Staying Balanced During the Holiday Season

The holiday season that spans from November through early January is a wonderful time of year where the focus is on family, friends, and often delicious food and drink.  But after all this festiveness, January can often bring the post-holiday blues. This year we have the additional stress of the COVID-19 pandemic that might be changing many families' well-loved traditions. To avoid this January slump, take a little time now to think about what is important to you and your overall wellbeing for the long term. Start by practicing better self-care during holidays, the good thing about self-care is that it pays off. To nurture yourself, assess your atmosphere and see how it feels, then you can add uplifting things like lighting, scents, or music.

With national and religious holidays that either focus on foods or have many food-based traditions, it can be easy to overeat during this season. Turkey, pies, sugar and butter cookies, latkes, and eggnogs will surely be around this time of year.  These celebratory foods and drinks are a way of marking the season and showing our loved ones we care.  While these foods and drinks taste good in the moment, they are usually high in fat, sugar, and/or sodium and can leave us feeling sluggish in the days after we eat them. Our digestion can be disrupted, and our healthy routines can get knocked off course.

Some common holiday obstacles and some creative solutions to overcome them this season

Overeating

This is probably the most common challenge during the holiday season.  While you do not need to avoid your favorite holiday treats entirely, it is a good idea to moderate your intake.  You could think about your favorite few dishes and focus on enjoying those instead of loading your plate with every option from the buffet. Instead of deprivation, focus on healthy additions. Start the day with a healthy breakfast of whole grain oatmeal and fresh fruit for some healthy fiber and vitamins.  If you are planning to have a smaller celebration with just your immediate family or a few friends, consider serving nutrient-dense appetizers such as a vegetable platter with a dip made from Greek yogurt like our loaded Tzatziki sauce.

Too much alcohol

Drinking too much can lead to poor judgment, feeling flooded with emotions, depression, or other health problems. It can be hard to say no to another glass of wine when others are indulging.  If you chose to drink alcohol, be sure to drink twice as much water between each drink. This will help to keep you hydrated as well as slowing down your consumption.  If you would prefer not to drink but don't like being left with only water or kids' drinks as an option, a "mocktail" could be a welcome option. You can create a celebratory drink that is alcohol-free and lower in calories while still feeling festive and enjoying the moment.

Increased sedentary time

While most of us like to sit down to a football game after Thanksgiving dinner, it is easy to get stuck indoors in the cooler months. Instead of creating a new dent in the sofa, try to create some new family traditions. Perhaps a winter hike or a family ice skating trip. These outdoor holiday pastimes can be more easily adapted to social distancing if you would like to spend time safely with friends or extended family. Have a holiday craft night where the activity is making ornaments or small gifts instead of baking and eating cookies. Go for a post meal walk to admire your neighbors' holiday decorations from a safe distance. There are many ways to be active and festive and to continue to enjoy the outdoors even into the winter months.

Not enough time for yourself

Having so much time dedicated to family and creating a festive atmosphere can be overwhelming and we may find ourselves exhausted at the end of the holiday season.  Even with the spirit of giving in the air, we can be generous with ourselves and allow small windows of time to reflect with gratitude on the wonderful gifts in our lives. Do not feel badly declining an invite to a party if you don't feel safe or if you need a little quiet time for yourself or your smaller family. Pay attention to the signals your children are sending.  They could be feeling overwhelmed as well and modeling healthy boundaries is a great way to show them how to handle situations that can become overstimulating.

By incorporating even just a few of these strategies you will arrive in the new year ready to continue your healthy behaviors rather than starting all over from square one, or even worse becoming ill from an unsafe social gathering.  Building on small behavior changes for the long run will help you to accomplish your overall wellness goals throughout the year. Wishing you a festive, safe, and healthy holiday season.

Recipe: Tzatziki

Ingredients

• 1 cucumber, peeled
• ½ tsp. salt
• ½ cup fresh dill, stems removed
• 2 cups plain, nonfat Greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1-2 cloves garlic, finely minced

Directions

1. Wash hands with warm water and soap. Scrubbing hands and arms for at least 20 seconds. Dry hands with a single-use paper towel.
2. Grate the cucumber into a colander. Place the colander in a bowl and sprinkle with salt. Let sit for 15 minutes to allow the water to come out of the cucumber.
3. Chop the dill and mix with the Greek yogurt, olive oil, and garlic.
4. Press the cucumber against the colander using a spoon to remove any excess water. Add the cucumber to the yogurt mixture. Stir well.
5. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.

Recipe: Cranberry Spiced Mocktail

Ingredients

• 2 oz cranberry juice
• 10 cranberries
• 1 orange wedge
• 4 dashes bitters
• 2 oz apple cider
• 2 oz sparkling water
• Additional cranberries and/or orange peel for garnish

Directions

1. Muddle cranberries and orange wedge in cranberry juice.
2. Add remainder of ingredients (bitters, cider, sparkling water).
3. Serve over ice and garnish with cranberries or orange peel.