How to Remain Healthy During the Holidays: Top 5 Tips

The key to vibrant health is consistency.  The more you practice making healthy choices, the easier it becomes to make them and the easier it becomes to stay healthy.  The holidays, though, are a challenge for everyone.  The holidays shouldn’t be about deprivation, however, they shouldn’t be about treating yourself like a dustbin either.  Here are my top 5 tips to remain healthy during the holidays.

I’ve been gluten and dairy free for a month, and I’ve really started to see the difference.  I’m going to continue to avoid gluten through the holidays and there are a few other tips that I follow to stay on track with my fitness during Diwali/end of year festivities.  I did an Instagram and Facebook live session on these yesterday, and you can watch it on my YouTube channel.

To begin with it’s important to understand that you must start eating healthy and being regular with your workouts a few weeks before the holiday season hits.  That way, even if you end up missing a workout or two, and having one too many drinks – you’re still in the safe zone.  I’m usually consistent with my workouts, but eliminating gluten and portion control really worked for me before the holidays.

Without further ado, the top 5 tips that help me stay healthy during the holidays are:

1. Choose your indulgence wisely.  I love chocolate so I stay away from the jalebis.
2. Portion control!  Face it, besides your usual meals, you’re going to be snacking quite a bit.  Endless cups of coffee/tea with neighbors and relatives and all the bits and bites that go along with them.  So eat whatever you want, but cut back on the portions for every single thing that goes into your mouth.
3. Do a little workout daily.  I’ve told my students to do a combination of Suryanamaskars, squats and push-ups daily. And nothing like a little bit of breathing to feel calm and centred during the holiday frenzy.
4. Up your water intake.  I’m going to be eating a little more chocolate than usual, and expect that you will also have more than your usual sweets.  Water helps to reduce food cravings (particularly of the sweet variety) and also ensures that you don’t overeat.  Also, it’s easy to overlook drinking water when you’re busy all day.  So make it a point of carrying water with you so that you remember to tank up.
5. Don’t cause pollution.  So I’m not going to burn crackers.  I’m not going to use plastic bags.  I admit we can’t do anything about the plastic that the mithai boxes are wrapped in, but why not avoid using them whenever you can?  The pollution in Delhi isn’t a myth, and pretty soon that’s how it’s going to be all over the country unless we do something about it.

These are tips that actually work for me.  They are simple and easy and maybe that’s why they are the most effective.  Try and let me know if they work for you.