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The Best Gift for the Holidays is the Gift of YOU!
Holidays are often a time when we run ourselves ragged. We tend to live multifaceted, over worked, rushed and exhausting lives. During the holidays it often becomes overwhelming and the very first thing to go out the window is taking the time to take care of ourselves.
As WLS patients making healthy food choices and getting to the gym is essential. When we add holiday shopping, parties and baking into the mix we often forgo the most important tools for continued success.
During the holidays it is more important than ever to make exercise, healthy eating and your own well-being a priority. Some people may argue that putting yourself first is selfish, but if you think about it, it’s just the opposite. Taking care of yourself is one of the best gifts you can give your family. When you make your health a priority, you have the energy, endurance and patience to give your family, your work, your friends, parties and everything else you want to enjoy during this time of year.
Stress is a common saboteur. When we continue the routine of healthy habits, stress becomes more manageable. It has been proven time and again that exercise and eating properly helps the body to deal with stress. So why would we eliminate the very thing that helps us cope with the holidays?
Continuing your healthy routines will model good priorities for your children, friends and family. Taking that time actually makes you more productive and in a place to enjoy the holidays instead of being worn out, exhausted and sporting extra pounds by January.
Steps for a healthy holiday:
1. Keep your healthy habit schedule.
Maintain your schedule for work outs and plan ahead for meals, snacks and parties. Use the holidays as a time to find new ways to move your body. Be in charge of the dance music at the company party. Eat before you attend a function that may have tempting foods. At pot lucks bring the salad or other foods you know you may choose from for healthy alternatives.
2. Make new traditions
Bring new healthy versions of favorite dishes to parties. You’d be surprised to see how well received tasty healthy foods are. You will be the toast of the party when they find out that a yummy dish is actually nourishing and tasty. You can start a new tradition by bringing recipe cards because guests will want to know how you made something so delicious.
3. Drink plenty of water
During the winter it is important as ever to stay hydrated. In the colder temperature we often don’t realize that water will help ward off illness by keeping our immune systems in check. If you prefer something warm then add fresh herbs like mint or cinnamon for a festive and flavorful hydrating tea.
4. Value the little things.
Take the time with the people who matter. You may wrap gifts or decorate your house for the holidays like Martha Stewart, or whip up a holiday meal like Emeril, but sometimes those efforts are in exchange for valuable time with the people you love. Find ways to keep the meaning of the holiday while using your time to be with the ones you want to celebrate it with.
5. Keep yourself healthy
The people who care about you want your good health more than any material thing. The best gift you can give them is the same gift you give yourself.
Dr. Ragui Sadek is a premier surgeon who established a state-of-the-art and one of the safest bariatric surgery programs in the state. Dr. Sadek has fellowship training in both laparoscopic/bariatric surgery and surgical trauma/critical care, allowing him to safely perform complex surgeries on patients who have been turned down by other practices. As a Clinical Assistant Professor of surgery at RWJ Medical School & the Director of bariatric surgery program at RWJ University Hospital, Dr. Sadek offers a cutting-edge range of laparoscopic, robotic, & bariatric surgical procedures with a complication rate substantially below the national average.
Dr. Sadek is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Surgery at Rutgers-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. Having performed more than three thousand advanced surgical procedures, Dr. Sadek has established a strong patient satisfaction rate and a solid reputation among the surgical community and is renowned as a top physician in his field by International Association of Healthcare Professionals. As a board-certified surgeon, he holds affiliations with the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery and the Society of American Gastro Endoscopic Surgeons. More about Dr. Sadek
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