It’s not like we don’t love the holiday season, but it’s so easy to get so caught up in the festivities that you set yourself up for holiday burn out. With all the travel, holiday parties, drinks, indulgent food and sweet treats, and a longer to-do list than normal that throws your daily routine out of the window — it’s not hard to experience accidental burnout during this hectic period.
It’s easy to pack on the pounds if you’re surrounded by temptation at every angle, and let health take a backseat when your social calendar is crowded with cocktail hours and other shindigs. We finish the year feeling tired, annoyed, bloated, and sluggish. It’s definitely not ideal, but there are ways that you can minimise that end of the year “meh” feeling. So, we made a list of things you can do to maintain your sanity, and keep yourself healthy…ish:
~ Get enough sleep!
You don’t have to attend every single party you’re invited to; or stay until the crack of dawn at every one that you do go to. Getting enough deep sleep is important in order to wake up feeling energised and refreshed the next morning; very obvious but something we tend to forget most days. It is also essential to maintain stress, and to keep yourself from burning out. If you’re looking for ways to make your bedroom a sanctuary and set yourself up for the best sleep, check out this cool resource for the A-Z on getting into sleep mode.
~ Hydrate… with something other than cocktails, I mean!
We anyway tend to drink less water during the winters, and once you include cocktails into the mix, it’s just the formula for accelerating dryness, patchiness, dullness and an overall feeling of being grey and meh. Hydrate with plenty of water. Start your mornings with warm water and lemon, make ultra-soothing teas to sip on during the daytime. Detox with this ACV tonic or green smoothie every morning to jumpstart your system.
~ That being said, drink when you want to.
Don’t feel obliged to drink at every single party. Drink when you want to, and what you feel like. Preferably something that is not overly sugary; because we all know that sugar is a hangover’s best friend. Don’t hesitate in saying “no” to mixed cocktails (however pretty they look). Drink what makes you feel good the next morning, even if you have to stick to a boring (but classic) vodka-soda like Adam Rapoport does.
~ Schedule time for movement.
Scheduling even 20-30 minutes of movement for a couple of days in the week is a great way to stay on track during the holidays. A brisk walk, deep stretching, yoga, and dancing all night at a party counts as movement. Exercising your thumb scrolling through Instagram, or walking from your bed to the refrigerator doesn’t.
~ Eat food that is fresh, and that makes you feel good.
During this season, there’s lots of extra food around, and it’s very easy to go into “holiday mode” and just let your daily habits go out of the window. Eat only when you’re hungry (not because everyone else is munching late into the night and you feel like you should too). Eat what makes you feel good. Sometimes well balanced means sipping on this healing broth, and sometimes it’s a cookie.
~ Take a moment for quiet-time.
This one’s probably the hardest, but establish a morning or nighttime routine that forces you to take a couple of minutes for quiet time. Read, write, or listen to a podcast. Try a digital detox for a change – that Instagram feed will still be there the next day! Check out a mindfulness app like Evenflow (free through the end of the year), or Headspace for guided meditations to help you through down time.
~ Treat yourself!
It is the holiday season after all. It’s totally ok to indulge in a second slice of cake, or skip your scheduled workout. Let these tips help you find a balanced way to tackle the busiest period of the year, so that you can maintain your sanity, enjoy time with friends and family, and go into the new year feeling well and good!
What helps you to stay healthy during the holiday season?
Let us know: leave a comment, or tag @sprigandvine.in on Facebook and Instagram with the hashtag #goodfoodpractices
