How to Resume your Healthy Habits After the Holidays

Let me ask you: Did your healthy habits fall to the wayside during the holiday season? Are you finding it tough to get back on track?

I sure do. I found myself eating way, way, way too many sweets during the holiday.

I didn't really notice the weight gain at first. Wearing leggings with an elastic waist nearly 24/7 sure helps in tricking myself into the belief that I can eat whatever I want and not gain weight. But my jeans didn't allow the illusion to go on. They said "sorry, not enough room in here" :-). So I switched to a larger pair of jeans ... for now.

I will get back on track and resume my healthy habits, starting now.

How are you doing with your healthy habits? Did you keep them up until the holidays, but then let some of them slip? Maybe too much alcohol? Maybe too little sleep? Maybe no stress releases?

3 Tips for Getting Back on the Wellness Track

Here are three tips that I'm implementing for myself and that you might find helpful too:

Tip #1: Be kind to yourself

Don't be hard on yourself for slipping in your wellness routines. Remember that the path of a healthy lifestyle is a curvy one, not a straight one. You might even occasionally drop off the path entirely. The importance is that you eventually find yourself back on track.

Remember: "What you do most of the time matters so much more than what you do only some of the time."

So forgive yourself for slipping and set steps in motion now to get back on the path to wellness. I have fallen off many times, but I've learned to consistently come back.

Tip #2: Take small steps

Don't expect to change your behaviors overnight. Start small and then build momentum. Science has proven that this approach works best for long-term sustainable change.

So maybe step one for you is to cut back your alcohol consumption to 2 glasses per night. And once that feels manageable, and only then, add an additional step of not drinking Monday through Wednesday. And so on...

Remember to take small steps. My first small step is to have chocolate only every other day instead of every day.

Tip #3: Commit to downtime

If you're feeling exhausted after the holidays, make time for self-care. Your mind and body need it.

Instead of watching Netflix at night with a bottle of wine, take a relaxing bath, curl up with a good book, or let yourself go to bed early. Try to get at least eight hours of sleep. You'll be amazed to find out how much easier it is to stick to a wellness routine when you've gotten enough sleep. I'm looking forward to curling up with good books most nights.

So, if you're trying to get back to your wellness routine, what's your small first step? It helps to say it out loud and share it with someone. Feel free to hit reply to let me know what your first step is, so I can cheer you on.

Best,

Christine

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Wellness & Yoga with Christine

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