Your Passport to Great Holiday Health

It’s time to celebrate the most joyful time of the year – Christmas holiday season! When those special meals, parties and travels start to fill up your schedule, most people begin to feel stressed about gift ideas, blown-out budgets, and most importantly, their health issues.

However, healthy living does not have to be a battle during the holidays. Here are some tips to help you stay on top of your health, no matter what activities you do:

Holiday eating
It’s great to enjoy some of the special treats that only appear at this time of year, but ensure that you have healthy meals and snacks. And take caution to not over-indulge. If you are going to a buffet meal, have substantial proportions of veggies and fruits rather than the fatty foods. Always remember: getting enough food does not necessarily mean you are getting enough nutrition. Therefore, nutritional supplements are essential for optimal health.

Relaxation
Pamper yourself with a long, soothing bath and spa with premium skincare and body care products. A nice walk in the country or on the beach could give you loads of fresh air. Go to your favourite yoga class or sit quietly listening to your best-loved music. The better you take care of yourself, the healthier you’ll be.

Physical exercise
Most people tend to gain weight during holidays. It is great to keep your exercise routine even when on holidays, by combining your holiday activities with exercise – go for a walk or ride with friends after a big BBQ meal, or do an extra couple laps around the mall before you start your shopping.

Traveling
For the Southern Hemisphere, Christmas is during summer, so when you go out and expose yourself under the harsh daytime sun, do not forget to take sunscreen and also your favourite skin care packs.

Along with the passport you take with you, carry your nutritionals as well, especially when you are traveling to new and unfamiliar destinations where you may need to find your way around to get the best quality nutritious fresh food.

As a good complement to the tips above, our colleagues from the home office have some good advice to help you stay away from treats during holidays as well – Check out ‘What’s Up, USANA?’ for more information. At last, it’s the time of the year to do planning for your health for next year. You may simply follow these three steps:

• Set up a goal for the next year – what you are trying to achieve. For instance, losing 10kg in a year’s time. Remember goals must be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time-based)
• Work out the approaches to achieve this goal – e.g. what you are going to do (link to the RESET program) to lose the 10kg?
• Compare your achievement with your goal at the end of the year – To see if you have lost that much weight. If not, find out the causes.

Have a safe and healthy Christmas holiday and get yourself ready for a brand new year.