Ask around Orange, Lawrence, or Crawford County and you’ll have a hard time finding an adult who hasn’t thrown their back out at least once. Whether from lifting a feed sack, hoisting a grandchild, or simply bending over to pick up a dropped phone, back problems can come out of seemingly nowhere.

How common is it? Back pain is one of the top three reasons people call a doctor’s office, right alongside colds and the flu. Unlike a cold, back pain has a way of parking itself in the middle of your life until you can’t work, sleep, or sit through church without shifting uncomfortably in the pew.

Presently suffering from back pain? Here’s some good news. Most back pain is not a sign that something is seriously wrong. Here’s even better news: there’s a lot you can do about it.

Where back pain usually comes from

Here are a few facts to consider. The vast majority of back pain is what providers call “nonspecific,” meaning there’s no single dramatic injury behind it. Chronic pain usually traces to one of a few everyday sources:

• Muscle and ligament strain. Lifting in a wrong manner, twisting suddenly, or overdoing a weekend project. This is the most common culprit by far.
• Disc problems. The cushions between your vertebrae can bulge (or herniate) and press painfully on a nerve. That’s often the pain that seems to shoot down a leg.
• Wear and tear. Arthritis and the ordinary narrowing of spinal spaces that sometimes comes as people get older.
• How you spend your days. Long hours behind a steering wheel, on a factory floor, at a desk, or on your feet all shift. A weakness in core muscles and extra weight both raise the load your spine carries, creating a possible situation of resulting pain.

Typical symptoms are a dull ache or stiffness across the lower back, muscles that feel locked up, or pain that worsens with certain movements. Sometimes pain can seem to radiate into the buttock or down a thigh, accompanied by numbness.

When to call us

Most episodes of back pain improve on their own within a few weeks. But some symptoms are signals to be seen promptly. If these describe what you’re experiencing, don’t wait these out:

• Numbness, tingling, or weakness in one or both legs
• Any loss of bladder or bowel control
• Back pain following a fall, a crash, or another significant injury
• Fever, chills, or unexplained weight loss along with the pain
• Pain that wakes you from sleep or won’t ease when you lie down
• A history of cancer or osteoporosis
• Pain that isn’t improving after four to six weeks

Also call if the pain is simply keeping you from working or living your life. You don’t have to earn your way into an appointment through suffering.

Why timely examination is important

If the condition causing pain turns chronic, it is important to know that stress, poor sleep, and low mood can make it worse. So don’t wait if you’re in one of the above categories.

Preventing the next episode

Build core and hip strength through regular walking, swimming, and simple daily stretching. These all count. Also, don’t forget these tips: lift with your legs, keep the load close when carrying, and ask for help with the heavy stuff. Break up long stretches of sitting every 30 to 60 minutes. Work toward a healthy weight, sleep on a supportive mattress, and if you smoke, quit; tobacco reduces blood flow to the spine and slows healing.

Your back is worth taking care of. If yours is telling you something, talk with your medical provider. You can also call the SICHC office nearest you—we have six locations in Crawford, Lawrence, and Orange counties, and a nurse is on call after hours.

Board-certified in family medicine, Dr. Curtis Thill has been serving families in southern Indiana for more than 30 years.

The post Your back went out. Now what? appeared first on Southern Indiana Community Health Care.

As the end of summer nears, two things happen with great reliability in southern Indiana. The corn gets tall, and my phone starts ringing with parents who need a physical signed by Friday.

I understand completely. The summer gets away from all of us. But if I could give parents one piece of advice before the first bell rings, it would be this: the annual well-child visit deserves a spot on the back-to-school list, right up there with the new backpack, as well as the shoes that fit in June and mysteriously do not fit in August.

Why the well-child visit is important

A yearly physical is more than a signature on a form. It’s a chance to see whether your child is growing and developing the way we’d expect, to make sure vaccinations are current, and to confidentially talk through balanced meals, sleep, exercise, and any worries about learning, behavior, or mood. It’s also when we can knock out those annual forms, the ones that always seem to turn up in a folder the night before they’re due.

As a reminder on vaccines, Indiana requires certain immunizations for school attendance, with additional ones at key grade levels. These include kindergarten, sixth grade, and twelfth grade. That list generally includes DTaP/Tdap, polio, MMR, chickenpox, hepatitis A and B, and the meningococcal vaccine for middle and high school students.

Since they don’t come up every day, that may sound like a lot, and parents oftentimes have questions. This is one of the reasons it’s good to have a direct conversation with a qualified medical provider.

