With the holiday season just around the corner, it is important to make sure that the holidays are a stress free, and organized experience through all the Christmas cooking, gift shopping and wrapping. A stress-free holiday vacation is a healthy holiday vacation. Christmas is a time to indulge, but this is not a good reason to overindulge.
These are some of the tips to help you and your family have a healthier Christmas vacation.
- Try not to sit around all day. Getting up and moving around, especially after a Christmas meal, can help your body digest the food. The activities that can be done are endless whether it is movement from a casual walk around the block or a friendly game of football or soccer. You can even go fishing or hunting in this wonderful weather. The possibilities are anything to get you and your family up and moving.
- Take it easy on the alcohol. It is okay to have some alcohol over this holiday season, but it is also important to get the proper hydration and not overdo it. Dr. Curtis’s favorite is a hot apple cider with crown apple, fireball, and cinnamon stick. Remember that it is all in moderation.
- Make sure you are also not giving yourself a Christmas stuffing or entering a food coma. The average number of calories a day is around 1,500 to 2,400 calories a day depending on the person. During one meal, we can get the more than the recommended calorie intake for a whole day in one meal.
- Make sure you eat plenty of vegetables and about half the amount in fruit. It is important to make sure you are still consuming the recommended daily value of fruit and as well as your vegetables. The recommended value for vegetables is about 5-7 servings with fruit being 2-3 serving a day. We usually do not get enough fruits and vegetables.
- Keep your mind active rather than shutting down and watching the television all day. This can be done alone or even as a whole family. Playing a phone game or a game on a tablet that causes your brain to think can help keep your mind active. Even a game that gets the whole family together such as Apples to Apples or Trivial Pursuit can help keep your mind active as well as create a good time for the family to be together. I would recommend sitting down at the kitchen table and playing a game. Posture is likely better when not on your phone. We like the Relative Insanity game.
- Last but not least tip. Think before you eat. Christmas is a time where baked goods are consumed at a high rate. Try to enjoy activities like playing games, exchanging presents to fill your day. Most of all, make sure to spend a brief moment to live in the moment of being with family and friends. Enjoy the time together.
Happy Holidays from Fletcher Chiropractic. Let us all have a better year next year and kiss 2020 GOODBYE!