Five Ways to Stay Healthy this Holiday Season

Between cocktail parties, baked goodies, short days, long nights, cold temperatures and stress, the holiday season can wreak havoc on your health. Follow the below tips to feel and look better this holiday season.

1. Cocktail Stake Out – Just like in a real stake out, survey the situation before jumping into action at your next holiday party. Evaluate all the drink and food options first and then formulate a plan accordingly. Load up on the healthy stuff like veggies, shrimp, and nuts. Then, if you are still hungry, pick out something else that is a real treat. Don’t waste the calories on cheese cubes and sugar cookies but rather find the most decadent chocolate truffle or other holiday splurge. You will leave the party feeling satisfied but not guilt-ridden.

2. There is No Such Thing as a Bad Apple – Experiment baking holiday goodies with applesauce. Simply replace any oil listed in the ingredients with applesauce. The apples will keep the baked good moist but will dramatically cut fat from the recipe. This trick works particularly well with brownie or cake mixes from the box!

3. Snort Yourself To Good Health – One of the best ways to ward off colds during the busy holiday season is to use a neti pot. With regular use this ancient Indian remedy clears congestion in the nose and ears and keeps these regions moist so that germs won’t attach themselves. Relatively, inexpensive neti pots can be purchased at supermarkets and pharmacies. Just dissolve one-quarter teaspoon of fine noniodized salt into the tea-cup looking device, lean over the sink and pour the mixture up one nostril and out the other.

4. Ice Ice Baby – When ordering your cocktail this season, order it with ice. The cooling effect will help you to sip it with less gusto and the melted ice will keep you better hydrated. Even wine can be a light pleasant cocktail with the addition of an ice cube or two. 

5. Design social gatherings around exercise – Rather than meet friends for drinks suggest a yoga class, hike, or perhaps some ice-skating instead. This change in routine might be just what you need to get out of a funk, while burning off some extra calories.