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15 december 2022

Christmas Is Not Just About Presents and Egg Nog. It Can Take a Toll on the Body and Mind. Check Out What to Look Out for Over the Holidays to Start January Full of Energy!

Sweets, alcohol, fried food and most of the time spent with relatives and friends or on the road to visit them. Christmas can be like that... Yet all it takes is a few small changes and the holidays can be not only magical, but healthy. This year, let yourself get drunk with the Christmas spirit in just the right amounts and step into the New Year with great energy!

Our work routine can be exhausting even without the challenges that arise at the end of the year. Suddenly you need to include gift hunting, baking Christmas cookies, visiting relatives, cleaning and organizing, attending a series of Christmas parties and, of course, catching up on office work.

Holiday stress is a proven phenomenon, it does wonders to our body and creates a good base for the subsequent fight with holiday pounds. An exhausted and overworked body, often weakened by sleep deprivation, will tend to store everything you cram into it from the festive table. And it will also be more prone to illness.

So how will you get out of this? Don't act like you're the Superman of Christmas and plan your holidays wisely. There's no need for 20 kinds of Christmas cookies. More personal gifts win out over a bunch of useless stuff. A holiday visit belongs only to the closest circle of people. And a work assignment that's been dragging on for six months is probably not going to magically get done by Christmas Eve. It would be nice to start the new year with a clean slate, a perfectly tidy home and problems solved. But that's not how life works. Think about what's really needed and what things you can put off until January. Otherwise, your body will ask for a break on its own.

While the occasional refreshment of our daily routine is necessary, it's best avoided at Christmas. Unlike a normal holiday, you'll tend to replace your normal routine tasks with less rational choices during the festive season. Do you try to exercise regularly, sleep well and usually have a more or less healthy diet?

Stick to your rules even during the Christmas holidays. Advent and New Year celebrations take many days. Psychologists agree that the human mind forms long-term habits after only three weeks. If you get too caught up in the festive atmosphere and spend the holidays on the couch or sleeping in after parties, you'll have a rough start to the New Year. Your body will get used to its usual routine and the New Year will feel like a cold shower.

So, in addition to visits and celebrations, plan what you'll do to replace your normal sporting activities. And think about where you'll incorporate the things you usually like to do. Do you keep a diary? Do you study a foreign language, or maybe meditate? Don't forget what's important to you and take time for yourself even during the holidays.

You feel that a proper Christmas table can't do without traditional cuisine. And so you cling tenaciously to your grandmothers' recipes and the cultural heritage of your own country, even if the contents of the festive feast aren’t really agreeing with your body? That's nonsense.

You're supposed to enjoy the holidays, otherwise they're meaningless. If you're sick of fried, fatty foods and sweet pastries and candies every year, create your own menu. Where does it say you can't eat salmon on Christmas Eve? That salads have to be full of mayonnaise and you can't have a good steak instead of turkey? And why not bake a smaller amount of cookies with high quality ingredients? Times are changing and so are eating habits. Try to play more with the usual recipes and start your own traditions.

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It is clear that junk food cannot be completely avoided. But it's not really necessary. After all, one indulging Christmas Eve dinner or an alcohol-fuelled New Year's Eve party is not dangerous to a healthy lifestyle. The biggest marks on our health are the decisions we make over the long term, several times a day outside of the main festive events.

Visiting grandma, leftovers from Christmas dinner eaten three days after Christmas. Hot punches, eggnog and hot chocolate on a daily basis. The candy tray you never pass by unnoticed. These are the mistakes that then add up and scare us into the New Year with an increased number on the scale and fitness at freezing point!

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The gym is closed, sports lessons are canceled, there is not enough snow for winter sports and the finances for a trip in the mountains are not there? All excuses. It's good to relax over the holidays, and two or three afternoons on the couch will probably do you some good.

But remember, life is movement. A short walk isn't just for dog walkers. Dress well and go for a walk. Plan a short workout with your body weight during the day. Or maybe wish for a treadmill for Christmas. Every move counts. When you get your body moving, you'll see that you'll feel a lot better after the holidays.

[1] Nickie Hursthouse (2022) 8 tips for a healthy Christmas season
https://www.heartfoundation.org.nz/about-us/news/blogs/8-tips-for-a-healthy-christmas-season

[2] Susan B. Roberts (2019) Holiday Weight Gain: Fact or Fiction? 
https://academic.oup.com/nutritionreviews/article/58/12/378/1821459

[3] WHO (2022) WHO EUROPEAN REGIONAL OBESITY REPORT 2022
https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/353747/9789289057738-eng.pdf

[4] Amy Jamieson (2019) 5 Best Ways to Stay Healthy Between Christmas and New Year’s
https://www.healthline.com/health-news/5-ways-to-stay-healthy-between-christmas-and-new-years-day