For some, this is the most wonderful time of year- the sights, the sounds, time with family and friends, and don’t forget the food and drinks! Thanksgiving through December is deemed the time to splurge right before the new year, when you try to erase all of your guilty pleasures away. But as the Omicron variant continues to spread throughout the U.S., how do you celebrate Christmas while remaining safe?
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The best way to be prepared is to have a list and a plan. When you go to the grocery store without a list, you may go astray and probably buy things you don’t need. It is the same way with your health. Conversely, if you have a plan and rules to follow it’s a lot easier to not get caught up.
Set a plan for the week of how you are going to keep everyone safe and remember to fill your family in. For some, this may be requiring family members to quarantine or show a negative COVID test before coming over. For others, it may be eating outside, practicing social distancing, wearing masks or choosing to meet via Zoom.
“When you see a loved one, even from a distance, it can be easy to let your guard down. So set a time limit and stick to it,” Dr. Olusinmi Bamgbose, a psychiatrist at Cedars-Sinai in Southern California advises.
Among the reasons people are making riskier choices during the pandemic is peer pressure, Bamgbose shares.
“You might be faced with people around you who are pressuring you to push your boundaries, like a mother who wants you to come over for a holiday dinner where several people are coming over and getting together inside,” Bamgbose notes. “It can be very difficult to stick to your guns and say, ‘I don’t feel comfortable doing that.'”
Bamgbroses’ advice?
Assess your personal risks and decide where your boundaries are. Your reasons for following safety measures might include that you don’t want to get yourself or your family sick, or that you also don’t want to sicken someone you may not even know. If you are surrounded by people that are pressuring you to practice unsafe measures, Bamgbroses suggests trying to connect with a community of like-minded people to keep yourself in a “good-behavior echo chamber.”
Keeping the risk factors of not taking the appropriate safety measures front of mind should encourage you, if nothing else, to stay safe. What will happen if you get sick? Do you have a loved one that is high risk and could be severely impacted by COVID if they were to contract it? These important questions will hopefully cause you to think twice before engaging in risky behavior this holiday season.
“Try to remember why we’re doing this,” Bamgbose adds. “Even if you don’t get sick, if the hospitals are overloaded, think about the health system as a whole, and the consequences if the virus is spread.”
Bamgbose recommends finding ways to safely connect with loved ones until the pandemic is over.
“I recognize that sometimes we do need to make a connection,” she says. “It’s about making sure we’re able to feel that in the safest way possible.”
These tips from the CDC may help you safely connect with family this Christmas:
Additionally, if you plan on traveling this holiday season, remember to wear your mask, wash your hands and/or sanitize. For more information on the best way to travel during the holidays for you and your family, visit the CDC travel page.
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As an added bonus, try these 4 tips to stay healthy during the holiday season:
Now a lot of us love to eat good food and there are some foods that we just feel we can’t do without. If you follow the 80/20 rule, (80% of the food you eat is clean and unprocessed and the other 20% may be a little indulging) you may be able to follow your diet plan better than trying to go overboard. Having an 80/20 rule with your dietary intake will guide you to indulge in moderation so you can still eat the things that you like.
A similar concept is to categorize your foods into the red, yellow and green zone where most of your foods are whole fruits, vegetables, and legumes (green zone), a few foods are in the yellow/caution zone, and the red zone are foods that you really should not be eating at all. These foods are either triggers to nonstop eating or foods that are so unhealthy you should probably not consume them.
You will notice that the pounds will still come off and also after eating clean you may not want to eat the food that you used to think you loved. Try to stay away from eating too much fast food. If you prepare your food at home you will notice that you’re able to control what ingredients go into them and they will taste better as well.
If you enjoy watching the Food Network as much as I do, you’ll see that they always have these delicious meals that sometimes leave you salivating and wanting more. We all may love our macaroni and cheese and pies but did you know that there are some healthy alternatives to these foods that may taste just as good, if not better?
If you are not a gourmet chef, search the local restaurants and health food stores. You can also check vegan/vegetarian markets and use farm-to-market products. Search your favorite recipes or watch shows where you may find tips on healthy substitutes for your favorite meals. You may not like all of them, but you might find some recipes that stick with you and you’ll even be able to bring them to the next party for everyone to enjoy.
Accountability is a must. We all have our moments. That’s where an accountability partner comes into play. Both of you can encourage each other as well as give each other advice in times of despair. An accountability partner will give you a pat on the back and cheer you on towards reaching your goal.
Accountability partners don’t have to be someone that lives next door. If there’s a friend that is trying to change their habits as well, you can text each other and send daily messages of encouragement. A virtual coach or trainer is a great resource as well.
It is the holidays so enjoy your time with family and friends. Remember, working out can also be fun! Dancing burns a lot of calories, as well as other sports. If you live in a cooler climate, you can go outside with the kids and go sledding or run through the snow. Skiing as well burns a lot of calories and it’s a lot of fun.
If you are in a warmer climate you still can get out to the playground, go caroling, or play soccer or basketball with family and friends. Moving around increases your metabolism but also keeps your mind off of eating when you’re not really hungry.
Enjoy the holiday season. Take these tips, get your plan together, and be ready to enjoy a happy, safe and healthy holiday season!
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