The holidays are great but can take a toll on our health. Just ask Santa. Even the holiday hall-of-famer can fall victim to seasonal ailments.
Stress, weight gain, lack of sleep and inactivity are as common this time of year as bad fruitcake and ugly holiday sweaters. And Santa, like you, isn’t immune to these concerns.
Causes of poor holiday health
Between long hours at the workshop, elf performance reviews, a diet of cookies and hot cocoa and, of course, traveling the globe to visit millions of children, the holidays can chip away at St. Nick’s health.
“Typically, poor health around the holidays boils down to diet and sleep,” said Dr. Nicholas Brahm, a Marshfield Clinic Health System family medicine physician. “If you aren’t eating well or sleeping well, you won’t feel well.” This can cause ripple effects that impact your health long after the holidays are over.
But Santa can take steps to improve and protect his health this holiday season, as can you. Here are a few simple tips to improve your holiday health, straight from St. Nick and Dr. Brahm.
“Take care of yourself,” encouraged Dr. Brahm. “Don’t overbook your schedule, schedule time for yourself to be active. Make healthy diet choices and when having treats, watch your portions. Make sure you get rest!”
If you and Santa follow these pieces of advice, you will make it through the holiday season feeling less stressed, more rested and ready to take on the new year.
Related Shine365 stories:
7 simple ways to manage stress during the holidays
9 tips to avoid holiday weight gain
Relieve holiday stress with healthy traditions
Health effects of sleep deprivation add up
I found your Santa flyer on-line and LOVE it!!! Would you consider sharing the electronic version and allowing us to co-brand it with our logo from Floyd Medical Center in Rome, Ga
Hi, Cindy. Thank you for the positive feedback. Please feel free to share the Keep Santa Healthy PDF as is with your audience at Floyd Medical Center: https://shine365.marshfieldclinic.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/12378-000-Printable.pdf. Someone will be in touch with you regarding usage rights. Happy holidays, and thanks for reading. -Kirstie
I found the information very helpful and would also like to use the flyer, printed and posted in several areas of our department. Could somebody please contact me regarding usage rights if possible. Thank you.
Hello Deborah,
We're glad to hear you found the information so helpful :). As long as you keep the flyer as is – feel free to print and post it throughout your department: https://shine365.marshfieldclinic.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/12378-000-Printable.pdf
Thanks,
Jake