Watch above: With more food, drinks and family it can be tough surviving the holidays. Aaron Streck talks with experts at the University of Saskatchewan on how to stay mentally and physically healthy over the holidays.
SASKATOON – It only comes around once a year but the holidays can throw a wrench into the day to day activity. It’s easy to go overboard.
“Whether it’s a kind of weird family situation or lots of cooking and present buying or crazy traffic or lines at the store, just to get outside and take a bit of time for yourself and kind of reconnect and slow down and remember that it is a festive time of year,” said University of Saskatchewan College of Kinesiology, Human Performance Centre Coordinator Jason Weber.
MORE: How to find solace in moments of solitude during the holidays
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Keeping things in check is easier said then done. While routines like going to the gym or working on your fitness might get out of whack, there are exercises that can be done in the comfort of your own home. As for the dinner table, moderation is recommended.
“Enjoy it, be a kid for this week or couple days or whatever it is but what I do try to say are little things we do is one plate, you get one trip to the buffet line and that’s it and try to limit it at that,” said Weber.
Food will be feasted, drinks will be flowing, experts warn against looking for Christmas cheer in the bottom of a bottle.
“I think it’s important to remember that it’s probably not the best decision because alcohol is a depressant and so if you’re out drinking and trying to anesthetize yourself against all the stresses and worries that you have, it’s just going to back fire,” said University of Saskatchewan Disability Services for Students Sara Liebman.
Not everyone has the luxury of spending the holidays with family and friends.
“It’s a very nostalgic and very emotional time of the year for many people even if they don’t realize it, there’s a lot of real memories attached to Christmas and hopefully good ones and sometimes it’s very hard to go along that memory lane,” said Liebman.
MORE: Keeping routine helps parents of new baby cope during holidays
While the holidays are just beginning, before you know it they’ll be over, everything will calm back down and everyone can get back into their normal routines.
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