10 Tips for Holiday Health

It is that time of year again – life gets busier, the to-do list gets longer, and holiday traditions leave less time for healthy habits and routines. It is also a time when allergies, colds, flu, and depression can show up. Plus, all the holiday foods, drinks, and socialization are so much fun – in moderation of course! Here are some tips on keeping yourself healthier this holiday season and making everything more enjoyable all around.

1 Shorter day & longer nights

Less sunlight during the fall and winter months affects our bodies and minds. Without enough exposure to sunlight, our serotonin and vitamin D levels can decrease enough to make us feel lethargic and depressed.  Feeling like this can also make it hard to focus and be motivated to complete tasks.  Take this into consideration when planning the holiday season. Plan cognitive tasks when you feel most alert and plan tasks you enjoy with less attentiveness or energy.

Shorter days mean less sunlight, which helps boost the body’s vitamin D supply; insufficient sunlight could result in a deficiency.  The sun is also involved in serotonin, the critical hormone for mood stabilization, happiness, and overall well-being.

If you are prone to seasonal affective disorder (SAD), a type of depression that happens at a specific time of the year, usually around fall and winter, you should make sure you spend 30 minutes in the morning sun each day.  Another way to get more sun at this time of the year is to use light therapy.  Light therapy is a box that mimics sunlight.

2 Everything in Moderation

The holidays mean everything is more.  More food, alcohol, more socializing, more stress – it seems to be everywhere.  Practicing moderation is essential at this time of the year.  Your body is naturally and biologically ready to go inward – you know, sweater weather, cozy nights by a fire, and craving carbohydrates to help us get through a long winter.  However, in modern times, our lives are the exact opposite.

Moderation helps to bring balance to these opposing reactions to this time of the year.  This doesn’t just mean food consumption – it also means taking breaks from screens, skipping social events that you do not fully enjoy, making sure you take a break or nap when needed, and drinking less alcohol.

3 Boost your immune system

You find yourself overworked and highly stressed during the holiday season.  You may be so busy that a healthy diet and exercise fall to the wayside.  You are also bound to be spending more time with other people enjoying the holiday season together.  All of these and more are factors for decreased immune function.  It is a good idea to take steps to boost your immune system at this time of year.

Here are a few ways that you can support immune function:

• Hydrate – Water is your best friend – it helps flush your body of toxins and hydrates your body during a time when indoor heating, drinking alcohol, and eating saltier foods is common.
• Add vitamin C to your daily supplements – it is an antioxidant and helps the body prevent disease.
• Drink more warm liquids like tea, soup, bone broth, and warm lemon water – the warmth and nutrients are soothing for body, mind, and spirit.
• Eat more red and purple foods – foods like blueberries, raspberries, cranberries, and eggplant contain phytochemicals that support immune function.
• Add warming spices like cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg to your foods.
• Increase your consumption of probiotics – your second immune system is in the gut – probiotics can heal your gut and support microbiome health.
• Take an immune formula supplement that contains herbs such as astragalus, elderberry, ginger,  echinacea, goldenseal root, and mushrooms.

4 Fall allergies

Fall allergies are usually triggered by ragweed during the fall; ragweed releases pollen during this time. A few other fall allergy triggers include dust mites and mold. Fall allergy symptoms include a runny nose, watery eyes, coughing, itchy eyes, and sneezing.

Natural remedies for fall allergies include probiotics, vitamin D, quercetin, stinging nettle, butterbur, eucalyptus, and astragalus.

Ways to reduce fall allergy triggers

• Use a HEPA filter to remove mold, pollen, and dust.
• Check pollen levels and stay indoors when it is high.
• Clean heating vents and replace filters before using heating systems.
• Use a dehumidifier that can help hydrate the air.
• When raking leaves, deep cleaning, or getting our holiday decorations – wear a mask.

5 Hangover help

The holidays can be a time of overindulgence, especially drinking alcohol more than you do the rest of the year. Drinking too much alcohol can leave you with a dreaded hangover the next day.  While it is best to drink in moderation if you do go overboard and wake up feeling awful, here are a few ways to cure a hangover:

• Drink lots of fluids, especially water, since alcohol can dehydrate your body.
• Eat carbohydrates to support normal blood sugar levels.
• Take a pain reliever for your headache and muscle aches.
• Drink coffee or tea because caffeine can help reduce that groggy feeling.
• Take vitamin B and zinc the night before you begin drinking because it can lessen the severity of your hangover.