Addressing physical issues that can inhibit learning

Vision and hearing are worth a look, too. In three decades of practicing medicine, I have never once had a child walk in and announce in a voice that only children have, “Doctor, I believe I need corrective lenses.”

What I hear instead comes from parents: “he squints,” “she gets headaches,” or “he asks us to repeat everything,”

The point? Sometimes the difficult issue that seems to come across like a school problem is really an eyeglasses problem.

When you should connect with the school nurse

If your child manages asthma, diabetes, allergies, or seizures, please connect with the school nurse before the year starts. Send updated medication orders, refresh emergency contacts, and check the dates on inhalers and epinephrine auto-injectors. Expired rescue medication in the nurse’s office does nobody any good.

School issues:  simple worry, or attention-sapping anxiety?

Mental health belongs on the list as well. Going back to school brings excitement and, for plenty of kids, a knot in the stomach. Ask how they’re feeling about it. Ask about friendships, about bullying, about what they do when something feels like too much. If you notice changes in sleep, appetite, mood, or behavior that stick around more than a couple of weeks, a one-on-one talk with your provider is a good idea.

The rest is old-fashioned and still true. Think about starting bedtimes and wake-ups a week or two early, because nobody adjusts to a 6:30 alarm overnight. Children ages 6 to 12 need nine to twelve hours of sleep; teenagers need eight to ten. Eat breakfast. Move every day. Put the screens down before bed. Wash hands, cover coughs, skip the shared water bottle, and stay home with a fever or a stomach bug.

And you athletes: drink a lot of water, wear the gear, and tell a coach immediately about any head injury.

Finally, don’t wait. Schedules usually fill fast as summer comes to a close, and the calendar always wins. Call now, and help your child start the year healthy, confident, and ready to learn.

Board-certified in family medicine, Curtis Thill M.D. has seen multiple generations of children at Southern Indiana Community Health Care on their way back to school.

The post If I Could Give Parents One Piece of Advice… appeared first on Southern Indiana Community Health Care.

In the 50-plus years of family practice here in southern Indiana, the physicians and providers at Southern Indiana Community Health Care have written a mountain of prescriptions. The cheapest and most effective one? It doesn’t come from the pharmacy, and it doesn’t have a copay. It’s the screen door. Open it, walk through it, and go enjoy the great outdoors.

It’s a great time to go beyond your screen door – July is National Park and Recreation Month. SICHC providers will take any excuse to nudge people off the couch, because here’s the truth they see in exam rooms most every week: the human body was not engineered to spend twelve hours folded into the shape of an office chair.

We were built to move—to walk, bend, carry, and work out a little. When we quit moving, things start to creak, stiffen, and file complaints. The medical term for sitting all day is “sedentary.” The Hoosier phrase might be: “fixin’ to feel terrible.”

Time to get on your feet

It’s actually pretty easy. No one is asking you to climb a mountain or run a marathon. You just need to get vertical and aim your feet for the door. 

The remarkable thing—and research backs this up—is that the benefit doesn’t live in the intensity. It lives in the consistency. Most days, a gentle twenty- or thirty-minute walk does honest work on your blood pressure, your blood sugar, your sleep, and your mood. 

Your body doesn’t know whether you’re on a treadmill or a trail. It just knows you finally got up.

Try something different

Want to try something different to fool your mind that you’re on a mini-vacation?  We are spoiled for places to do it. Indiana’s state parks alone offer something like 700 miles of trails, and a fair share of the prettiest ones are right here in our corner of the state. 

Spring Mill near Mitchell has shaded paths and a pioneer village that makes a walk feel like a history lesson. McCormick’s Creek, Brown County, Clifty Falls over by Madison, Harmonie down in New Harmony, O’Bannon Woods, the trails around Patoka Lake — any one of them will hand you sunshine, fresh air, and birdsong for the price of a modest entrance fee. That’s a bargain, considering what you might pay if a month of inactivity leads you to a medical office visit.

Want to set your sights a little higher? If you’re feeling more ambitious and want to chase one of the big national parks, you’ve got options closer than you’d think. Mammoth Cave in Kentucky sits about 177 miles south from my office in Crawford County—a comfortable day trip with a built-in air-conditioning system underground. And speaking of nearby underground air conditioning, Marengo Cave (an official US National Landmark) and Wyandotte Cave are right here in beautiful Crawford County. 

Our sole National Park, Indiana Dunes, is roughly four and a half hours away, where you can walk along the beach and call it cardio. Any of these options beats another afternoon negotiating with the recliner.

Some free medical advice before you go. 

