Healthy Eating & the Holidays: How to Make It Work | AFC Urgent Care of East Tennessee

Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day—oh my! While the team at AFC Urgent Care TN wants you to have an enjoyable holiday season, we also want you to do so the healthy way. We have some tips to share that will help you do just that!

Aim to Maintain

The holiday season isn’t the time to try and lose weight. Between office potlucks and family gatherings, there are going to be too many festivities with lots of food that could potentially set you up for failure. Instead of working to lose weight, just work to maintain your current weight. Then, come the new year, you can aim to lose again.

Make Room for Exercise

Most medical professionals recommend people exercise at least 30 minutes a day on most days of the week. Doing so will offer a variety of health benefits, including weight control, improved mood and reduced risk of a number of medical conditions like heart disease, diabetes and some cancers.

Whether you’re staying home for the holidays or traveling, there are many ways to fit in 30 minutes of exercise a day, such as:

• Attending a yoga class
• Dancing
• Going for a hike on a local hiking trail
• Taking a brisk walk or jog around the neighborhood
• Racing or completing a backyard obstacle course with your kids

Change Your Focus

If at every holiday party you attend, you only focus on the food, the food is what you will indulge in the most. Therefore, shift your focus to where the food is just a part of the gathering—not everything. Focus on talking to the relative you haven’t seen for a year or spending quality time with each of your kids now that things have settled down. That way, you aren’t focused on all the food, but rather on the amazing company surrounding you.

Is your stomach the victim of too much eating over the holidays, or are you coming down with a virus? Visit an AFC Urgent Care TN facility today to ensure you don’t have a more serious medical issue going on other than tummy trouble.