Olympian Meryl Davis’ 7 Tips for Staying Healthy During the Holidays

Olympic gold medalist Meryl Davis
Olympic gold medalist Meryl Davis

Photo Credit: Astrid Stawiarz/WireImage

Meryl Davis knows more than a little about keeping herself healthy. The three-time Olympian (alongside partner Charlie White) constantly has to be on point as the longest-running ice dancing duo in the history of United States figure skating.

Just one month after winning Olympic gold in 2014, both Meryl and Charlie continued dancing their way into the hearts of millions on ABC’s Dancing with Stars. Meryl became season 18’s champion with her partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy, while Charlie reached the semi-finals with his partner Sharna Burgess.

When not on the ice Meryl enjoys reading, traveling, and learning about other cultures. She believes that education is important, and is currently a student at the University of Michigan majoring in anthropology with a minor in Italian.

In addition to skating and schoolwork, she also supports the Classroom Champions program, which connects students in high-need schools with top performing athletes to help them to recognize their potential, set goals and dream big.

Here, this constantly on-the-go Olympian shares how to keep yourself healthy during the holidays so that you don’t make yourself sick when you’re pushing yourself to your limit. Check out her seven tips below!

MERYL DAVIS SHARES HER 7 TIPS FOR HOW TO STAY HEALTHY DURING THE HOLIDAYS

1) Plan ahead. Sometimes I find that, even though there are Christmas decorations in store windows before Halloween, the season of giving can really sneak up on you. By doing some light shopping over the course of a few months, I find that I’m more calm throughout the month of December. Avoiding that additional stress helps you better stay on top of everything else.

2) Graze wisely. It’s hard to keep track of what you’ve put into your body when you’re grazing from one party to the next. Eggnog, fried appetizers, dessert samplings, oh my! Sometimes I’ll chose to eat something small before heading to a party so that I know I won’t be obligated to eat poorly if there aren’t any healthy options.

3) Getting enough sleep! With all of the excitement of the holiday season, it’s easy to forget about the fundamentals. I always find that getting enough rest allows me to enjoy all of the festivities that much more! Thankfully, Charlie and I work with a company called Airweave they helps us do just that. Airweave’s mattress toppers are something I rely on at home and on the road to help me get the best, most comfortable night of sleep I can!

4) Friendly workouts. The holiday season is often times the only time to see old friends. I know a lot of my friends come home to Michigan for the holidays and I always want to see each and every one. By meeting up for a run, a game of tennis or a yoga class, you can have those meet-ups while avoiding having to skip your usual physical activity; win, win!

5) Baking your own. It seems like there are cookies everywhere from Thanksgiving through the New Year. By BYOC (bringing your own cookies), you can still enjoy delicious treats while monitoring what you’re really eating. Organic oatmeal, vegan pumpkin white chocolate…there are a lot of options that will leave you and your body happy you made your own.

6) Don’t snack before bed. Okay, this one I know is bad but I do it anyway….With all the incredible leftovers just sitting there, why would you not have dinner (again) at 11pm? Eating right before bed is a terrible move for your metabolism. There, I said it. Now make your own choices.

7) Don’t worry. With the previous 6 suggestions in mind…it’s the holiday season. Family, friends, merriment and joy, those are the most important things! Work out a bit, monitor what you eat, but stressing out isn’t helpful for anyway. Happy Holidays everyone!!! xo