YOUR context.
This ensures you don’t lose motivation in health related goals and being able to indulge without feeling guilty.
Indulge, treats are okay
It is more than okay to enjoy chocolate, pavlova, and a few candy canes here and there. Set your own boundaries on these foods to avoid too much, perfect time to start becoming accountable and recognise these boundaries you have set yourself.
Walking is great to increase activity time whilst being social
During holiday times activity levels can decrease. This is not the end of the world, however next time you meet up with your friends suggest a hike, leisurely stroll or cycle around the lake. Walking is a sustainable activity to include as you can adapt it into activities of daily living.
Research shows that 10-30 minutes of activity at least 5x a week improves cardiorespiratory fitness, energy, sleep quality, mood, heart health, and reduces stress and fatigue. This can be 3 rounds of at least 10 minutes to get into a habit. As well as 2 minute bouts of light to moderate activity (walking) every 20 minutes after a meal reduces blood glucose around 24-30%.
Overall your mental health is essential, for some that means taking some time to yourself to celebrate the year and enjoy holidays, guilt free. Exercise is proven to substantially increase mental health, however with almost everything in life, ensure a happy balance with other aspects of life. Give yourself time to slow down and recharge, set some new goals, change the routine and enjoy.
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