7 Tips for a Healthier Holiday Season

With the arrival of the holiday season, it’s easy to forget our healthy habits. Cooler temps can keep us stuck indoors, new seasons of our favorite shows keep us glued to the sofa, and Halloween candy can be too tempting to pass up, but don’t worry! Madison Reed has seven easy ways to stay healthy, from couch potato-friendly exercise ideas to rejuvenating your hair while you color.

FITNESS

1. Start With Steps

Fitness trackers and pedometers are a great addition to your daily routine, and offer a realistic view into your daily activity. Most recommend a daily goal of 10,000 steps, which equals about five miles of walking. Although it may seem like a lot, walking around your home, office, or neighborhood can add up to a lot of your daily steps. 

Adding a couple of fifteen minute walks per day will help you reach your 10,000 step goal in no time, and walking for quick errands instead of driving also helps. And if using a fitness tracker isn’t your thing, map a neighborhood walking route on your car’s odometer so you know the exact distance you’re walking or jogging each day. MapMyRun is a great online tool to plan routes as well. 

Why are steps important? Regular walking helps to keep your muscles and joints in working order and ensures that your blood is pumping throughout your body. Regular physical activity limits the likelihood of injury, especially as we age. On extra chilly or rainy days, consider walking the stairs in your office building or going to your local shopping mall and doing a few laps. Opt to take the stairs instead of escalators and elevators whenever possible, and you’ll be walking your way to a healthier lifestyle.

2. No Gym Membership Required

Whether you watch network dramas, sitcoms, or football Sundays, you can take advantage of commercial breaks. When commercials start, get off of the couch and do a set of simple exercises—jumping jacks, sit-ups, push-ups, walking lunges, or squats. You can even take a quick walk around the house or run up and down the stairs to get your heart rate up.

One of our favorite couch potato exercises turns your couch into exercise equipment! Sit on the very end of your sofa and place your hands on either side of you. Push off of the couch, and using the strength in your arms, lower your body toward the floor and lift back up to the couch. These are challenging, and you don’t even have to get on the floor.

By completing exercises throughout your TV shows, you turn one of your least active activities into a healthy opportunity. Just remember, if you DVR your programs, resist the urge to fast forward through those exercise breaks!

BEAUTY

3. Moisturize, Moisturize, Moisturize

Dropping temps and crisp air might feel refreshing, but it’s probably doing a number on your skin and hair. Add the use of radiators and heaters, and you’re bound to be dealing with unprecedented levels of dryness. A hot shower or bath might feel good, but remember to hydrate from head to heels with moisturizing lotion and hair oil. Those few extra minutes will pay off in the long run!

4. Color with Healthier Hair Color

If you color your hair, make sure you choose a product that helps your hair rather than harms it. Madison Reed’s hair color not only looks rich and vibrant, but also skips the harsh chemicals found in conventional dyes. This hair color formula is enhanced with a Triple Care Complex of keratin, argan oil, and ginseng root, which strengthens, repairs, and brings out your hair’s natural shine.

This treatment is a perfect choice during this busy time, as it’s easy to use at home and on your own time. And when was the last time permanent color made your hair feel softer, stronger, and healthier?

5. Gloss Over It

Over time, color-treated or highlighted hair gets more dry and damaged. Not only does it feel bad, damaged hair looks duller and fades much faster than healthier hair. What if there was a magical product that boosted color in a gentler way?

Hair gloss is the answer! Pros and DIY’ers in the know will alternate coloring their hair all over with permanent color with using gloss to revive tone on lackluster locks (and using permanent color to touch up roots that have grown in). Read more about this beauty secret or contact Color Crew colorists to talk you through it. It’s easier than you think, and it’ll take your look to the next level.

HEALTH

6. Sweets are a Treat

From pumpkin pies to fun size candies, the season brings a ton of new desserts to the table. Rather than struggle to swear off all the sweets in front of you, focus on realistic limits. 

For some of us, the Chocolate Cake Rule is a great option. Treat yourself to a mini Snickers or two, but only do so as often as you’d eat a piece of rich, decadent chocolate cake. You’ll be treating yourself, without overdoing it, which is exactly what you need to do all year long, not just in the sweetest season. You can also get your sweet fix with fresh fruit whenever you have the choice.

7. Sleep Tight

From summer to winter, one constant should remain in your routine—get a good night’s rest. Target eight hours of sleep per night. A little more or a little less is okay too, since the perfect amount is different for each person. 

Here’s how to adopt a good nightly routine every night to help develop a good sleep schedule. 

An hour before bedtime:
Shut off television
Try reading in bed instead of scrolling through apps on your phone or tablet 
Close the home bar (your last alcoholic beverage should be an hour or more before you go to sleep)
Drink a glass of water if you’ve had a few glasses of wine or cocktails
Resist your impulse to snooze in the morning. Try to get right out of bed instead. When we snooze, the sleep we return to is surface-level and not beneficial, so it’s better to just get started with your day. What have we always been told about the early bird getting the worm?

Without dramatically altering your daily routine, it’s easy to get healthy and stay healthy all season long. Now, join the movement for making the most out of every day! Sign up for the Madison Reed email newsletter and follow us on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter.