Tips to Stay Healthy and Focus on your Wellness During the Holidays
Take care of yourself this holiday season, so 2022 is your best year yet.
Indulging during the holidays is only natural. After a long year of working hard, the holidays are often a time where people let loose, and enjoy. Not to mention we have been going through a global pandemic that’s caused high stress all year round. During this time of year we really just want to take a moment to sit back and relax.
Taking some time to recharge and destress is necessary to living a happy and healthy life. But, it’s really easy to fall completely off the bandwagon when it comes to your wellness routine. The indulgent foods and the urge to sit on the couch all day sipping hot cocoa and watching movies, is at an all-time high.
It’s perfectly healthy to indulge and let yourself let loose, but focusing too much on indulging could make it harder to regain focus in the new year.
This holiday season, focus on letting loose while also not letting all your health and wellness routines get brushed completely under the rug. If living through this pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that health is a crucial component of our lives. We should never take our health for granted.
This holiday season, focus on creating lifelong memories while also prioritizing your health. Sometimes prioritizing your health means having a virtual celebration this year to prevent the spread of COVID to your loved ones (be sure to check out the latest CDC COVID gathering guidance for your area, when planning your holiday gatherings). For others, prioritizing health means being mindful of your mental health throughout the coming weeks.
Be sure you do what you need to do in order to focus on managing holiday stress. If you need some holiday workout motivation or tips on how to stay healthy this season, then here are some things you can implement:
Focus on your goals.
Don’t get so fixated on indulging in food that you forget your big goals during the holidays.
Maybe your goal is to focus on making memories that last a lifetime. Or maybe you really want to focus on building stronger connections with your loved ones, and to spend less time worrying about your health & fitness routine.
Oftentimes when you focus on the big goal in mind, the rest falls into place naturally. If you’re not hyper-focused on avoiding indulgent foods, you’ll be less likely to indulge in the first place. The saying “you want what you can’t have” comes to mind when thinking about this. If you keep telling yourself you can’t indulge in your favorite foods, you’ll want them more.
Focus more on the things you want to manifest, like creating lifelong memories and building stronger relationships. By doing this you’re prioritizing your overall wellness, and setting yourself up for success if you want to stay healthy.
Create a modified workout plan.
If working out plays a big role in your life, don’t let yourself completely fall off the bandwagon during the holidays. The key to sticking to a workout routine that helps you stay healthy during the holidays, is planning early.
Getting holiday workout motivation can be extremely tough, but if you plan small workouts ahead of time you’re more likely to follow through. And when you create this plan, don’t be unrealistic.
If you plan for an 8 mile run knowing very well you won’t want to run 8 miles on Christmas morning, don’t plan for that. Rather, try creating a modified workout plan. Rather than running, you can commit to going on a long walk that morning with your loved ones, and getting some fresh air.
Creating a modified workout plan will help you focus on managing holiday stress and living in the moment.
Keep track of the healthy habits you’re maintaining.
The satisfaction you get from writing down what you’ve accomplished is unmatched. If you need some holiday workout motivation, writing down your progress in a journal is a great way to stay on track.
Try making a to-do list showing what you want to accomplish each day, and then cross off each task as you complete it. You can even start tracking your progress and results here. Write down and keep track of anything that is going to help you stay healthy and motivated in achieving your health and wellness goals.
Don’t be so hard on yourself!
Remember it’s the holidays and no one’s perfect. It’s extremely difficult to follow all your health & fitness routines to a tee.
If you miss one workout, don’t shame yourself for it! After all, you’re only human.
Different seasons of life demand different versions of you. Don’t be so hard on yourself if your priorities during the holidays are different from what they would normally be.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help.
Trying to stay healthy and motivated during the holidays is no easy feat. Sometimes you need a little extra support, or even just an accountability partner to keep you on track.
Don’t be afraid to reach out to your loved ones for help. Maybe even make a game out of it. If one of your goals is to stay active, try starting a competition with your friends and family to see who gets the most steps each day. This is a fun and safe way to stay healthy, and gain some holiday workout motivation.
When it comes to wellness during the holidays, it’s not just physical health we have to focus on. It’s also important to focus on your mental wellbeing and managing holiday stress. If you’re someone who participates in therapy, stay consistent with your appointments. If you enjoy meditating, make sure you set aside time to meditate and practice mindfulness.
Whatever it is that you do to focus on your mental health, be sure to stay on track with it. Need help finding a mental health provider that’s right for you?
Checkout Connect2Heal to connect with providers in your area, who can help.
