Dragging a little? We get it. While full of joy and good times, the craziness of the holidays can take a toll. That’s why we’ve enlisted the help of Elizabeth Finch, a board certified health and nutrition counselor.
Finch is offering up tips on how to navigate the remainder of the holiday season while thinking of your health.
- Track your water. Hydration is crucial everyday but especially when eating out more and eating more indulgent foods. Water helps flush sodium and preservatives out of your system. Drink at least half of your body weight in ounces of water every day. Fill up your water bottle and carry it with you everywhere.
- Prioritize exercise. Even just a 20-minute walk around the neighborhood is helpful. Movement is essential for staying healthy, especially during the stressful holiday season. Schedule movement into your day and you’ll reap the benefits of better sleep, more efficient digestion and less stress.
- Bring a healthy dish to the party or a dinner. To ensure you’ve got something healthy to fill up on, offer to bring a healthy appetizer like veggies and hummus or a healthy side dish like roasted Brussel sprouts. You can still have a few bites of the other options but filling up your plate with veggies and healthy choices will “crowd out” unhealthy foods and the enzymes in veggies assit digestion by breaking down proteins, fats and carbs.
- Never arrive to a party hungry. Stablizie your blood sugar before you go to avoid intense hunger and cravings. When you’re overly hungry, you’re more likely to reach for sugary, unhealthy foods and overindulge in portion sizes. Have a small, healthy snack before you leave. An example: Almond butter on sprouted grain toast or a small green smoothie blended with some good fat like avocados cashews. Protein and good fats will keep you full and satiated.
- Fiercely guard your seven to eight hours of sleep. Sleeping less than seven hours makes you more susceptible to illness and less resilient to stress. Too little sleep also affects your hormones the following day, causing you to feel significantly hungrier and less satisfied after eating which will likely lead to stronger cravings for unhealthy foods.
For more information on healthy recipes and lifestyle tips, visit Finch’s website here.