With only a few weeks till Christmas, life can be a little hectic. I have been invited to three parties on the one day—it is a pity that they are scattered over a few hundred kilometres, otherwise I could have attended all three. Whether it is Christmas functions, end of year school events or work deadlines, at times there can seem to be too few hours in the day. So how do we keep pace during the festive season?
Here are my 12 top tips for the festive season
- Make sure you keep a couple of days or evenings free, each week, during the festive season, so you can relax, catch up on sleep or attend a surprise event.
- As much as possible keep to you regular sleep pattern—after all sleep is what recharges our batteries.
- Eat in-season foods and focus on coloured fruits and vegetables.
- Have a substantial breakfast with a good source of protein e.g. egg or legumes, such as homemade or canned baked beans.
- Keep topped up on fluids, especially in warmer climates.
- Enjoy festive food, but not at the expense of your whole foods.
- Keep to your regular eating pattern during the festive season, even if your choice of foods is slightly different.
- Have some alcohol-free drinks at hand, so you are not tempted to drink beyond your healthy limit during the festive season.
- Enjoy exercise each day—take a walk in the morning, and walk to your Christmas function if that’s possible.
- Spend some time in nature, to recharge —take a walk along a beach or through a park, or hold your end of year party outdoors e.g. great for a picnic or BBQ.
- Schedule in time for everyone that you want to catch up with— remember some people are happy to catch up in the New Year.
- Re-appraise your end of year deadlines—can some of them be held over to the New Year?
For some of us the festive season extends from the 1 December through to the end of January, so if we are not careful we can burnout. During the next couple of weeks I will share further tips to navigate the festive season. I will provide suggestions for alcohol-free drinks and easy to prepare nutritious foods.
I look forward to hearing about how you survive and enjoy the festive season too. Please share in the comments below.
These are very good tips for surviving the festive season. We all tend to over-indulge and let our healthy eating and exercising regimes go this time of year. This is a timely reminder to be a little more selective in what we eat and drink. I think a good ploy is to take your own healthy snacks with you to a BBQ or party and eat them instead of dips and chips.
Thanks Kathy for your feedback. Your suggestion of taking along your own healthy snacks to a BBQ or party is a very good tip. Thanks for sharing and best wishes for the festive season, Sallyanne