The holiday season is here! For many of us, it is a joyful time spent with family and friends.
It seems a bit easier during this time of year to take a step off our path of leading a healthy lifestyle. Many things conspire to get us off track and hijack our best intentions to remain true to our wellness routine. Get-togethers with calorie-infused dishes. Late nights resulting in lost sleep. Seemingly no time for exercise or other “me” time. But it’s not impossible to stay on track. It just requires a little planning.
Here are some tips to help you look your best, feel great and enjoy your holiday season:
Limit your alcohol consumption. Sugar causes an inflammatory response in our tissues and makes us look puffy and bloated. Instead of wine, which is high in sugar, a better choice is a little vodka and water with lemon or lime (get in some Vitamin C!) Tequila with lime is also good. Of course, moderation is still the key.
Take a nap and rest well before going to a party. That way you look your best and your brain can make the best choices of snacks, foods and drinks.
Have a meal before going to the party so you don’t over-indulge in party sweets.
When preparing holiday meals, serve new recipes or remake old favorites into healthier versions. For example, mix mashed cauliflower into mashed potatoes, serve steamed green beans instead of green bean casserole, or substitute wine spritzers for egg nog.
Sweets, cheese, and wine can lead to constipation, so eat and drink these in very limited quantities. In Chinese medicine, constipation leads to acne. If the toxin in the body is not going through the proper channel (colon) it will leak out to the skin.
Ideally, you should have 1-3 bowel movements per day. If you not having one a day, increase water and fibers. If you still don’t produce any after a day of increased water and fibers intake, contact me for the Chinese bowel movement herbs.
Don’t neglect your exercise routine. Make a point to sticking with it, no matter how busy the holiday season gets. Your body needs movement to process all those extra holiday foods.
Practice laughter as medicine because sometimes the holidays can bring up sad feelings. Watch funny movies, tell jokes and spend time with friends who make you laugh.
Most important: Take good care of yourself and enjoy the holidays!