Despite the chaos of 2020, the coming holiday season brings with it a time for self reflection, family bonding, and solidarity within the community. For many, personal health initiatives such as dietary, lifestyle, or exercise improvements go on pause during the holiday season, only to be resurrected come the new year. To avoid taking steps backwards during the holidays, I’d like to offer some suggestions to make the end of 2020 your healthiest yet.
Gym Alternatives
Many people still feel uncomfortable going to the gym. However, not having access to a gym is not an excuse to let your fitness goals go unaccomplished. There are numerous ways to get an excellent workout from the safety and comfort of your own home with no equipment at all. One option is to perform a 15 to 30 minute guided yoga, tai chi, or qi gong class. Each practice combines controlled movements with deep breathing and can help with stress and anxiety, as well as improve blood flow throughout the body. There are hundreds of free classes you can take on YouTube, turning your home into your own yoga studio. I personally enjoy the Yoga With Adrienne YouTube Channel which has classes for all different skill levels and even has sports specific classes that cater to what you love most.
Another excellent alternative to going to the gym is to perform an at home bodyweight exercise circuit. You can create a challenging workout with no equipment necessary. Make sure to include movements such as the body weight squat, body weight forward and reverse lunge, wall sits, planks, side planks, and push-ups. Here is a sample home exercise routine that is a great alternative to going to the gym:
Perform 3 rounds of:
10 body weight squats
20 reverse lunges (10 each leg)
15 push-ups
30 second wall sit
30 second front plank
30 second side plank (each side)
(Rest for 2 minutes between each round)
Once this circuit becomes easy, you can add additional rounds, increase repetitions, extend the time for the planks and wall-sits, and decrease rest time between each round. You can also add more explosive movements such as jump squats, speed skaters, jumping lunges, clap push-ups, and burpees. If you have someone to join you for a home workout, have them provide manual resistance to make exercises such as the push-up and planks more difficult.
You’ll be amazed at the quality of workout you can get once you start being creative and learn how to use your own body weight to your advantage!
Holiday Sweets Alternatives
Make this holiday season your healthiest yet by choosing these delicious alternatives to the sugar laden treats of Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Each of these options is low in refined sugar and absent of harmful vegetable oils. These ‘desserts’ will leave you feeling energized instead of fatigued and mentally sluggish.
- Dark chocolate and nut butter
- Opt for a dark chocolate that is 85% cocoa content or higher to limit the amount of sugar.
- Cocoa is an excellent source of nutritional antioxidants, bioflavonoids, and arginine which helps improve blood flow. It is also a great source of healthy saturated fat.
- For the nut butter, do your best to choose a freshly ground, organic option. Make sure the sugar content is 3 grams or less per serving or more ideally, none.
- Nut butters are an exceptional source of healthy fats and also are protective against heart disease and type 2 diabetes due to their high fiber and magnesium contents.
- Opt for a dark chocolate that is 85% cocoa content or higher to limit the amount of sugar.
- Sliced apples fried in coconut oil with cinnamon
- Over medium heat, sauté your thinly sliced apples in coconut oil until golden brown on each side. Sprinkle with cinnamon and enjoy by themselves or with unsweetened greek yogurt or whipped heavy cream from an unpasteurized milk source.
- Apples are a great source of vitamin C, fiber, and potassium. Regular apple consumption is consistently associated with lower rates of heart disease, cancer, asthma, and type 2 diabetes.
- Cinnamon’s health benefits, which come from the oils in its barks, include reduced risk of heart disease, improved insulin sensitivity and decreased risk of type 2 diabetes. It also acts as a nutritional antioxidant and anti-inflammatory.
- Coconut oil is a top choice for healthy saturated fats and also has a high smoke point which makes it ideal for cooking.
- Over medium heat, sauté your thinly sliced apples in coconut oil until golden brown on each side. Sprinkle with cinnamon and enjoy by themselves or with unsweetened greek yogurt or whipped heavy cream from an unpasteurized milk source.
- Paleo nut energy bars
Connect with your family and community
Staying connected socially is very important not only to the health of the body, but also the mind. Human beings crave connection, social interaction, and a sense of community. Consequently, the health of our bodies will suffer if we cannot maintain these connections. Having a positive interaction with your community is vitally important for your health. Steps you can take to improve your personal relationships, as well as with your community include sending a handwritten letter to a relative you haven’t spoken to for awhile, volunteering at a local food or clothing drive, helping an elderly neighbor with landscaping or other small maintenance job at their house, or preparing one of the desserts above to surprise your neighbors with a healthy treat!
This holiday season could not come at a more vital time in our society. I encourage you to use these next couple months to treat your body and mind with care and to create a greater sense of unity in your family and communities.
Post written by Dr. Riley Kulm, DC. Check out his bio here.
