How to Keep Up Your Physical Health This Holiday Season + Collab with Ella

Now GUYS, GUYS, GUYS, BEFORE YOU KILL ME FOR BEING A HYPOCRITE (because I literally just did a post on my favorite COMPLETELY  UN-HEALTHY desserts), I need to explain myself. I'm not writing a post about how you should give up all your favorite, sugary treats to maintain a healthy body over Christmas. I'm not writing about how you should do cardio every single day over the holidays, so that you burn off all of those extra calories that you consumed. I'm talking physical health, as in: not waking up after the holidays are over to find yourself feeling insanely lazy, tired, completely dead, or even to find yourself with a sore throat from all of the sugar. Or even to find yourself feeling like you weigh 5 pounds heavier than you were before. 

This is something that has happened to me every year, and I regret everything I do to wreck my health once Christmas is over - EVERY YEAR. This year, I'm hoping to change that. I hoping that I can fully enjoy myself on the holidays, without having to bash myself about all of the junk I ate. That's why my sweet friend, Ella and I decided to do a collab post on this! We hope to be able to share some helpful advice to make your Christmas and New Year's a little more stress-free. Ella is going to talk about how to maintain your mental health, and I'm, of course, talking about the physical side of it.

I hope you enjoy this collab!! Ella's post is super wonderful and helpful, which is just like her! She's an amazing, inspiring blogger, and friend.  Be sure to read her tips on staying sane during the holidays.

The first thing I really want to stress is staying hydrated.

Photo by Ethan Sykes

DRINK WATER.

I can't stress this more. Drinking water is so. important. Often times, during the holidays I find myself drinking coffee, eggnog, apple cider, hot cocoa, and so many other delicious drinks, but I neglect drinking the right amount of water!! Water is your body's main way of detoxing!! If you're not drinking enough water, then you'll find yourself feeling so much more clogged up once the holiday's over.

STAY ACTIVE.

As I said earlier, by staying active I don't mean you have to keep up a rigorous workout schedule over Christmas. Even some of the most die-hard fitness junkies take a break for the holidays. But, that doesn't mean you can't be active at all! You could do simple yoga/stretching routines in the morning or evening, take walks in the beautiful, brisk winter weather, do some light 10-min workouts, or if you like running, you could go for a quick jog once a day. It doesn't have to be intense or stressful! You'd be surprised how much a simple walk outside in the sunshine can do. I believe Ella already talked a little bit about this, so make sure you read her thoughts on this. Here are some links to relaxing stretching routines and light workouts that would be perfect for this holiday season - 

Quick Morning Workout

Quick 8 Minute Workout

Morning Stretch Routine

Basic Stretch Routine

Bedtime Stretch Routine

DON'T QUIT ON NUTRITION.

Photo by Jamie Street

I plan on eating a lot of sugar over the next several weeks. Guys, did you hear what I said? I PLAN ON EATING SUGAR. You won't hear me say that, that often, trust me. I cringe at the thought of all the sugar entering my blood, but I'm not willing to sacrifice my favorite Christmas traditions because of it! I love my cut-out cookies. I love candy-canes. And, oh, CHOCOLATE. There's nothing that can compare with Christmas treats. BUT (but) there is a way to still eat nutritiously. One simply thing would be to add in *one* healthy snack/meal a day. Just grab some carrot sticks, a bowl of fruit, or if you often make a big Christmas dinner, add some yummy roasted veggies! You can still eat all the junk in moderation. All you have to do is make sure you eat something healthy that will help your body detox. No calorie counting (heavens, no), no carb-watching, NOTHING. Enjoy yourself. 

One other side note, while we're talking about it - You can also make your favorite drinks (that have unnecessary bad stuff in them) a little healthier! For example, eggnog and hot cocoa. You can make your own homemade versions of both of these!! There are tons of recipes that use honey instead of sugar, and it still tastes absolutely AMAZING. <3 Stevia is also a great substitute if you want to eat less carbs. 

Wait - one more thing. Keep taking your vitamins. This is also super important, especially during the winter. You don't get nearly enough Vitamin D in the winter because you are not in the sun as much as you are in the summer. Your immune system isn't going to be as good after the holidays because of your diet and sleep schedule, so make sure you still take vitamins C & D. It will help keep those nasty colds away that like to hit you early in the New Year. Another way of detoxing would be to drink some freshly-squeezed lemon water every morning! This is an easy way to detox and get rid of that groggy, sleepy morning feeling.

Photo by Dominik Martin 

SKIN CARE.

You might be thinking, does skin care really have anything to do with this post? It does! Not only does it matter for your physical appearance, it matters for your skin's health, too. I don't know about you, but sometimes I'll be out really late after a party or celebration of some sort, and I'll be so stinkin' tired that I won't even wash my makeup off. Now, if you don't wear makeup, then you won't have this problem! But for those of us who do, this can be common. DON'T DO IT. Especially during the holidays, your skin is going to have more break-outs than normal if you don't take care of your skin properly. So, make sure you properly wash all of those nasty chemicals off of your face, then make sure you properly exfoliate and cleanse your skin. If you want to go a step furthur, you could even exfoliate using homemade sugar scrubs. These are so easy to make, and they leave your skin soft and glowing! They are perfect for holiday pampering. My sister in law has a DIY Coffee Scrub on her blog, which is one of my absolute favorites. 

I hope you found this helpful!! I look forward to practicing what I preach, and staying happy this Christmas and New Year's! No regrets. :)

What about YOU?? Will you join Ella and me in our pursuit of health & happiness this holiday season?? Have you read Ella's fantastic post yet? Would you like to see more posts like this one? Let me know what you'd like to see on here!