Eat Drink and Be Healthy

Tis the season to overindulge.

Whether sweet treats, decadent desserts or cool cocktails provide temptation, now is a good time to strategize what to eat - and foods to avoid - to dodge the holiday blues.

Now is a good time to adopt healthy eating habits.

"Any time we overeat, the abudance of calories puts you in a state of needing to digest. Then you're sitting on the couch after Christmas or Thanksgiving dinner," said Angela Sucha, PA-C at Antelope Family Practice. "The extra calories are stored in the body as fat and the longer that happens, over time, the more difficult it can be to lose that weight."

Extra fat can lead to a plethora of health issues, including high pressure and high cholesterol.

"It's important to get started now before those things occur," she said.

According to a study recently released by Life Extension, Nebraska ranks 26th in a list of healthiest states this holiday season. The study analyzes data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Nebraskans stuggle eating enough fruits and vegetables. They also score low when it comes to "heavy drinking."

Sucha recommends finding a balance among proteins, vegetables, fruits and carbohydrates. It comes down to portion control.

Everything in moderation is ok.

"Any time you overdo it, like with sweets or carbohydrates, we worry about the extra sugar, leading to insulin resistance. That leads to difficulty in weight loss."

One suggestion Sucha made is to familiarize oneself with the myplate.gov recommendations, which balance vegetables, fruits, grains, proteins and dairy.

Adults aren't the only ones who need to be mindful of food and activity levels during the holidays.

For youth, Sucha recommends following the 54321+10 rule.

Each day, kids are encouraged to eat five servings of fruits and vegetables, drink four glasses of water; laugh heartily three times; limit screen time to less than two hours; get one hour of physical activity and sleep 10 hours or more.

"It's always easier to go to pizza or something fast at supper, but then they aren't going to hit the energy they need to get through the day," Sucha said.

She recommends adults track food intake in an app.

"There are a lot of good apps out there I feel like people may not be aware of to track some of these things," she said.

Some apps let consumers scan nutrition labels, where data is combined into a chart.

"You can go, 'Ok, I'm going over my calorie goal for my age, height and weight by this many calories. If I cut this many calories, I may see weight loss.'"

An app like MyFitnessPal is an easy way to start to see what changes need to be made in a diet.

To stay healthy this holiday season, maintaining a workout and wellness routine is key.

"Establishing a routine, where it's 30 minutes to one hour, once a day or every other day, that's your time, whether it's mental free time will help your overall health," she said.

For kids, 60 minutes of exercise each day is recommended. Adults should get up to 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise per week.

"That's not saying you have to work out an hour a day, especially when you're busy with kids, your job, household duties. Even 20 minutes every day a week or 45 minutes, three days a week, it makes it more realistic," Sucha said.

Starting can the most difficult part.

"Even if you start with 20 minutes and work your way up to the 150 minute goal, will help," she said.

Cardio exercise is good and weight-bearing exercises also help keep bones healthy.

Monetary reasons shouldn't keep individuals from starting a healthy routine. A lot of resources are available online.

And, you may be surprised by what household items can be incorporated into workouts.

"Fill up old milk jugs and use them as dumbells, walk outside on nice days, walk up and down the steps in your home. You can make your surrounding environment your gym, if you need to," Sucha said.

Individuals traveling over the holidays will want to get out of the car often and move.

A few minutes of walking and stretching will break up the travel routine and get the blood flowing.

"Also be mindful of your food choices," Sucha cautioned.

Consider packing a lunch or healthy snacks instead of making an impulse purchase at a convenience store.

And, if you can't resist the goodie tray filled with fudge, use moderation.

"If one piece of chocolate is your only sweet for the day, that's ok, again, as long it's not every day and in moderation, it's ok."