Your Ultimate Guide For Keeping Your Health on Track For The Holidays
The holidays can bring a fresh sense of wonder and excitement with chances for new memories, gathering with those you love, and yes, indulging in those festive food and drinks. How do you stay on track while still enjoying the holidays? Enjoy these mindful tips for embracing your health while enjoying your holiday favorites with those you love.
Be Proactive With Immune Health
The fall and winter season often means an influx of colds, flu, and other sicknesses. Being proactive with immune health can help you ward off sickness and enjoy all that the holidays have to offer. Adding a variety of colors to your diet can be beneficial. With rich phytochemicals and nutrients, these dark red or purple foods such as blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, or cranberries can provide a needed immune boost all season long!
Practice The 80/20 Rule
While it can be easy to set ambitious health goals during the holiday season, moderation is key. Practicing balance means aiming for a colorful and healthy diet most of the time while still allowing yourself to experience your favorite treats. Try using the “Half Your Plate” filling half your plate with colorful fruits and veggies and the other half with lean protein and carbohydrates. if you’re craving it, pick a small portion of a decadent dessert of holiday treat. Depriving yourself can lead to overindulging but moderation can help you stay on track!
Set Realistic Workout Goals
While hitting the gym 4-5 days a week is a great goal, sometimes life can get in the way. If you know you have a packed schedule coming up, block out some time for family walks, getting in some steps at a park, or even a 20-minute at-home workout. Getting in physical activity at the outset of the day can help eliminate excuses and motivate you to get it done before the demands of the day set in!
Give Your Gut Some TLC With a Probiotic
With a flood of parties, events, and gatherings, the holiday stress can take a toll on your digestive system. Taking a consistent probiotic is a great way to keep gut health in check and feel your best! Vibrant Health’s Digestive Vibrance contains a unique blend of fermentable fibers, 100 billion probiotics, and ingredients designed to nurture a healthy gut and boost regularity. Taking this daily can help reduce digestive discomfort from heavy meals and keep bloating at bay. For best results take 30-45 minutes after a meal and mix just 1 scoop daily into 8 oz. of water, juice, or your favorite smoothie.
Feeling “blah” around the holidays? Try this Cranberry Detox Smoothie with Digestive Vibrance packed with detox properties from cherries, ginger, and cranberries.
Take a Walk Post-Dinner
Walking post-meal has a number of incredible health benefits. Studies have shown that walking for even 15 minutes post-meal can help to regulate your blood sugar as well as aid in digestion. Walking stimulates the stomach and small intestines which helps move the food more quickly through to digestion. Engaging in a walk post-meal can also help to elevate mood, reduce bloating, and increase your metabolism when done on a consistent basis. Going for a walk with others can be a fun way to bond with family and loved ones during the holidays all while increasing that step count!
Spice Up Your Water
Tired of drinking just water? Adding a sliced lemon to your water can be a sweet, delicious boost of vitamin C and antioxidants while also helping aid in digestion. Since lemons are widely available at most restaurants, lemon water can be a great alternative to sugary soda or alcohol which are often laden with extra calories. Lemon water also contains electrolytes and can keep you feeling more hydrated while on the go.
Try Out Your New Year’s Goals Early and Make it a Habit
While many people might wait until January 1 to make a habit change, why not test it out early? A habit typically takes about 2 months to form and its success can greatly depend on someone’s behavior. Working on one habit change at a time gives you time to really nail it and integrate it more fully into daily life. Things like: working out for 30 minutes before work, drinking 90 oz. of water daily, or even establishing a cut-off time for screen time can be a great place to begin shifting your habits.
Be Mindful of Caffeine Intake
While coffee does have various positives such as improving alertness and focus, there are some downsides. Coffee acts as a stimulant and with 100-200 mg of caffeine per cup, it can increase feelings of anxiety as well as disrupt sleep. If you notice increased anxiety or your heart racing, consult your doctor and consider lowering your intake. If you are still craving a boost, switching over to green tea or Matcha can be a helpful alternative. Both of these options contain a fraction of the caffeine in coffee and may cause less of an energy crash throughout the day.
Streamline Your Supplement Routine
Being consistent with your supplement routine is one way to ensure your body is getting more of the nutrients that it needs. Holiday busyness can mean burning the candle at both ends and nutritional gaps being missed. Three of the most recommended supplements by physicians are a daily multivitamin, a probiotic, as well as an omega-3 fish oil. Vibrant Health’s newest supplement launch Trilogy contains all 3 of these in 1 convenient supplement to streamline your daily routine and help you and your family stay on top of your health. It is also available in both vegan and non-vegan forms.
Don’t let the holiday overwhelm the best of you! Nailing your health goals and staying on track doesn’t have to be rocket science. There is power in keeping things simple and setting realistic, achievable goals that leave you feeling vibrant and healthy even during the holiday rush. If you start to feel stuck, remember your “why”. Don’t forget to pause and soak in all of the beauty and memories the holidays can bring!
