You Don’t Have to Sacrifice Health During the Holidays: Healthy Holiday Tips

The holidays are a weird time for our health goals. And by “weird”, we mean “difficult”. There’s celebration all around us, and the general vibe is to shelve our health in order to have fun and enjoy the season. 

When we give in to the all-or-nothing mentality and put sleep, vegetables, and proper hydration on hold, we end up feeling guilty, groggy, and a little bloated. That doesn’t sound fun at all. But why do fun and health have to be opposites? Why can’t we make healthier holiday choices while also enjoying ourselves too?

Prioritizing health gives you the energy to have fun, and getting into the holiday spirit doesn’t have to be all sugar and alcohol and late nights!

This year, why don’t you choose to make room for both. Show your friends and family you can have a blast while sticking to your health goals. Take a holly jolly approach to your workouts and healthy habits.

You don’t have to derail your wellness in exchange for a good time. And this is the perfect time of year to bring that childlike holiday spirit into your wellness routine.

Follow along with some of our favorite healthy holiday tips this season!

Ditch the All-or-Nothing Mentality

You can have it all, without the all-or-nothing mentality. Find balance in your daily life between holiday fun and healthy habits.

Bookending your day with healthy habits is a fantastic way to ensure balance during this time. Start your day off right with a healthy morning routine.

Hit the gym or make a breakfast full of good fats, lean protein, and leafy greens. Meditate or journal to prepare for all the hustle and bustle, the day is sure to bring. Drink water, drink water, drink water.

Then go to the holiday party, have that cookie, stay a little later than you originally planned to. And when you head back home, wind down with a cup of tea and a good holiday movie.

When you begin and end your day with healthy choices, you can maintain some balance in your life through the holiday season (and avoid that post-holiday brain fog and moodiness.)

A piping hot mug of lemon water in the morning is great for gut health!

Have More Fun With Your Health Goals

Holiday party or gym? Santa cookie or veggie soup? It’s safe to say temptation is everywhere this time of year. And if you consider eating well and exercising a chore, that temptation to skimp on healthy habits is a lot stronger.

Stop punishing yourself, and add a little holiday fun to your healthy habits.

Watch a holiday movie while you work out. Blast that holiday music while you cook a delicious vegetable medley. Fill up a thermos with gingerbread tea and head out for some snowshoeing, skiing, or even a long walk to enjoy the colorful lights.

There are so many opportunities to move your body, get outdoors, and spend time with loved ones. Try something new as you find that balance between holiday cheer and healthy living.

Don’t Forget To Tap into the Holiday Spirit!

The best part about the holidays (besides the yummy food) is celebrating a full and wonderful year brimming with challenges, adventures, and successes.

Celebrate the season by turning up the cheer in everything you do. Remember that starry-eyed child who set out cookies for Santa and sang Frosty the Snowman and played in the snow? Tap into that childlike wonder and create a little magic through December.

Light a pine tree scented candle in your office. Hum your favorite holiday tune. Fasten a Rudolph nose to your car. Invite friends over to build gingerbread houses. Embody Santa and leave a surprise gift for an unexpected friend. Cut your kids’ sandwiches into snowmen and Santa hats.

Heck, cut your own sandwiches into holiday shapes! Whatever you do, don’t you dare leave all the fun for the work Christmas party—that strategy never pans out.

Take Grandma’s Cookie Recipe for a Walk

It’s baking season! As you prepare your baking station and whip out that holiday recipe book, you see it: Grandma’s cherished Christmas cookie recipe. All that sugar and those processed ingredients may taste great, but they also damage gut health.

A few of grandma’s cookies and your microbiome will become unbalanced. An unbalanced microbiome can lead to mood swings, irritability, and digestion issues. That doesn’t sound very cheery after all.

On the other hand, the holidays just aren’t the same without a few sweet snowmen cookies. And it would be silly to say no to every cookie that came your way.

Here’s a crazy idea: update that family cookie recipe. Sure, grandma may have sworn up and down about the power of white sugar and Crisco, but that doesn’t mean you have to use it.

You’re part of the family, aren’t you? Create a cookie recipe 2.0 with healthier alternatives and infuse the same love your grandma put into her recipe into your own variation.

Create a New, Healthy Holiday Tradition

The holidays are all about tradition. Some are timeless and untouchable (like decorating the tree), while others are a little outdated (does anyone go caroling anymore?).

Maybe your family or friend group has its own tradition, but if it involves unhealthy habits, you may start to dread it. But guess what, some other friends and family may be dreading the unhealthy tradition too! Be the brave one and switch it up.

The holidays are what you make them, so create a new tradition that supports your health goals. Invite the family out for some ice skating, plan a weekend ski trip, or invite your friends to a Christmas Eve yoga class.

Feeling generous? Suggest a Christmas light hanging swap with your neighbor: hang your neighbor’s Christmas lights, and they can hang yours. Or play Santa and stuff everyone’s stockings with healthy snacks like Rowdy Bars. The holidays are meant to bring out the kid in you, so have a little fun with it!

Our Final Wish For You

Bring back that childlike wonder and look at your health habits with fresh eyes. After all, health is the greatest gift you can ask for, so take good care of it.