Christmas Health Busters: Avoid Sabotaging Your Holidays

Four Ways to Avoid Sabotaging Last Year's Health Resolutions During This Year's Holidays

This article will give you twelves ways to avoid Christmas health busters so you can continue to enjoy the benefits of the resolutions you made last year, beginning with four ways to avoid sabotaging your health with alcohol.

1. Choose your drinks carefully

Mixed drinks, especially those made with bananas, have a punch that goes far beyond their alcohol content. Many people are especially sensitive to bananas and tropical fruits in alcoholic beverages, becoming inebriated much faster than the alcohol content alone would suggest. And for avoiding hangovers, the purer the alcohol, the less the hangover. If you must drink at all, vodka and whiskey will, ounce for ounce, cause shorter hangovers than wine and beer. The less time you spend hung over, the more likely you are to stick to your good health habits.

2. At this one time of year, don't be hesitant to be a connoisseur

This is the time to sample the very best of the vintage wines and rarest scotches, whiskeys, and liqueurs. Enjoy your alcoholic beverages with all your sense, the nose, the eyes, the tongue, and throat. And consider sampling rare verjuices, alcohol-free but delicious beverages made from South African grapes.

3. Always drink a little less, and if you are the host, don't be embarrassed to “run out” of booze

(You can always “find” some more bottles later.) The stress of seeing people you don't see all year or relating to your superiors at work as peers can be more than an alcohol-addled brain can handle. Always drinking just a little less, never quite filling you glass, stopping while you still want more, can save your career, your marriage, or your reputation. And don't even think of driving if you are drunk.

4. Don't underestimate the alcohol content of wine and sherry used in cooking

All of the alcohol added to a dish does not evaporate, even when it is baked, boiled, or flambeed. About 45 per cent of the alcohol added to a baked scallops cooked for 25 minutes stays in the dish. About 75 per cent of the alcohol in brandy flamed over cherries jubilee remains in the dessert. And about 85 per cent of Grand Marnier added to a dessert sauce stays in the sauce even after two minutes on the stove top.

How to Avoid Four Dietary Health Busters

Another perennial problem in holiday health maintenance is staying on a diet, or at least not completely sabotaging your diet. Here are four tips for avoiding dietary health busters.

5. Keep snacks out of sight

If you happen to be diabetic or prediabetic, the higher your blood sugar levels go, the more appealing a sugary snack will be, despite the fact it can do your body real harm.

6. Save some for later, even if it is for next year

The biggest source of bloating, indigestion, flatulence, and heartburn is simply eating too much. The stomach receives more food than it can hold, and acid comes up. Even if you do not feel the pains of heartburn, you may have tiny amounts of acid coming up from your stomach that make you hoarse or give you the symptoms of a cold or flu. This can happen even when you have no infection at all. It can be hard to pass up on a rare holiday treat, but try to eat the foods you really enjoy. Make a point of stopping eating before you feel full.

7. Don't try to make up for overindulgence with sugar-free foods

Snacks and soft drinks sweetened with aspartame (Nutrasweet) or saccharin (Sweet 'N Low) stimulate the pancreas to produce extra insulin. Ordinarily this insulin would store sugar, but it is also used by the body to store fat. Using “sugar-free” drinks and desserts has the ironic effect of priming your fat cells to be ready to receive even the smallest amount of excess fat, adding fat to your belly, hips, and thighs.

8. Never eat until you are stuffed, even if you are eating “healthy” food

There are two problems with eating until you are stuffed. One is that you are almost certain to give yourself heartburn, bloating, and gas. The other is that stretch receptors in the lining of your small intestine also send a signal to the pancreas to make insulin. This insulin doesn't just transport sugar. It also stores fat. When you stuff yourself, your fat cells are especially likely to stuff themselves. Even if you eat a head of lettuce, you can gain weight!

How to Avoid Four Relationship Health Busters

Finally, a major source of holiday stress comes in dealing with relationships. Family and friends can be a source of joy during the holidays, but too much time in close quarters with even the dearest loved ones can lead to fighting, bickering, and upsets. For the sake of your health and your ties to your loved ones, consider these four ways of avoiding relationship health busters.

9. When needed, agree to disagree

The holidays may be the one time of year you have to spend a great deal of time with relatives with whom you do not share views on important life issues. If you do not care to discuss the validity of your sexual orientation, your choices in intimate relationships, how you raise your children, why you chose your job, how you spend your money, your religion, or your politics, then don't. And if the other person makes the entire visit about telling you why you are wrong, consider ending it early. There are worse things than not seeing certain people on the holidays.

10. When needed, feel free to say no

Sometimes other people in your life simply don't know where your boundaries are. A polite “no” to unreasonable requests is far better than agreeing to things that cause you inner turmoil or resentment.

11. Plan a breather

Even on the busiest day of the holidays, try to allow a few minutes to be by yourself. This is especially true if you have everyday responsibilities for children or elderly people. Let it be known that giving you some time off from your child care or elder care responsibilities would be a welcome gift.

12. Don't be disappointed by having a good time

Most of us have some holiday experiences that are “perfect.” Very few of us have them every year. Allow yourself the freedom to take care of yourself while you provide your loved ones with the best holiday you can, always leaving something to look forward to next year.

Final words

In conclusion, navigating the festive season while maintaining good health requires a mindful approach to the challenges presented by traditional Christmas indulgences. By being aware of common health busters such as excessive caloric intake, overconsumption of alcohol, and the temptation to abandon regular exercise routines, individuals can enjoy the festivities without compromising their health.

Adopting strategies like portion control, choosing healthier alternatives, and staying active are key to balancing enjoyment with wellbeing. It's important to remember that moderation is crucial; indulging in holiday treats is part of the seasonal joy, but it should be done thoughtfully. Furthermore, prioritizing hydration, adequate sleep, and stress management can significantly contribute to maintaining one's health during this busy time.

Ultimately, the goal is not to forgo the pleasures of the season but to embrace them in a way that respects and supports our health and wellness. By doing so, we can fully enjoy the spirit of the holiday season, ensuring that we enter the New Year feeling refreshed and rejuvenated.