Month: December 2025

Summer vibes: Tips for a healthy-ish Christmas

The Christmas season is a time to gather with loved ones, enjoy delicious food and reflect on what we’re grateful for. While it’s a season of joy, it can also be a challenge to maintain healthy habits amidst indulgent meals and holiday relaxation.

Here are a few tips to help you strike a balance and enjoy a healthier summer break.

  • Mindful Eating: Christmas gatherings often feature rich and kilojoule-heavy dishes. Instead of restricting yourself, practise mindful eating. Enjoy your favourite foods in moderation, savour every bite, and listen to your body’s hunger and fullness cues. Start with smaller portions and go back for seconds only if you’re still hungry.
  • Stay Active: Incorporate movement into your holiday routine. A post-meal walk, a morning yoga session, or even a family-friendly game of cricket can help counterbalance the extra kilojoules and keep you energised. Physical activity is also a great way to bond with family and friends.
  • Hydrate: With so many tempting beverages around, like cider, wine, beer and sugary soft drinks, it’s easy to forget about water. Staying hydrated is crucial for digestion and overall health. Make it a habit to drink a glass of water before meals to help with portion control.
  • Prioritise Sleep: Holiday excitement can disrupt your sleep schedule, but rest is essential for your wellbeing. Aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep each night to support energy levels, digestion and immunity.
  • Don’t Skip Meals: Skipping breakfast or lunch to ‘save room’ for dinner can lead to overeating. Instead, have balanced meals earlier in the day (include fibre and protein) to keep your metabolism steady and your appetite in check.
By adopting these simple habits, you can fully enjoy Christmas without sacrificing your health and wellbeing.
Happy Holidays!

Summer vibes: Five essential SunSmart tips to stay protected

Australia is one of the hottest places on Earth and as a result has the highest rate of skin cancer in the world.

On a summer’s day in Australia, sunburn can occur in as little as 15 minutes. Whether serious or mild, all types of sunburn can cause permanent and irreversible skin damage.

Don’t forget these sun protection tips next time you are outdoors:

  1. Don’t wait for your beach trip to be SunSmart – Most Australians get sunburnt around the home, not at the beach. No matter where you are this summer, UV levels will be high enough to damage unprotected skin. Check your local sun protection times on the free SunSmart app so you can make sure you’re protected when you need to be.
  2. Check your sunscreen is in date – Before you slop on the sunscreen that you just dug out of the back of the cupboard, make sure you check it’s still within its expiry date. If you’re topping up your supply, look for a sunscreen that is SPF30 (or higher), broad-spectrum and water-resistant. Remember you need to slop it on 15 minutes before going outdoors and top it up every two hours. Be generous, using at least 35ml for the average adult application. That’s about seven teaspoons – one for each limb, front and back of your torso and your face.
  3. Use sunscreen in combination with other sun protection – Sunscreen is not a suit of armour. Make sure you also slip on covering clothing, slap on a broad-brimmed hat, slide on sunglasses and seek shade when you’re out and about.
  4. Forget the ‘golden glow’ – Tanning is skin cells in trauma – not a sign of health. If you must have a tan, opt for a fake tanning product, but remember you still need to use sun protection.
  5. Watch your spots – Check your own skin regularly, including any skin usually covered from the sun. If you notice any new spots or existing spots that have changed in shape, colour or size, see your doctor.

For more tips and information visit the Cancer Council website in your state or go to sunsmart.com.au

 

Source: Five SunSmart refresher tips for summer

Summer vibes: Take a mental health moment

If you find the holiday season challenging, you’re not alone. The holidays are often depicted as a time of joy, celebration, and togetherness, but for many of us, it can bring up a range of difficult thoughts and feelings. For some people, the holidays are filled with stressors like social obligations, financial strain, and the emotional weight of personal or familial expectations. These pressures can take a toll on your wellbeing, making you feel overwhelmed and drained.

Self-care can help you cope with challenging times by ensuring your emotional, physical, and social needs are being met. Self-care is taking actions to preserve or improve your wellbeing, especially during periods of stress. Self-care can provide a buffer, helping you manage these pressures in healthier ways.

By taking the time for self-care during the holidays, you’re better equipped to be present and supportive of others. You can approach holiday tasks and social interactions with more energy and a clearer, more positive mindset.

Here are six simple self-care tips that can be implemented throughout the holiday period to help you feel less stressed, more resilient and ready to face the world.

  • Spend time in the great outdoors – the environment can have a huge impact on your physical and mental health, and for many people is a go-to strategy for calm and to decompress. Spending time in nature can lower your heart rate and blood pressure and provides space for mental clarity. Remember that you can just as easily connect with nature in your own garden or nearest park, as you can on a hike through the forest.
  • Get face-to-face – close connections are important to your physical wellbeing and mental outlook. Everyone has slightly different social needs, but it’s important to spend time cultivating positive relationships with the people in your life who help you to feel your best. Friendships can help prevent isolation and loneliness, increase your sense of purpose and belonging and ultimately boost happiness and reduce stress levels.
  • Try a new hobby – learning a new skill or revisiting an old hobby can put you in a different frame of mind and give you a new perspective on life. Why not try an activity or class that involves spending time with friends or meeting new people to boost those social skills and reap the endorphin rewards that come with it?
  • Financial check – financial instability can cause a build up of stress, so having a solid financial plan can be a positive act of self-care. A great place to start is by using free apps like Pocketbook or Moneybrilliant to boost your budgeting skills and set you on the way to financial peace of mind.
  • Declutter – you’ve probably heard the phrase ‘tidy house, tidy mind’. It turns out that a quick clean up of a disorganised space can be an act of self-care. A study from the Mayo Clinic found that extra ‘stuff’ is stressful and can lead to higher levels of cortisol (the hormone related to stress response) in the body. Set a timer for 15 minutes and choose one area of the house to give a once over.
  • Practise positive self-talk – we praise our friends, family members and colleagues almost every single day, but forget about one important person – ourselves. Try putting the ‘self’ in ‘self-care’ and celebrate your little wins with positive words and encouragement. Even if you tend to be a little more pessimistic, studies have shown that you can train your brain to learn positive thinking skills.

 

For more tips on how to stay mental strong over the holiday period, head to www.calm.com/blog/holiday-self-care