Have you faced an illness or injury in the past year?
Perhaps your habits have changed to help your body heal and recover. Drinking more water, getting better sleep, focusing on more nutritious foods, limiting alcohol, or losing weight may have been on your list.
What happens when the holidays come? Often people toss out all their healthy habits and plan to start again in the New Year. The problem with this plan is that you often end up back nearly where you started and back when you started you wished you were where you are now.
I am not going to tell you to say no to the pie or skip your favorite stuffing. Enjoying your favorite foods on a holiday or at a few pre holiday events is not going to negate the progress you made. What is going to make a difference is being consistent on all the other days.
As the holiday season quickly approaches, here are three sustainable habits that keep me on track with my goals but also give me freedom to enjoy the food and festivities on holidays.
- Stay Consistent – Whether your healthy routine includes morning stretches, nightly foam rolling, weekly check ins with a coach, or physical therapy sessions don’t stop now. Look at your weekly schedule and be sure you leave time to continue these important activities. You don’t need to add in anything extreme but don’t quit on the things that are most important.
- Stay Moving – Make exercise or movement a priority. A 20 minute workout will boost endorphins to beat the winter blues, a yoga session will relieve holiday stress, and a short 10 walk after a meal lowers blood sugar after a heavy meal. Don’t forget that the little things like choosing a space at the far end of the parking lot or raking leaves counts as movement.
- Stay Fueled – Nourishing your body well always makes a difference. Especially prioritize protein to keep you feeling satisfied and less likely to overindulge. Starting the day with a protein shake is a great way to set yourself up for success. Of course you will enjoy holiday treats at parties and special occasions, but that is not an excuse to live on junk for the next 6 weeks or more!
Whether you have successfully met your health goals this year or if you still have a ways to go to be where you want to be, these are simple strategies that can help keep you moving in the right direction through the holidays and beyond. At Peak Potential, we have experts that can help you on your journey.
