The ultimate holiday gift for your body

The holidays are just around the corner. It will be merry-making for many, with plenty of other chores either forgotten or pushed aside. You could choose to let everything else pass, but keep your health as part of the agenda. Being health-conscious as you go through the holidays deliberately gets you onto healthier choices.

Choose your food

Think of all the partying, with plenty of food and drink that will be at your disposal. What will you choose to eat and drink?

You could go for the fat-laden and roasty stuff, and top it up with processed carbohydrates. Then wash it all down with fizzy sugary drinks, finally settling down to several rounds of alcoholic beverages. That will certainly get you into the right mood for a party. But you will also get more than you bargained for.

Those are the choices that will predispose you to diabetes, heart disease and some cancers, especially if you continue with the same eating habits.

Remember your veggies

If you want to keep yourself onto the healthier path, eat plenty of plant stuff. You know what this is. Lots of greens, vegetables, salads, fruits, and complex carbohydrates. Wash it all down with fresh juices and water. You are allowed a bit of the unhealthy stuff, but make sure to only take little bits just to please your taste buds. The more disciplined you are about food choices, the more you keep away from chronic diseases.

Party less, not more

Excessive partying is a good recipe for risky reproductive health behavior. Untamed drinking, coupled with the odd temptation to try some drugs will get you onto a regrettable path. Real risks for unsafe sex creep in, getting you onto the surest path for sexually transmitted infections including HIV. Many unwanted pregnancies happen during festive periods, with consequent risks of unsafe abortions.

Don’t forget exercise

Remember to burn all your excesses with some exercises and it doesn’t have to be anything fancy. A brisk walk round the neighborhood will do. Or a light jog, or even some make-do physical activities right where your partying will be. If you can sustain this beyond the festivities the better. It will get you a long way into reducing health risks associated with sedentary lifestyles.

Please do and don’t

Don’t let any festivities wipe out your memory about preventive reproductive health initiatives. It’s a good time to talk to your teens about sexual health, and get them vaccinated against HPV. Don’t forget your own schedule for health screening, like routine pap smears and mammograms. If pregnant, don’t forget all the dos and don’ts. Party all you want this festive season, with your reproductive health in mind.