Good morning; this is your Wellness Wake Up Call with Kristin Bogdonas, nutrition and wellness educator with University of Illinois Extension.
Last week we cooked up a great discussion about holidays, baking and food safety. So how do we balance all those delicious once-a-year baked goods with healthy choices? Make a goal to stay active. There is a common myth that the holidays lead to gaining between 5 to 10 pounds. According to research published in the New England Journal of Medicine the average weight gain is around one pound. The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans suggest Americans get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week or broken down into 30 minutes a day five days a week. Trying to stay active during the holidays can feel like another item on a to-do list, so let’s talk about ways to make being active fun and a natural part of your daily routine!
First, think about your why. Why is being active important to you? Physical activity will help you sleep better, reduce the feeling of anxiety, reduce complications with diabetes, improve heart health, and maintain a positive mindset! Being active may help keep you mobile longer as you age! Once you come up with a list of reasons why being active is important to you, put the reasons on places you visit a lot such as the front of your cellphone, the refrigerator door, or the mirror in the bathroom! Regular exercise can help you live longer, some studies have shown taking a 20-minute walk after a meal helps lower blood glucose levels in people with diabetes, and provide protection against cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, arthritis and some cancers. Remind yourself why being active is so important to not only your physical health but your mental health as well.
So what are fun ways to stay active during the holidays? Keeping those tinsel toes moving is by planning ahead and make being active less of a chore. Try including the family such as building a snowman, dancing to holiday music, ice skating with weather permitting, having a scavenger hunt around the house after the feast or bundle up and walk around the neighborhood to look at the lights or maybe even sing! Suggest the whole family play a game of holiday charades!
Other suggestions to keep the body moving is when shopping for gifts. Try taking some extra laps around the store or mall and park as far away from the entrance as you can. That’s an easy way to sneak in a few extra steps. Wrapping gifts can be hard on the back, try finding a tall table or counter and wrap gifts standing up, or time yourself and take three ten-minute breaks to walk around the house. Those breaks will quickly add up to thirty minutes of physical activity! Research shows even 10 minutes of exercise is beneficial to overall health.
One task that can sometimes feel overwhelming is cleaning for company; however, it can be a excellent form of physical activity! Washing windows and floors for 45 minutes to an hour counts as moderate physical activity! Turn on those holiday tunes and burn that stress away! Love holiday baking. Don’t lose a minute! While that pie bakes, walk around the house or dance to home holiday tunes. Stay motivated by using a fitness tracker, one of the health inspiring gifts we talked about in the first week this month.
Consider making a plan and checking it twice. Ensure your physical activity goals are specific and measurable like dancing to four holiday songs after dinner each night. This week, think about your WHY and how to add more movement to your day. Reframe the time you take to stay active as your “me time” or stress relief. Remember exercise will also boost your mood and help you sleep better this holiday season.
For additional resources and a recording of today’s episode, please visit wvik.org/wellness. You can also subscribe to Wellness Wake Up Call today wherever you listen to podcasts and never miss out on these weekly wellness tips.
Thank you for listening! I hope you have a happy and healthy day ahead. Content for this episode was provided by Susan Glassman, nutrition and wellness educator with University of Illinois Extension.
Resources: