By: Natasha Uspensky, CHHC

Often times we treat the holidays like a hiatus from our healthy lives — we eat foods we would normally avoid, we slack on exercise, we drink too much and sleep too late.  The month and a half between Thanksgiving and New Year’s (or for some people, the two months starting on Halloween) become a pitfall that we can spend the first several months of our new year paying for.  We feel guilty about the choices we made, criticize ourselves for that holiday weight gain, and have a hell of a time getting “back on track.”

Honestly, the only way to avoid this annual drama is to not let ourselves get off track to begin with!  Here’s the thing with being truly healthy:  it’s a way of being, permanently, not just something you slip in and out of as your mood suits you.  And the holidays actually provide a really great time to put this concept into practice.

Sticking to your healthy habits over the holidays takes some commitment and mindfulness, for sure.  But when you wake up on January 1st feeling energized, gorgeous, and beyond excited for the year ahead, I promise you, you’ll thank yourself for choosing your highest good over that fourth piece of peppermint bark!

Commit to these 5 healthy habits (with some holiday modifications), and you’ll be good to go!

1. Everything in moderation.

No one is saying you can’t indulge in some holiday sweets or festive cocktails, but there is a limit to how much your body can take before you veer off into bloated, hungover, misery-town.  Instead of going overboard on any one favorite thing, enjoy a sampling of your favorite holiday indulgences.  At a party, have a little of everything that looks good to you, and then STOP EATING when you feel full.  Have a few cocktails, and then lovingly cut yourself off or switch to non-alcoholic drinks.  The holidays are certainly not a time to deprive yourself, but they are even more certainly not a time to go haywire.

2. Stay hydrated.

Drinking tons of water this time of year is your secret weapon against overdoing it with food and drink, getting bloated and hungover, and experiencing fatigue.  This is really the time to commit to those 8 glasses of water a day (at least), and even taking it up a notch at parties or holiday events.  Drinking a full glass of water for every alcoholic beverage you consume will keep your liver in a happy place and stave off headaches, hangovers, and morning dark circles.  Hydrating throughout the event will also keep you from overeating and overindulging.  The day after a holiday event, drinking tons of water helps you detoxify your body from the sweet and fatty foods you ate the night before (and, of course, the alcohol), and keeps those toxins from building up in your system.  This ensures that by the next holiday celebration, you’re fresh as a daisy and feeling great!  The other added bonus to increasing your hydration this time of year is that it combats the drying air from indoor heating and keeps your system lubricated inside and out.  This spells glowing skin, shining eyes and hair, and showing up as your most sparkling and gorgeous holiday self!

3. Move your body.

With your packed schedule, sticking to your regular gym routine may be hard, but that’s no excuse to turn all slothful! Doing a quick 15 minute morning workout before you hop in the shower does wonders for your body, and is the perfect way to stay motivated, energized, and fit over the holidays.  You an also hit up a favorite yoga or spin class with visiting friends or family to make working out part of the festive experience!  Last but not least, you can incorporate a little extra movement into your daily activities. Walk a few extra blocks, do some squats while cleaning the apartment for guests, and do your holiday shopping on foot (in the city or at a mall) instead of driving from place to place!  I promise, making movement a part of your holiday season will make it that much easier to jump back into your fitness routine come January, and you’ll feel so great about how energized you feel!

4. Say no, occasionally.

If you say yes to everything, you run the risk of a calendar packed to tight with celebratory events that you don’t have time to breathe, let alone take care of yourself.  Make sure you have a good balance of nights/weekends out and time in with your loved ones (or even just a good book!).  Slowing down, quieting things, and experiencing some stillness amongst all the celebratory hullabaloo is crucial to connecting to your body and mind, and decreasing that holiday stress and overwhelm.  So say no occasionally, and curl up in your favorite pjs with a cup of cocoa and a great book.  Doesn’t that image evoke the sentiment of the season just as much as getting sloppy with a pair of antlers on your head?!

5. Eat those greens.

No, I’m not kidding.  With all the holiday indulgences that are bound to come your way, this is a crucial time to make sure you are eating tons of detoxifying, energizing, fibrous, and blood cleansing greens every single day.  The easiest way to do this is to eat a big huge salad for at least one meal a day (if you’re a Vata Ayurvedic type, make it cooked greens instead of raw, or pair your salad with a hot soup or a hot mug of ginger tea).  Whatever is going to happen that night, this is one healthy habit you can choose and stick to every day, so come what may, you know you’re taking care of your beautiful body!