Editor’s Letter: Staying Healthy During the Holidays
Holidays can be a very challenging time to “stay with the program.” There are many reasons for this: too much food, excessive alcohol consumption, less exercise and sleep. The stress factor plays in as well. Many patients will lose the ground they gained all year in a few short weeks.
What’s the best way to keep some semblance of a healthy lifestyle during the upcoming holidays?
First and foremost, limit your alcohol intake. Alcohol adds calories and sugars in the form of carbohydrates, and it interferes with quality sleep. In addition, the metabolic effect of alcohol extends past the hours that you’ve been consuming it. Studies have shown that, when you drink alcohol, your body’s insulin secretion for other carbohydrates is abnormal—it allows for a hyperglycemic (high blood glucose) state that is resistant to the effects of insulin, which normally helps keep blood glucose levels in check. Alcohol also disinhibits us behaviorally, which means it becomes more difficult to make healthy choices; the alcohol effect says, “Never mind, we’ll worry about this another time.”
Limit the high-fat and high-sugar foods to special treat times. Give yourself one or two days a week to eat the treat food—whatever that may be for you—in a moderate amount, but try to stick to your routine the other days. It’s also easy to get off track with your exercise routine due to the events, parties, and other activities that take up more of your time during the holidays. Try to continue to exercise at least two days per week, minimum, even if you curtail the amount of time and type of exercise you do. Look for ways to de-stress too—be mindful that the effect of stress on your metabolism is that it encourages you to eat comfort food, and it also impairs your insulin secretion.
Enjoy the holidays, but make a commitment to yourself in advance to keep some of your regular, good habits in place. You’ll feel better and have an easier time getting back to your healthy lifestyle come January.
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