10 daily habits for the holiday season

What 10 things could you do each day which would really make a difference to your health and wellbeing over the holiday season?

Many of you will already be well into the 'silly season' as far as eating, drinking and looking after your general health and well-being are concerned... office parties, get-togethers with friends, nights out on the town, sweets and chocolates everywhere you look...

Some of you will already know that, throughout the year, I advocate making a list of 10 habits that, when practised daily, will make you look and feel better. These are things like flossing your teeth or taking just 2 minutes to buff your nails so that they are strong, shiny and healthy-looking. Or maybe writing in a journal for 15 minutes.

Over the next 10 days, I am going to offer you 10 daily habits that you can practise both in the run-up to Christmas and over the holiday period which should help to combat some of the worst excesses associated with this time of year.

So here we go - Tip 1 -

Always eat breakfast

When I was still an employee (I was a Currculum Manager in a college), I worked in a busy staffroom which, at this time of year, was full of food. Each day brought fresh piles of leftover food from all the staff and student parties that were taking place. In addition, students would bring gifts of cookies, cakes and chocolates for us and every lunch time brought another invitation to either another party or a celebration pub lunch (usually without a single vegetable in sight).

What particular challenges does this time of year present for you? Do you have a sweet tooth and can't resist all the sweets and chocolates on offer? Do you snack and 'graze' on party food all day and never manage to eat a healthy meal until normality returns in January? Do you use the holiday season as an excuse to over-indulge, convincing yourself that you will soon lose all the excess weight in the New Year?

If any of the above sounds like you, at least give yourself a good start to each day by eating a healthy breakfast - even if all you can manage is a couple of pieces of fruit. If you can start your day with a full stomach and healthy blood-sugar levels, you will be less inclined to dive into the cookies and chocolates with your mid-morning cappuccino. Your waistline will thank you for it too! :-)

Come back tomorrow for Tip 2.