4 Tips to Stay Healthy this Holiday Season

Christmas tree in the living room

While the holidays are full of family, friends and good food, our health habits often fall by the wayside. Between large portions, fancy drinks and plenty of dessert, the holidays are a season of indulgence. To help you find balance amongst this busy time of year, Santevia has outlined four healthy tips to thrive during the holidays:

  1. Incorporate Daily Physical Activity
  2. Get Enough Sleep
  3. Watch Your Screen Time
  4. Drink Enough Water

Incorporate Daily Physical Activity

Whether you are hosting big dinners, going out to festive events, or flying away on vacation, a lot of us push our workout routines to the side over the winter holidays. Yet, prioritizing daily physical activity can have positive impacts on your health.

Physical activity can be as simple as going for a short walk, shoveling the snow or going for a bike ride. By scheduling a bit of light exercise everyday you can boost your energy, reduce stress, and sleep better.

Friends laughing and chatting while on a walk on a sunny winter day

Regardless of your age, gender, location, or occupation, we all have one thing in common: we need water to survive.

For many, drinking enough water is difficult, and many of us do not meet the daily recommended water intake. The Mayo Clinic recommends that healthy adult women should drink 92 ounces (2.7 litres) and healthy adult men drink 124 ounces (3.7 litres) daily.

If this seems like an unattainable goal, then you’re in the right place.

A Santevia MINA Alkaline Pitcher with a pitcher of a recipe of  lemon and mint infused ice water

Santevia has outlined five hacks to drink more water daily:

  1. Keep Your Water Bottle Around
  2. Flavor It
  3. Mix up the Temperature
  4. Set Reminders
  5. Invest in a Filter

Get Enough Sleep

With busy holiday schedules, it can be difficult to get enough sleep every night. However, a lack of sleep can contribute to overeating, the desire to drink more coffee, and overall fatigue.

Each of us needs a different amount of sleep every night, but try to stick to your regular number of hours (7-9 hours is recommended) to ensure that you are feeling your best and not overly tired or stressed this year. Set a bedtime reminder each night to keep yourself on track.

Watch Your Screen Time

Not only is spending too much time staring at a screen bad for your eyes, it also keeps you stationary, distracted, and away from your company. This holiday season, keep your phone at a distance and keep your TV turned off.

Engage and connect with friends and family - don’t waste it on your phone. Further, spending time connecting with your loved ones can be good for your mental health.

Drink Enough Water

Sometimes we confuse thirst for hunger. That means that we’ll keep snacking (and snacking and snacking) when we actually just need a glass of water.

Be sure to drink plenty of water to keep your body properly hydrated and to avoid the temptation of endless snacking.

Additionally, many foods that we eat around the holidays are acidic. By drinking mineralized alkaline water you can help your body maintain its natural balance and avoid the perils of too much acidity such as acid reflux and heartburn. Santevia has a variety of water filtration products that will keep you, your family, and all your guests healthy and hydrated this year

Prioritizing your health this holiday season doesn’t have to be difficult - you can have fun and stay healthy at the same time. Be sure to consistently get enough sleep and to stay hydrated with clean mineralized alkaline water. Focus on spending time outdoors, away from your phone, and amongst friends and family to optimize your health.

If the taste of your water is what is preventing you from drinking the recommended daily amount, then improve the flavor! This can be done in a few different ways, including filtration, natural flavours, and sweeteners (although we don’t necessarily recommend the last one).

Filtering your water is an easy way to improve its taste and reduce harmful contaminants like chlorine. Chlorine is used to treat many municipal water source, but some studies show that it is linked to various types of cancer.

If you live alone or in a smaller space, the MINA Alkaline Pitcher is a great option. It can easily fit in your fridge door and filters water at a rapid pace, meaning that you can refill it throughout the day and have clean water in minutes.

If you live in a larger space and are looking for a filter for the whole family - or even the whole office - then the