The holidays are a magical time of year…but does anyone else feel like their health goals are being totally derailed right now? Work parties with open bars, cookie swaps, holiday dinners, the list goes on and on. You may feel like this is the time to totally indulge, but we have a few great hacks to bring a little bit of balance to the next few weeks and head into 2023 feeling joyful and refreshed.
Make your workouts a family affair. Sometimes during the holidays, it feels like it’s hard to get away from family and loved ones for enough time to fit in a full-on gym session. Instead, why not put together a physical family activity? Plan something simple everyone can participate in and enjoy, like a group hike or a backyard game. If you have kids that are home from school, try a virtual workout like this one that you can do with them from the comfort of your living room!
Take a fifteen minute walk after big meals. Research has shown that light walking after a meal can actually reduce your blood sugar and help you avoid big insulin spikes. While a fifteen minute walk is ideal, benefits were shown from even just two minutes of light activity. So while it feels so good to crash on the couch after a big holiday dinner, take a few minutes to stretch your legs and get a tiny bit of movement in. Your blood sugar and digestion will thank you later!
Focus on protein and healthy veggies - then consume your favorite treats. Instead of replacing your usual lunch with a tray of cookies (which will leave you hungry in an hour anyways), make sure you’ve gotten an adequate serving of quality protein and some veg in first. Protein is a very satiating macronutrient, meaning it will help you to not overeat throughout the day or evening. Veggies are packed with antioxidants, micronutrients, and fiber. Once you know you’ve at least gotten some good stuff in your body, then you can fully enjoy your desserts and fun foods in moderation.
Hack your mindset for 2023. Don’t wait until January 1st has already passed you by to plan your goals for the new year. Most New Year’s resolutions fail because people don’t have a concrete strategy. Set a realistic goal and plan the steps you’ll need to achieve it. What benchmarks will indicate success, and how will you reward yourself? Think about how you can break down that larger goal into smaller increments. For example, if your goal is to “workout more”, start with just fifteen minutes of walking per day in January. For February, pick a local fitness class to start attending once a week on top of your daily walks. In March, add in a second class or look into a gym membership, and so on and so forth. Don’t just plan for the next thirty days, but the whole year!
Use Recovery+ to stay on top of quality sleep. Our sleep routines can easily fall to the wayside during the holidays. We’re often not sleeping in our own beds, in unfamiliar environments or hotels, or dealing with guests throwing off our nighttime rituals. Another big factor that absolutely destroys sleep quality? Alcohol. The holidays are a time when we all may be imbibing a bit more than usual, so it’s crucial to use supplements to keep up our detox and recovery game. Recovery+ boosts you with a blend of NAD+, antioxidants, amino acids, and vitamins to help you flush out the toxins created by drinking alcohol, and give you the nutrients you need to recover even more effectively during deep sleep.