• Take water—more than you think you need, because July and August in Indiana have opinions about humidity. 
• Wear a hat and some sunscreen; a painful sunburn is not a tan, it’s an injury. 
• Start slower than your pride wants to. If you’ve got a heart or lung condition, or you haven’t exercised since the Beatles had their last hit tune, Check with us first. That’s what we’re here for.
• And listen to your body. A little tired is the goal. A little dizzy is a signal to sit in the shade.

What’s one constant in decades of practicing medicine in southern Indiana? Nobody has ever come back from a walk in the woods and told our providers that they regretted it. They come back looser, calmer, and a shade more cheerful than when they left. That’s medicine you can’t bottle.

So this summer, take two laps around the lake, or the through the park. Just go outside through that screen door.

A board-certified family physician, Dr. Curtis Thill has seen multiple generations of men over three decades of practice in southern Indiana.

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I’ve been practicing medicine in southern Indiana for a long time – long enough to remember when nobody needed a government pamphlet to tell them that a bag of chips wasn’t dinner. Back then, real food was just called “food.” Turns out, Washington has finally caught up with your grandmother.

Nutrition history in the making

The brand-new Dietary Guidelines that you may have heard about – now available at RealFood.gov – have scrapped the old food pyramid and, for the first time in history, officially told Americans to avoid highly processed food. Think about that. The federal government is now telling us what many of our own mothers and grandmothers told us for free, every single day. Better late than never.

The new framework — called the New Pyramid — flips the old model on its head. Instead of loading your plate with bread and pasta first, the new guidance says: start with protein. Every meal. Quality protein from eggs, meat, fish, dairy, nuts, and beans is now at the top of the priority list, followed by vegetables and fruit, with whole grains taking a modest supporting role. Added sugar? It really has no place at the table at all. Neither do sodas, sweetened drinks, or highly processed snack foods.

As a family physician, this shift matters enormously to me because I personally see the cost of the old way every single week. Here are some sobering facts: half of Americans now have pre-diabetes or diabetes. Three-quarters have at least one chronic condition. These are not just numbers — these are my patients, my neighbors, and quite possibly you or someone you love. 

Positive changes work – and are easier than one might think

The encouraging news is that diet and lifestyle changes work. The American Diabetes Association’s own guidelines confirm that reducing refined carbohydrates and boosting whole, nutrient-dense foods has the strongest evidence for improving blood sugar of any dietary approach. You don’t need a prescription for an avocado.

So what does this look like on a practical Tuesday evening in Marengo, English, Paoli, or Bedford? It may look like a nice lean side of beef, a pile of green beans, and a glass of water. It may look like eggs and cheese for breakfast instead of a bowl of sugary cereal. It looks like reaching for an apple and a handful of walnuts instead of a bag of crackers. 

None of this is complicated. Most of it is just getting back to what our Indiana kitchens used to do naturally before the age of frozen convenience meals.

Now, food is only half the equation — and that’s where I want to tell you about something exciting. Southern Indiana Community Health Care (SICHC) has been offering a free program called Stronger Every Day, funded through the Indiana Department of Health. It’s designed to help people get moving in ways that actually feel doable. No judgment, no pressure, no special equipment required — just comfortable clothes and a willingness to try. If you’ve ever said: “I don’t know where to start,” this program was literally built for that answer.

Whether or not you dive into the free SICHC program or do it on your own, why should you begin exercising regularly? Regular movement — especially combining walking with some resistance exercise — improves insulin sensitivity, lowers blood sugar, strengthens your heart, and helps you maintain a healthy weight. Combined with the Real Food approach, it is genuinely one of the most powerful things you can do for your long-term health. More powerful, in many cases, than the medications that I might end up writing to treat other outcomes. 

I know change can feel overwhelming. I know that driving to a grocery store with a good produce section isn’t always easy out here, and I know that after a long day of work, the drive-through is awfully tempting. I’m not suggesting perfection. I’m asking for progress — one better meal, one short walk, one less soda. Those small choices compound over time in ways that genuinely matter.

For more information, visit RealFood.gov and Stronger Every Day. And if you need someone to walk alongside you on this journey, come see us. 

A board-certified family physician, Dr. Curtis Thill has practiced medicine and planted organic gardens in southern Indiana for more than three decades.

The post It’s Time to Eat Like Your Grandparents – And Move Like You Mean It appeared first on Southern Indiana Community Health Care.

Did you know that September is Self-Care Month? This month is a gentle reminder that positively taking care of oneself isn’t self-centered, it’s essential. For many of us, fall is the season when kids are back in school, when our schedules shift, and for some, a time of pumpkin-spiced everything. But while we’re busy keeping calendars in line and wardrobes ready for cooler weather, our own well-being can quietly slip further towards the bottom of the list.

