How to Stay Healthy During the Holiday Travel Season
As the holidays draw near, you’re likely gearing up to visit family and friends. While this is a special time of year that’s meant to be shared with loved ones, remember, the hectic traveling during the holidays can take a toll on your health. As your Orange County urgent care center, we want to help make sure you stay safe and healthy during your holiday travels. Follow these tips, and you’ll be sure to stay healthy this holiday season, no matter where your travels take you.
Get Some Sleep
While it might be tempting, pulling an all-nighter to finish wrapping presents the night before you’re scheduled to hit the road isn’t a good idea. You might complete your tasks, but you’ll be miserable the next day—and it’s especially dangerous if you’re planning to drive. No matter how busy you are, don’t sacrifice sleep. If you do, you’ll likely feel run down and become more susceptible to illness, and that could put a real damper on your holiday celebrations.
Don’t Overbook
If you’re heading home for the holidays, you likely have a million people and places you’d like to visit. Unfortunately, you only have so much time and, if you try to squeeze everything into a few days, you’ll end up stressed out rather than enjoying your time visiting family and friends. Prioritize, and don’t feel obligated to show up at holiday events just because you were invited.
Watch What You Eat
During the holiday season, there’s no shortage of treats to tempt you to overeat. Add the stress of holiday travel, and it’s even easier to make bad food choices this time of year. Pack healthy snacks you can turn to when you’re on the road or while you’re waiting for your flight, and watch your portion sizes during holiday meals. You’ll feel more energized, and you’ll be less likely to gain the extra pounds that seem to creep up this time of year.
Make Time to Exercise
It’s difficult enough to find time to exercise during your normal routine, so when you add in travel and holiday festivities, squeezing in physical activity seems nearly impossible. While it can be challenging to find the time and the motivation, you have to make exercise a priority. If you’re staying at a hotel, take advantage of the fitness center, or do a few laps in the swimming pool. Staying with family? See if anyone wants to take a walk, or organize an ice skating trip. Find ways to incorporate exercise into your day, and you’ll have more energy to enjoy time with family and friends—and you’ll be less likely to feel rundown and overwhelmed.
Visit Your Orange County Urgent Care Center
If you find yourself feeling rundown as you travel over the holidays, or catch a cold or the flu, stop by our Orange County urgent care center. You won’t need to wait weeks to get an appointment, and that means you’ll be feeling better and enjoying the season long before it’s time to head back home. We’ll get you in and out quickly, so you’ll not only feel better sooner, you won’t waste time sitting in a waiting room when you could be visiting with family and friends you’ve traveled so far to see.
If you’d like more advice on how to stay healthy as you travel this holiday season, or would like to schedule an appointment, call our office at 949-548-8400, or visit us at our Costa Mesa medical clinic.