Holiday Health: Keeping Diet, Exercise and Stress in Check Through the Festive Season

Before the first holiday party of the season, a few numbers are worth knowing. A recent survey found that nearly 45 per cent of people stop exercising over the holidays. More than half said they feel more tired and have less time for themselves, and about a third said they drink more. The figures come from a piece published on Dec. 24 in The Conversation, written from Burnaby, Canada, by a researcher who studies how a healthy lifestyle affects physical and mental health.

Food is the obvious place to start. Cakes, chocolates, spiced ham, turkey stuffing and mulled wine are mostly high in fat, sugar and calories. One survey put Christmas Day eating at close to 6,000 calories, which is two to three times the daily recommendation for most people. The familiar claim is that the season adds five to 10 pounds (2.25 to 4.5 kilograms), but the author says the real figure may be much lower. A study published in 2000 found an average gain of only about one pound, roughly half a kilogram. It was an average, though, and some participants in that study did gain five pounds or more.

The advice is not to avoid indulgence. One or two occasions of it won't derail a diet. For people facing a whole circuit of events, the author suggests a strategy, starting with a question: do you need, or even want, to go to all of them? Of those you do attend, pick one or two for indulging, perhaps where the food is best or your closest people will be, and stay on the healthier side at the others. Eat well earlier in the day so you don't arrive hungry. Sleep matters too, because a lack of it makes people more likely to reach for high-energy foods and eat more. A friend, or even the host, can act as a health buddy, and alcohol deserves attention because it can weaken self-discipline.

Exercise is the second casualty. Most people keep fit through routine, and the holidays break routine. Gyms, pools and community centres may run shortened hours or close, and trainers and instructors take time off. Missing a few sessions won't hurt long-term fitness, the author says, but it can hurt mood. Exercise raises energy, lifts mood and reduces stress, and skipping it can feel like skipping the morning coffee.

The season also offers its own ways to move: shopping, Christmas markets, a walk around the neighbourhood to look at the decorations. The author adds singing to the list, carols or any other song. Singing can reduce anxiety, potentially increase lung capacity and raise the number of infection-fighting molecules in the blood. Singing with others builds social bonds and releases oxytocin, which can improve mood. Most of these benefits don't depend on how well you sing, and the more you sing, the more you likely gain.

Stress is the third concern. Nearly 90 per cent of adults in the United States associate the season with some form of it, driven by shopping, hosting, other people's expectations and extra costs. This may be one reason heart attacks and cardiac-related deaths rise over the holiday period. It is also believed that people put off seeking treatment, since emergency department visits spike once the holidays are over.

The author frames stress as the feeling of not being in control, and suggests a holiday plan as a counter. That could mean a spending budget, a decision on which events to attend and which to decline, and, for hosts, a menu planned ahead, help from others or even take-out. Regular exercise, enough sleep, realistic expectations and some quiet time for yourself also help.

Even the best plans go astray, the author notes, and when that happens the advice is to go easy on yourself. Anyone finding the season hard should tell the people around them and ask for support.