While the holidays can be a wonderful time of year, sometimes it’s not so wonderful for your wellness practice. This year, identify the wellness challenges and pitfalls you find yourself encountering each holiday season. Maybe you exhaust yourself trying to make the holidays perfect for your family and friends. Or maybe holiday parties wreak havoc on your wellness goals in terms of alcohol and sugar consumed. By identifying the issues now, you can add your holiday wellness goals to your to-do list alongside buying gifts or decorating your home.
Strive for (im)perfection.
The holidays often become all about the expectations that we place upon ourselves for everything to be “perfect.” So, we spend the weeks leading up to and during the holidays thinking of everyone but ourselves, and our wellness goals fall by the wayside. Decide now that this year will be different and recognize that every little detail that you thought made the holidays perfect in the past is actually creating less joy for you, and likely those around you. Take care of yourself first, and everything else during the holidays will fall into place.
It’s all about moderation.
For some people, the holidays can be fraught with making wise choices in terms of drinking and eating during holiday parties. Setting a moderation-minded goal before you arrive at the party will help you stick to it. If you know you’ll be tempted by sugar—and you want to avoid the sugar hangover you’ll feel the next day—the simple act of deciding in advance that you will not eat sugar or will only eat sugar in moderation is a more powerful weapon than you would think. Another idea is to plan a workout for the morning of the holiday party—and the morning after!—to give you energy and motivation to stick to your moderation plan at the party.
Give yourself a gift too.
Add yourself to the holiday list! What is a new fitness or wellness modality you’ve been wanting to try? Decide to give yourself this gift as a way to re-energize your wellness practice and get you excited for any new year goals you plan to set.
I hope these tips help you navigate the season of indulgence with ease! Life is just a balancing act, so enjoy all that comes with the holidays while maintaining your health and wellness goals. Most importantly, remember that we’re all only human, and your best will always be enough. Happy holidays to you and yours!
Learn more about Ketchum’s Wellness Council and check out these additional holiday posts from other Wellness Council members:
- Joanne Encarnacion: Sharing the Love: Tips and Trends for a Magical Holiday
- Jonathan Leary: Hydrating for the Holidays, and Other Seasonal Advice
- Jennifer Walsh: Don’t Hibernate, Celebrate: Making Space for the World During the Holidays
Looking to get a handle on wellness trends for 2020? Sign up to register for our upcoming Wellness Council webinar.