As a long-time family physician, I can confirm that self-care is more than a one-off pledge to sometimes taking care of business.  It’s about steady, everyday choices that protect your body, mind, and emotional health. In fact, many healthcare professionals encourage patients to think of self-care as part of their “prescription for prevention,” an important addition to regular medical checkups and seeing your provider.

Embracing practical and sound self-care works best when it’s part of one’s healthcare journey, walking alongside a trusted provider.

Why self-care matters

I know from experience what providers see firsthand when self-care is ignored. I know that people can get busy with day-to-day life, but when one is not taking care of oneself, chronic stress, unhealthy diets, lack of sleep, and skipping routine checkups don’t just add up—they can multiply. Practicing principles of sound self-care – coupled with a working relationship with a healthcare professional – can re-focus away from crisis and more toward prevention.

Self-care helps prevent burnout, supports immune function, and even improves treatment outcomes when you see a provider. Whether it’s reminding oneself to stay hydrated or taking steps for more restful sleep, the message is clear: caring for yourself is foundational.

Fresh fruits and vegetables: the original self-care superstars

No suggestions on self-care would be complete without a nod to the power of fresh produce. Fruits and vegetables represent the unsung superheroes of the self-care universe. They offer a healthy – and tasteful – dose of critical fiber, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals—nutrients that fuel energy, lower inflammation, and help keep your heart happy.

September is also harvest season in southern Indiana. When you can, stop in a local farmers’ market – including the  traveling “Farms to Friends Farm Stand” – and scoop up some colorful and healthy options. Now is the perfect time to embrace the idea that eating fresh can be a fun – even joyful – act of self-care.

Simple ways to make self-care stick

Self-care doesn’t have to be complicated or time-consuming. Starting small and building consistency works just fine. Here are some ideas:

• Snack smart – Replace the tempting vending machine candy bar with a tasty piece of fruit.
• Move more – Take a brisk walk.  Even a short 10-15 minute walk a few times a week can produce surprising results.
• Rest up – Seven-to-eight hours of good sleep rejuvenates – and try to turn off that phone screen or TV at least an hour before bed.
• Hydrate – Keep a water bottle handy. Staying hydrated counts – your body will work better when water levels are good.

The Bottom Line

Self-care month is an invitation to prioritize yourself—not in a grand, once-a-year way, but in steady, daily acts that keep you strong and healthy.

This month, why not commit to at least one new act of self-care—whether it’s an extra serving of veggies, a 15-minute walk, or finally scheduling that wellness checkup?

Prevention is much better than crisis – and your future self will thank you.

A board-certified family physician and gardening advocate, Dr. Curtis Thill has practiced medicine in southern Indiana for more than 30 years. 

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Here are some steps to consider for having fun and staying safe when the weather is hot.

 Watch the Weather, Not Just the Temperature

Check the heat index (online or in local media), which combines temperature and humidity. When the combined heat index rises above 90°F, that’s the time to take extra precautions. At 90°F  or above, your body’s natural cooling system can struggle to keep up—especially in high humidity.

 Hydrate Early and Often

Don’t wait until you feel thirsty. Drink water regularly, especially during outdoor activities. Sports drinks can help replace electrolytes during times of intense heat, but cut back the alcohol, sugary, or caffeinated drinks, which can dehydrate you.

 Dress for the Heat

Wear loose, lightweight, and light-colored clothing. Hats and UV-blocking sunglasses help offset heat and bright light exposure. Avoid damaging (and painful) sunburn. Don’t forget the important sunscreen (SPF 30 or higher) and reapply every two hours or after swimming or sweating.

 Know the Warning Signs

Dizziness, nausea, rapid heartbeat, and heavy sweating could signal the onset of heat exhaustion, which can occur when the body experiences excessive loss of water (and/or salt) and can’t cool itself. Untreated heat exhaustion can bring on heat stroke, a life-threatening condition. For the latter, watch for confusion, lack of sweating, and unconsciousness.  If someone is in distress or has lost consciousness, move to a cool spot, apply water (and ice), and seek professional medical help immediately.

 Protect Vulnerable Groups

Excessive heat can cause problems in any one, but children, older adults, pregnant individuals, and people with health conditions are especially at risk. If you’re in a heat wave, check in on them frequently and make sure they’re staying cool.

 Cool Off the Right Way

Mist your skin, wear wet clothing, and use fans. In an emergency, bring on cool water (and ice) if possible.

  Bottom line: heat-related issues are no joke. With a few smart habits, you can safely enjoy everything summer has to offer—without putting your health at risk. Stay cool, stay hydrated, and keep a positive check on friends, co-workers, and family in high heat index conditions.

