Festivities - Stay Healthy

It doesn't matter which part of the world you are in; over the next few months, you will witness Haloween, Deepawali, Hannukah, Chrismas, and then Lohri.

How will you remain healthy despite the indulgences?

The holiday season has a way of putting a mickey into the best laid plans to get fit. Perhaps it is because of this that we turn to the new year to make resolutions and promises to ourselves. 2024 will be my year, you might say.

But you know how that goes. So what can you do?

Here is what I would do. First, I would look at my health, mind, and body as a long-term goal. This is easily the biggest mistake we make.

We tend to think of change for the better as a "thing" that I am doing.

Obviously, in our minds, that thing is a short-term, say, three- to four-week plan. Nothing ever works in the short run, certainly not good health.

If you are already thinking long-term, then the holiday season is one of the many you will encounter over the next decades that you will be alive. You have to have a plan for it.

A great place to start is a declaration. Written is better. Sharing with a group of friends is even better. By writing and sharing your commitment to your goal, you are making a contract with yourself.

Contracts are very powerful persuasion tools. If you need a reminder, go back and look at it as often as you need to. If you know Yog Nidra, think of this as your Sankalpa.

Once you are thinking long-term and have made a commitment, then the holiday season is an event, not your cliff.

Just because festivities abound does not mean you lose sight of your goal of being healthy. Eat, drink, and make merry; just do it in a healthy way. Trust me, I have done nine seasons.