By Dr Shivannie Persaud
Dr Shivannie Vanada Persaud is a bilingual, Cuba-trained medical doctor who recently started her very own clinical practice at Medical Arts Centre Ltd. She currently offers free clinical breast exams at Dr Shivannie V Persaud Family Health & Wellness Clinic.
The Christmas season is seen as one filled with merry-making, positivity, and happiness as it brings us closer to our family, friends and loved ones and so we celebrate goodness, cheer, and gratitude for all things wholesome in our life.
However, the holidays are infamous for overindulgence. General rationales such as “I’ll get back on track in January”, “It will be my New Year’s resolution” are all phrases we are familiar with when we fall off the health and fitness wagon during the festive season. The year 2020 in particular has brought its own challenges, making life a matter of survival. Those of us who are around for the festive season would have survived COVID-19, which has been with us for the entire year, so let us not “get run over by a reindeer” this Christmas.
Let us continue to focus on the importance of being healthful during the holidays and while this may prove to be difficult, here are a few tips on how we can have a healthy Christmas:
Remember COVID-19 is still here
The Christmas period is the highlight of the social calendar filled with lots of activities such as gift shopping, family events, office parties, etcetera. Let us challenge ourselves with technology so that we can make the togetherness a virtual one instead of social gatherings. Let us protect the people in our household by celebrating with them instead of inviting relatives and friends or responding to invitations. Try your best to practise all COVID-19 safety measures: wash your hands often, wear face masks, and practise social distancing as much as possible.
Avoid a Christmas stuffing
Eat slowly and have normal-sized meals. You can also have smaller helpings of your favourite foods and give yourself the 20 minutes allotted time for your “I’m full” signal to kick in before you revisit the kitchen for seconds.
“Cook from the heart for the heart” when making holiday meals. Go lightly on the salt, butter, shortening, red meats, and sugar in your recipes.
Lighten up on the spirits to be in a good holiday spirit!
Excess alcohol impairs judgement and can contribute to embarrassing situations, leaving one’s character to be questioned. It also has hidden calories, leading to weight gain. Having a meal before you have alcohol will slow the absorption of alcohol in your system and counteract the dehydrating effects of booze. Spacing alcoholic drinks by consuming non-alcoholic beverages and water is also a great way to avoid excess consumption.
Keep moving
Christmas doesn’t mean that you should stop exercising and sit on the couch watching reruns of “Home Alone” or “Nothing to Laugh About”. Try to maintain fitness. We can learn from some people from some cultures who would have an early dinner and then take a walk after that meal. Go walking, jogging or put some music on and dance and burn the extra calories. Not forgetting that exercise helps us to sleep well and boost our moods.
Be careful when driving
Please note that excessive alcohol drinking, use of illegal drugs, reckless driving, and our rainy weather lead to many fatal accidents on our roads during this time of year. Let’s practise road safety and mindfulness with our fellow drivers and pedestrians. It is also important to remember that candles are still considered an open flame and to turn off your added lights before you turn in at night. I have it on good authority that Santa always has a flashlight so he doesn’t need your Christmas tree lights when he comes.
Be conscious of potential falls and other injuries when decorating for Christmas.
Food poisoning is also very popular during this time and so let’s make sure we store our food and reheat them adequately before consuming them.
Finally, be absolutely sure that the toys you choose as gifts for children are appropriate for their age to avoid toy-related injuries and choking hazards.
Don’t stress
Not being able to celebrate in your usual manner of togetherness can have an emotional impact, but as Andy Williams sings, “It’s the most wonderful time of the year”, so lighten up, have a sense of humour, be of good cheer. Be realistic, manage your expectations and be mindful. Practising gratitude helps to lower anxiety and also helps us in dealing with day-to-day pressure, for example, count your blessings by accepting each day as a gift and be grateful for the chance to have yet lived another day in this beautiful world.
