Tips to staying healthy during winter break
As winter break approaches, students are getting ready to jump in their pajamas and enjoy a cup of hot cocoa while watching their favorite show or movie. Holiday season comes with more ingredients in the bag, more sleep and more food. As the holidays approach, maintaining a healthy lifestyle while surrounded by treats is difficult. Here are some tips on how to stay healthy during your holiday season.
1) Exercise! We may be a bit lazy during winter break, as we fill our stomachs with delicious food and sweets, but exercising everyday will maintain a healthy body. Playing sports or working out at a gym or at home are good ways to stay fit. Plan out your days and times for exercising. To stay organized, keep track of your progress in a notebook. Choose the amount of time you want to work out each day and go from there. You can also exercise with a friend, which will encourage you to not slack and help you stay motivated to do more.
2) Balance you diet! During winter break, big meals such as roasted chicken, or sweets such as candy canes fill our stomachs with joy. The cold season tends to increase our cravings for comfort foods and sweets. After consuming all this food, your serotonin levels rise. This makes your brain think you are happier with the sweets. As the day wears on, your carb cravings rise higher and higher. On the other hand, eating your fruits and vegetables will boost your immune system functions and contribute to reducing your cholesterol levels.
3) Relax! Winter break is a perfect time to let go of stress and anxiety. Breathing in and out will help reduce your stress levels. Stress has shown to increase your risk of high blood pressure, heart attacks and other heart problems. To help keep yourself relax, mediate. This may seem over the top, but it actually works. Find yourself a dark room and sit down. Close your eyes and empty your mind of all worry. Relax your muscles and focus on being in the present. Your stress levels will go down and help improve your mindset throughout the day.
4) Drink tea! There are varieties of herbal tea that will help keep you healthy. Herbal teas, like lemon and green, can ease your mind and relax your body from any stress. Scientists found that the antioxidants in green tea extract increases the body’s ability to burn fat and turn it into fuel. This will improve muscle endurance, so drink up!
5) Sleep! During the school year, students lack sleep due to the amount of stress and homework needed to be done. Winter break is a perfect time to sleep in. These upcoming two weeks go by fast, so sleep as much as you can.
6) Keep yourself warm! Winter season is that time of year. The weather in Southern California is inconsistent. One day it is cold. The next day it is sunny. Make sure to bring a couple jackets everywhere you go, and an umbrella just in case rain decides to fall.
7) Stay social! Go outside and spend time with your family and friends. Your favorite show will still be there when you come back. Plan a way to bond with the people closest to you.
8) Go outside the box! Do something out of your comfort zone. A new experience will open your eyes to new ideas and keep you from staying confined in your home.
9) Smile! The holiday season is full of laughs and hugs. As you might have heard, smiles are contagious. And it is true. Smiles have proven to help improve you and someone else’s happiness and health. So keep smiling and enjoy your break!
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