A yearly challenge many of us deal with is remaining consistently active for those weeks between the holidays. Thanksgiving through New Years allows an amazing opportunity to spend time with friends and family while also (over)indulging in the many treats this time of the year provides. Because this happens towards the end of the year, many people convince themselves that these goodies “don’t count” as they are planning to get in shape come the new year anyways. These holiday weeks are no excuse to lose the momentum you have used throughout the year to better your mental, physical, and emotional health.

For me personally, I always struggle with consistency during the holidays. Due to spending time with friends and family and enjoying their presence, we tend to eat and drink more than would normally be consumed. As the caloric intake rises, so does the number on the scale. The first tip to deal with weight gain during the holidays is to balance your meals as to not over eat. Being able to adjust breakfast and lunch to account for eating and drinking in excess during dinner can be a positive change to limit the negative effects of the holidays. 

Another simple way to limit weight fluctuations during the today season is to remain, or become, active. The simple way to look at weight gain is to think of the calories you consume. If you are eating (inputting) more calories than you are losing (outputting), you will experience weight gain. We naturally output calories constantly throughout the day as our body works to breathe, blink, and move. As we are inputting more calories during the holidays, increasing the output of those calories can also keep us healthy. Adding a walk and/or run, strength training workout, bodyweight workout, or even simply performing more activities around the house and being on our feet more than usual are all great ways to combat this trend and limit our overindulgence. 

Because many of us become extremely busy during this time of the year cooking and cleaning, shopping, praying, and spending time with loved ones, more than just physical health can be impacted. Stress, feeling overwhelmed, and experiencing “not enough hours in the day” are all common occurrences during the holiday season. A beneficial trick to combat these feelings can be stretching or meditation. Moving our bodies through a short or long stretching program can release calming chemicals to our brains and act as a positive reset for our sanity. Meditation is another great way to reduce anxiety. Self mediation or guided meditation can reduce stress, improve sleep, increase attention and mindfulness, while improving mood and reducing depressive states. 

The holidays are a wonderful time of the year for many and should be treated as such. I am certainly not recommending limiting yourself from experiencing the magic of the holidays. I hope some of the advice above may help guide you through these weeks to continue building your best self into the new year.