Holiday Time: Recommit to Self-Care
As we enter the holiday season, it is a perfect time to recommit to our health routines. Here are some tips to help you boost your healthy routines.
Recommit to Self-Care
Self-care is so easy to ignore. But even small commitments add up to make a big difference. Maybe choose one of these things to recommit to this week:
✨ Morning Routine
✨ Meals Rich in Colorful Plants and Protein
✨ Half your Body Weight in Ounces of Water (or other liquids)
✨ Mindful Practices
✨ Exercise Snacks
✨ Wind-down Routine
Everyone has different things that fill their cup; what works for one person won’t work for everyone. If you’ve never tried sticking to a morning routine, exercise snacks, or a wind-down routine, how do you know you won’t love it? If you feel overwhelmed or stressed this season, I encourage you to double down on taking care of yourself. Get back to those habits you know to fill your cup, and be open-minded about trying new ones.
Light at Night Boosts Diabetes Risk
A recent study in The Lancet found that more exposure to light at night increases the risk of diabetes, especially for people exposed to the most light from lamps, streetlights, or screens between 12:30 a.m. and 6 a.m.
Light at night can disrupt the circadian rhythm, which regulates hunger cues, insulin release, and sugar metabolism around the clock. In modern life, most people don’t want to live without lamps and streetlights, but of us, myself included, can reduce our screen time.
Some things I recommend to support a healthy circadian rhythm include getting sunlight on the face in the morning, keeping caffeine to the first half of the day, eating on a regular schedule, and having a wind-down routine at night.
Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free Holiday Recipes
You are probably thinking about Thanksgiving and what you are going to cook. This time of year can be challenging if you are following a special diet (such as gluten- and/or dairy-free).
Whether your holiday table is small and cozy or large and full of people, this is a great time to spice up your table and try some new holiday recipes to help celebrate. I have created a collection of delicious gluten- and dairy-free recipes that are rich in vegetables and low in sugar. Make sure to look through the notes. There are some great substitution ideas and helpful hints.
This is the perfect time to experiment in the kitchen. You might even find that you find some new favorites that you want to keep.
You can download the recipes HERE.
Next Steps
Building and maintaining our health is a journey, and it’s all about small steps in the right direction. I hope these suggestions help.