How to have a happy, healthy holidays

Anastasia Cunningham, Health Coordinator

The holidays can be a very stressful time in so many ways. Added to that, many use this time of year to indulge and overindulge in more ways than one.

Come January, when they come off their high, they are left with guilt, depression, shame, regrets ... talk about a hangover. They then add to their long list of resolutions - ways to undo that overindulgence.

Now, do you really want to spend the New Year trying to undo all that damage? Why not play it smart from the get go?

Here are a few healthful things you can try to get through the season that will take you into the New Year feeling good about yourself.

DON'T GIVE UP EXERCISE

The holidays is no excuse to skip working out. Remember, this wasn't something you were doing to kill time. Exercising is about you taking care of your health and body and nothing should come between that. Exercise is also a great stress buster, and given how stressful holiday preparations can get, make sure you still set aside that minimum 30 minutes a day to get the heart pumping and the sweat glands bursting. You can also get creative. For instance, make your shopping part of the exercise routine. Wear comfy shoes, park in one spot, walk briskly to your stops while carrying the bags as your weights. Don't overburden yourself, though. If your purchases become overloading, walk to the car and unload and head back in. You'd be surprised at the amount of calories you can burn and muscle tone you're improving.

TURN CLEANING INTO A WORKOUT

Several persons do spring cleaning and home makeovers during the holidays. If you're one of them, then make the most of it. Get comfortably dressed, put on some music and dive in. As you pull down the curtains, paint the walls and redo the rooms, get that booty shaking, get your full body actively involved. Or get moving while preparing the many dishes for the family dinner. While you're waiting on the meal to cook, you can do some high-intensity interval workouts for a few minutes at a time. The sweat will be pouring off you along with the calories, while you build some muscles lifting and moving stuff.

STRETCH IT OUT

While going about holiday activities, if you start to feel tense and stiff in the joints, just stop what you're doing for a minute or two and stretch, flexing your muscles and joints. When you do this, the knots untangle and blood flows through your tissues more freely, relaxing all that tension you were feeling. Stretching reduces stress, eases pain, increases flexibility and more.

KEEP HYDRATED

Holiday stress can contribute to dehydration, which can cause your blood volume to drop, less blood and oxygen flowing to the brain, and allow the stress hormone cortisol to have a greater impact on your system, so make sure you are getting adequate fluid. Drinking water can replenish you mentally as much as it does physically. When water levels drop in your body you may start to see some side effects, from overeating and weight gain, bloating, trouble with digestion, dizziness, low energy, a negative mood, disorientation, headache and dry mouth. Water improves the processing of brain chemicals, such as serotonin and dopamine.

WATER HELPS PREVENT HOLIDAY BINGEING

Several studies have long supported water's slimming effects. One, in particular, found that those who drank two glasses before a meal lost up to four pounds compared to those who didn't. Water makes you feel full and less hungry.

MORE WATER THAN BOOZE

If you're drinking alcohol, make sure to drink a glass of water in between each drink. Sparkling water will do just as well. Staying hydrated can reduce the negative effects of alcohol. For every alcoholic drink you have, your body can expel up to four times as much liquid, plus, straight alcohol can have negative effects in more ways than one, including impaired judgement and loss of focus. Adding adequate water to the mix will allow you to still enjoy yourself while keeping sharp. In the end, you will avoid getting drunk and a massive hangover the next morning.

ON THE ROCKS, NOT STRAIGHT

Adding ice to your alcoholic drink is a great way to dilute it. As you slowly enjoy your beverage, the ice will melt and create more liquid as it reduces the strength of the alcohol. You can also use soda water or another non-alcoholic beverage as a chaser. 'Don't watch nuh face', or let anyone influence you or feel embarrassed. Your own health and safety is what's important.

DRINK SLOWLY

There is no need to down your alcoholic drink in one go. Your body absorbs alcohol quicker than you metabolise it. The faster you drink, the more time the toxins in booze spend in your body, affecting your brain and other tissues and the bigger the hangover will be in the morning. Metabolism depends on several factors (gender, weight, age, health), but in general, most people can metabolise roughly one drink an hour, so try to keep your alcoholic intake to one per hour. Diluting it with ice or water will increase your time between refills and decrease its effects on your body and brain.

MORE ALCOHOL MEANS MORE POUNDS

Alcohol is calorie-dense, so, too, much of it will pack on the pounds, which I'm sure you don't want.

KNOW YOUR LIMITATIONS AND BE MODERATE

Knowing your limitations and sticking to it is very important. Equally important is knowing the alcoholic content of each liquor you plan to consume. Weekly alcohol consumption should be no more than 21 units of alcohol for a mature male and 14 units for a mature female, which would be equivalent to about two glasses of red or white wine five times a week or two beers five times a week.

MAKE YOUR MEALS HEALTHY

No need to go hard on the grease and sugar and starch. It may be the holidays, and you want the meal to be perfect, delicious and superb, but you can get all that with healthy substitutes. For example, choose lean cut meats, mix your stuffing with vegetables, and half the sugar requirements for the ingredients, adding some dried fruits instead.

VEGGIES FIRST

When dishing out your meal, first, fill half your plate with vegetables and fruits, then a quarter with protein and the other quarter with starch and any side dish. Eat vegetables and fruits first, then the rest. After you've filled up you can head to the table with those delectable holiday desserts, where you will have just enough room to enjoy a little treat.

USE A PLATE

Don't stand by the food table and engage in conversation while you chat and munch on everything. Get a plate the smaller the better, and serve what you want, then head to a corner to enjoy your meal and conversation.

EAT BEFORE GOING TO THE PARTY

Don't go to the dinner or party starving, or everything is going to look enticing to you and you will surely pig out. You may also end up drinking alcohol on an empty stomach, which will have a real negative effect you don't want. Make sure you've had some water and something to eat at least an hour before you head out.

DON'T DENY YOURSELF COMPLETELY

By all means, indulge a bit and enjoy yourself. Have a slice of grandma's Christmas pudding, or a glass of dad's special eggnog, or a drink of aunt's tasty sorrel, or some of mom's juicy ham, or a glass of champagne to toast the occasion. Just don't overdo it and leave yourself with guilt and regrets later.

AND IF YOU do OVERDO IT, RELAX

It's not the end of the world if you went too far. A study published in the Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology noted that people who had an attitude of forgiveness and self-compassion after one setback were less likely to give up and keep bingeing. So if you lose control with the Christmas pudding or ham, don't beat yourself up and throw it all to the wind and head for the cheesecake or try all the cocktail mixes. Just lick off your fingers and wash it down with some water. You won't have space for anymore enticing delights.

OF COURSE, DO TAKE A BREAK

Don't push yourself too hard while adding all the many activities you need to get done over the holidays. Space yourself, and take a break from some activities if you start to feel overwhelmed. It is very important that you stay calm and centred, and not stressed and pressured. Holidays can be quite stressful, and you certainly don't want in the end you're absolutely exhausted and worn out.

ENJOY YOURSELF

The idea is to enjoy the holidays, making it a pleasant, memorable experience. You need to strike that balance, be happy, feel good about yourself while enjoying yourself with family, friends and all the wonderful festivities that come with this time of year. So, by all means, do have a wonderful, pleasurable holidays.

yourhealth@gleanerjm.com