The recently passed holidays are generally filled with religious observances, celebrations, traditions, family, good friends, shopping, and gift-giving and -receiving. With the people we love most, we make memories that can carry us through the difficulties in life. We put deposits in our personal emotional bank so that we can withdraw them when life gets tough. Unfortunately, we also put more deposits of excessive food and drink into our bodies.

These deposits may not be particularly good ones or ones that look particularly good on us ... we need to start making withdrawals by looking at adjusting our choices and lifestyle. We said to ourselves: "Well, it's the holidays -- I'll get back on track afterwards." No flaw in that concept, right? Ha!

The phrase "you are what you eat" begins to flash before your eyes. You are not seeing the proverbial "visions of sugarplums" dancing in your head that you heard about as a child. The more you overeat and drink, the more you feel your body letting you know it is on overload. Too much sugar coupled with less sleep, more stress, and the opportunity to overdo things can be very bad.

Here are some simple and effective Holiday Health Hacks with big benefits!

What are Holiday Health Hacks?

The steps really aren't about making New Year's Resolutions. It is about stepping up and saying: "I am smart enough and strong enough to do what is in MY best interest." It requires that you are mindful of good choices as you begin each day. Your body is your one and only. So, take a look at some simple and effective holiday health hacks that can help you easily take some small steps that can have big benefits. With these, you can also positively influence the health of those you love.

 

 

Great Health Hacks for Food

• Provide healthy sweets: You make the desserts for your family gatherings and make them gluten-free or paleo. Family and friends won't be able to tell the difference!
• Make a decision: Choose to eat appetizers and skip dessert -- avoid the sugar overload and resulting high inflammation.
• When preparing foods, be sure to use healthy fats like coconut oil, grass-fed butter, avocado oil, and extra virgin olive oil, but be careful to cook only with the ones with a high smoke point like coconut oil. Also, adding extra fats to your recipes when you can will keep you full and prevent overeating.
• Substitute quinoa, cauliflower rice, or shredded grass-fed cheeses for rice in stuffed peppers, meatloaf, meatballs, and stuffed cabbage. These taste great and will keep your dishes lower in carbohydrates.
• Use either avocado or cocounut oil instead of regular oil.
• Eat raw salsa and corn chips instead of potato chips and sour cream dips.
• Keep washed and cut veggies in the fridge as a snack.
• Consume all of your food within an 8-hour window for optimum body fat burning. (FYI, this is my favorite holiday health hack.)
• Set your goal to eat healthier one day at a time.
• Use lettuce instead of bread for sandwiches.
• Reacquaint yourself with pastured chicken organic eggs -- breakfast, lunch, or dinner -- always a perfect protein.

Great Holiday Hacks for Drinks

Drinking too much during the holidays can be associated with too much sugar and too much stress. Not only can drinking alcohol dehydrate your body, but research has also tied drinking in excess to atrial fibrillation in a condition called "Holiday Heart Syndrome." Follow my Holiday Health Hacks below when consuming alcohol responsibly.

• When consuming alcohol, drink 8-16 ounces of water before each alcoholic drink. Water helps flush out toxins. By its nature, alcohol can also dehydrate the body. If you've had a couple of drinks with alcohol, make sure you drink 12 ounces of water before you go to bed; this will help to both hydrate you and to feel better in the morning.
• I love taking BIND after having a glass of wine, whiskey, or hard cider. The fiber and added charcoal can bind to toxins and eliminate the toxic effects of alcohol on your body. Either take 1 capsule with your drink or take 2 capsules before you go to bed with 12 ounces of water. Remember, your body works while you sleep to eliminate toxins, and this will help with the process.
• Try adding Cytodetox drops to your wine. This is a phenomenal detox product! Add 1-2 drops with your wine. Yes! That is right! Cytodetox drops can be helpful to people sensitive to pesky sulfites in wine as the drops bind to the sulfites and can minimize allergy responses. Wine can also be one of the more toxic alcohols because of its glyphosate (herbicide) content. My favorite wine company is Dry Farm Wines. Not only are they organic and low in sulfites and sugar, but they also support proper wine agriculture.

 

 

Great Holiday Health Hacks for Your Mind and Brain

Start your day with gratitude and take five minutes to write down the:
1) Top 3 things for which you are thankful
2) Top 3 things you could do that would make your day great
3) At night, the top 3 things that happened that actually were great

This will keep you mindful of and grateful for the wonderfully amazing moments in your life.

Keep exercising! Continue walking, yoga, weight-lifting, etc. 
"An object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion." --Newton's first law of motion.

Be mindful of your guiding values so your actions are in line with who you are.
Practice BREATHING. This takes 3 minutes and is so simple:
1. Breathe in for 4 seconds
2. Hold your breath for 8 seconds
3. Slowly exhale for 6 seconds

Slowing your breathing has been shown to increase heart rate variability, which is a sign of good health. It calms the body, helps prevent the negative effects of high or prolonged stress, and helps activate the parasympathetic nervous system.

 

 

Great Hacks That Save You Time

• Costco Online Shopping: free grocery shopping and free home delivery. Check details and store availability. (In most metropolitan areas, delivery is the same day with orders of $35 and up; free nationwide product delivery within two days with orders of $75 and up.)
• Walmart Online Call-Ahead Shopping: Free shopping for orders of $50 and up, $10 off the first order. You drive up and they load it in your vehicle.
• Harris Teeter Express Lane Shopping: $4.95 per order online (for the first order, the $4.95 is waived). They shop for you, you drive up, and they load it in your vehicle. They honor coupons and give rain checks.

Practicing some simple Holiday Health Hacks can change your life. Look and feel better than before and know you are making choices that are good for your body and mind. For more information about Dr. Gorski, view his website: DrBradGorski.com.