6 Schedule breaks

Between apple picking and trick or treating and tree trimming – you may go go go with no stopping.  Your body isn’t meant to run an endless marathon.  It is better to take breaks in between to help your body and mind recover, reboot, and reflect.  Research shows that breaks can improve our mood, performance capacity, and overall well-being –  “Taking regular breaks helps us to be more resilient when stressors arise, and they function as an intervention to help us deal with the daily grind.”  according to Charlotte Fritz, Ph.D., an associate professor in industrial/organizational (I/O) psychology at Portland State University in Oregon.

7 Beat the blues

Many people consider the holiday season to be filled with fun, celebration, and memory-making goo times.  However, this time of the year is difficult for many people, causing feelings of sadness, self-reflection, loneliness, ruminating, and anxiety.  These feelings are typically caused by stress, fatigue, financial issues, over-commercialization, unrealistic expectations, and social isolation. They are resulting in what is known as the holiday blues or depression.

A few ways to cope with the holiday blues

• Plan out holiday tasks and activities and prioritize them.
• Be honest with yourself and decide what you can do and what isn’t realistic.
• Spread your energy around. Don’t pile it all on to one day.
• Be mindful of what you are doing and try to enjoy the present.
• Try to be optimistic about the future.
• Set your intentions for the next year.
• Don’t compare this year’s holidays to holidays in the past.
• Don’t compare your holiday to other’s holidays.
• Look for low-cost or free holiday fun – to reduce financial stress.
• Try a new tradition or tweak an old one – you don’t have to make homemade cranberry sauce if you don’t feel like it.
• Schedule time for yourself.
• Delegate tasks to family and friends.

8 Feast on seasonal foods

Holiday food can get a bad rap, too much sugar, salt, and butter.  However, some holiday food is packed with nutrients:

• Cranberry – nutrient and antioxidant-rich including vitamin C, A, & K, potassium, calcium, and manganese
• Pumpkin – rich in beta carotene, vitamin A, potassium, and high in fiber
• Apple – high in fiber, vitamin C, and antioxidants
• Ginger – contains gingerol (antioxidant), helps with nausea and vomiting, and indigestion
• Cinnamon – anti-viral, antibacterial, anti-fungal, prebiotic properties, and supports normal blood sugar levels
• Nutmeg – rich in antioxidants and can help protect against the signs of aging
• Sweet potatoes – rich in fiber, B vitamins, vitamin C & D, iron, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, and potassium
• Collard greens –  rich in vitamin A, C & K, vitamin B-6, calcium, and magnesium
• Peppermint – soothes an upset stomach, has antibacterial and antimicrobial properties, and helps boost energy

9 Make time for self-care

Holidays are a time when we tend to think and do more for others than ourselves.   Over time this can lead to burnout.  Breaks are essential, but it is also how you use those breaks that counts too.   Self-care can reduce stress, help you feel more present, and help your body and mind recover so you can continue to make holiday magic without sacrificing your own mental, physical, and emotional health.  A few ways to practice self-care during the holidays include:

• Let out your emotions and vent to a spouse, friend, or therapist if you need
• Try to make healthier choices and indulge in moderation
• Schedule time for yourself – even ten minutes of meditation or a walk outdoors can positively impact your help
• Recite affirmations that help you align with your intentions
• Find a way to use movement to reduce stress and anxiety and boost energy – even a brisk walk can do wonders
• Make NO your favorite word – don’t overcommit during the holidays, politely decline anything that will overwhelm you
• Sleep should be a priority – lack of adequate sleep can be debilitating to your
• Practice gratitude – being grateful has been shown to improve physical and mental health, provide sleep support, increase self-esteem and boost mental strength

10 Fill the air with holiday goodness

One of the beautiful things about the holiday season is the scents we associate them with.  Many of these scents can be used in aromatherapy and are beneficial to our health, including:

• Balsam fir – bright and elevating, purifies the environment and antibacterial
• Cedarwood – deodorizes indoor environments, enhances concentration, and reduces stress
• Myrrh – antibacterial, antioxidant, and calming properties
• Frankincense – supports relaxation, relieves stress, and supports sleep health
• Orange – boosts mood, reduces symptoms of anxiety and depression, and antimicrobial activity
• Cypress – clears mind and senses, helps with grief, and purges emotions
• Clove – reduces the risk of getting sick during the holidays
• Cinnamon–warming properties support belongingness and boost brain function
• Nutmeg – Calming properties and helps support brain function