Healthy habits this holiday

With the holidays in full swing, the combination of delicious, energy-dense food, family gatherings and social situations make people usually respond in 2 ways:

1. “Screw healthy – I’ll start my healthy diet in the new year”
2. “I’m going to be so ‘good’ until the day of (insert whatever function is coming up) and then train very hard and eat very clean afterwards to make up for it!”

What if I told you that neither of those mindsets are setting you up for success in health and performance?

So, if that is not the way to go, how to you stay healthy during the holidays while trying to reach your goals AND also enjoy life to the full with family and loved ones?

First off, let’s start by looking at what is health exactly.

In order to be healthy and have sustainable habits conductive to health, which in turn leads to increased performance and quality of life, we need to know what the actual components of health are. And because, as a student dietitian, I’m all about doing things according to science and evidence.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines “health” as a state of complete physical, mental and social well being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. What this means, is that in order to be healthy, in the holidays or otherwise, we need to prioritise all 3 of these components.

Before I dive into how to do that, I want to explain why I also believe that you should focus on healthy habits this festive season. In his book, Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones, James Clear wrote: “Goals are good for setting a direction, but systems are best for making progress.”

Habits are systems that you put in place in order to automate the things you need to do to reach your goals and potential.

So what are the habits you need to start practicing in order to live an ELEVATED, healthy life?

1. Physical well-being habits

• Good nutrition: This is about eating healthy foods, yes, but also listening to your body and what it needs. Eating healthy is one of the greatest forms of self-respect there is. It is not eating “clean” or “perfect” or cutting out food groups, but rather making sure you give your body the fuel and nutrients it needs to function properly. Habits that encourage good nutrition include getting in your 5-a-days, drinking at least 8 glasses of water per day, eating whole-grain carbohydrates when possible, choosing lean cuts of meat if you eat meat, having a balanced plate consisting of ½ vegetables/fruits, ¼ protein, and ¼ carbohydrate and listening to your hunger and fullness cues. It sounds simple or boring, but that is really the foundation of healthy nutrition.
• Exercise: Exercise is not only good for physical health, but also mental health. If you are reading this blog, it probably means that you are already an active individual. Making time for at least 30 minutes of physical activity in the holiday, not to “burn off” calories but rather to invest in your health, is one of the best gifts you can give yourself.

2. Mental well-being habits

A healthy diet or lifestyle that causes you to lose your mind (pardon the pun) is really not actually “healthy”. What habits do you need to incorporate mental wellness into your daily routine?

• Daily gratitude practice – science shows that a five minute gratitude journal can increase your long term well-being by more than 10%!
• Listening to your body and honoring what it needs in terms of rest and food. Take time for yourself, do things that make you happy and deliberately set the intention to see the good in things every day. It may sound “fluffy” to you, but actually being intentional about being optimistic is probably one of the biggest differentiators between successful and unsuccessful people.

3. Social well-being habits

It’s the holidays, and for many people it means a lot of social events, interactions and family time. This is actually crucial to health! If your fitness and “health” goals involve skipping on social occasions or causes anxiety in these situations to the point that you can’t enjoy the people around you, it is not “health”. Social well-being also refers to surrounding yourself with people who actually have a positive influence on your life. You probably heard the saying that you are the sum of the 5 people you spend the most time with. So adopt the habit of knowing who the people are that lift you up, and surround yourself with positive, encouraging people. Then make sure you prioritise making time to be social, and really enjoy the time with loved ones to the full – no matter if what’s on your plate is 100% “healthy” or not.

In the end…

The average person will eat between 630 – 1260 meals and snacks in a month. Don’t let 2, 5, or even 10 of those meals derail you from living a truly physically, mentally and socially healthy life. Don’t wait until the New Year to pursue an ELEVATED healthy life. You are created in such a wonderfully, complex and amazing way – invest in yourself by taking the time to build habits that are conductive to health. True health.

You are worth it.