5 Ways to Stay Healthy Over the Holidays

The holiday season is one of the happiest times of the year. With the combination of friends, family and fun bringing up the mood, the last thing you want is an unexpected visit to the hospital or weeks of sickness following the season’s festivities.

Check out Sioux Falls Specialty Hospital’s 5 ways to stay healthy over the holidays.

1. Don’t Overeat

Overeating is sometimes seen as just as much of a tradition as Thanksgiving turkey, but it doesn’t have to be. In addition to the obvious effects overeating can have on your waistline, it can also cause digestive issues that can sideline you when you’re least expecting it. Avoid overeating by eating slowly to allow your body to tell your brain that you are full.

2. Limit Your Drinking

Every year around the holidays, there’s a spike in alcohol-related accidents and injuries. If you over-imbibe, you open yourself up to slips and stumbles that could quickly change the course of your cheerful holiday evening. Stay safe and avoid a holiday trip to urgent care my limiting your drinking—especially if you plan to walk anywhere in the slippery conditions.

3. Get Some Sleep

During the holidays, we tend to burn the candle at both ends. When you stay up late and wake up early, you wear down your body’s defenses and open yourself up to sickness. If you don’t want to spend the next week fighting a sickness, be sure to get your rest, even if It means missing out on fun activities.

4. Wash Your Hands

Being around loved ones for the holiday season is part of what makes the season so cheerful, but it can also lead to sickness if you aren’t careful. Handshakes, hugs, and kisses are all great ways to spread germs, so keep your hands clean by washing them regularly. If you know you’ll be around children or someone who is sick, consider carrying hand sanitizer to kill germs as soon as you come in contact with them.

5. Stay Active

The holidays are a busy time, and it can be easy to justify a lax physical regimen for the sake of spending more time with family. With the consumption habits that come coupled with the holiday season, it’s more important than ever to stay healthy. Try to maintain or even exceed your typical level of physical activity in an effort to combat the negative side effects that tend to accompany holiday merriment.

With all the excitement surrounding the holidays, it can be easy to let your health fall by the wayside. Stay proactive about avoiding injuries and sickness this holiday season to keep both you and your body in the holiday spirit.