The post Playing It Safe in Summer Heat—Stay Cool and Protected appeared first on Southern Indiana Community Health Care.

Let’s be honest. When someone says: “Eat more fruits and vegetables,” many of us hear, “Say goodbye to flavor and joy.” But while you’re mentally digesting a possible change in diet, think about this fact: your body loves fruits and veggies—and we’re talking full-on love. 

Why is that? We may not think of it this way, but fruits and vegetables represent nature’s original multivitamin (but of course way tastier). When you stroll by that vegetable aisle or produce stand, you may not think about how packed with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber those fruits and vegetables are. And that includes the Farm Stand (sponsored by Lost River Co-op & Café)  and other produce stands that pop up during summer in southern Indiana. 

Natural tune-up

The point? We’re talking about all the good stuff your body needs to help keep you running like a well-oiled machine – at any age.

Want to feel more energized? Try eating a banana instead of downing a fourth cup of coffee. Want natural glowing skin? Eat some berries—your face will thank you. Want to avoid getting sick every time someone sneezes within a 5-mile radius? Load up on leafy greens like you’re Popeye the Sailor 2.0.

Not convinced? Here’s where it gets even cooler. Fruits and veggies don’t just help you avoid getting sick—they can help your body heal itself and combat disease. When you substitute some tasty veggies, you activate your body’s superpowers, but without the comic book red cape or radioactive spider bite. 

Here’s a few examples: cruciferous veggies like broccoli act like detox ninjas. Bright orange sweet potatoes can help boost your immune system and energize your GI system like nobody’s business. And garlic? In addition to making Italian food soar in taste, these little bulbs act as nature’s antibiotic and cardio booster. 

Need some help in making the switch? Let’s talk tech. If you have (or are thinking about getting one) a smartwatch—the same one that guilts you into standing every hour—it can actually help you eat better, too. You can program reminders to eat healthy meals, track how much water you drink, and even log your fruit-and-veggie intake. Think of it as a very polite, slightly judgmental health coach on your wrist, that sometimes reminds you: “Hey, maybe don’t skip lunch for the third day in a row.” 

Start small for big differences

Small changes make a big difference. You don’t have to go full-on rabbit and start munching kale by the metric ton. Just start with an extra serving here, a smoothie there, maybe even sneak spinach into your scrambled eggs (pro tip: the spinach never sees it coming). Over time, your taste buds actually start craving produce. You may even get to the point where you start planting your own garden (including our community garden opportunities in Crawford, Orange and other south central Indiana counties).

On the flip side, it’s easy to fall for the siren call of chips and donuts—they’re loud and flashy to unsuspecting taste buds like bad decisions. Meanwhile your body is quietly whispering, “Hey, how about a grape? Maybe a carrot?” And when you listen, you feel the difference. More energy. Better digestion. Fewer “What did I eat last night?” regrets.

So go ahead—build your plate to look like a crayon box. Let your smartwatch gently nag you toward wellness. You’re not giving up joy; you’re just upgrading it. And who knows? You might even start liking broccoli. Stranger things have happened.

Summer represents the height of fresh, incredibly delicious fruits and vegetables in southern Indiana (had a fresh Hoosier peach lately?). So grab that apple, rock those veggies, and keep creating the healthiest version of you.

A board-certified family physician, Dr. Curtis Thill has served Southern Indiana Community Health Care patients and families – and championed local community gardens – for more than 30 years.

The post Why Your Body Loves Fruits and Veggies (Even More Than You Love Pizza) appeared first on Southern Indiana Community Health Care.

Each year many of us enthusiastically declare that this will be the year. This year we will embrace some kind of positive change. Oftentimes it’s a new focus on losing weight, toning up and getting fit, or even quitting smoking.

We positively resolve – make a resolution – to commit to these changes. 

And then reality sets in. While making a resolution for positive change is a step in the right direction, by this time a pretty large number of people have probably jumped a bit off track. 

Sound like someone you know? How can we pick things back up and get back on course?

Find a partner

A major key to success in making positive change is simply this: don’t go it alone. For some, this may seem to be counter intuitive. Sometimes we don’t like to ask for help. We try to make a significant change all by ourselves. 

Then, after a great start, things get in the way. We might put exercise or diet off, citing time or stress challenges. As a physician practicing in southern Indiana for more than 30 years, I get it.

The truth? Change is a challenge. Our patterns are called habits for a reason. Changing or breaking one requires sustained effort.

The good news? If we find a supportive partner in our venture for change, our chances for success – both in the short- and long-term – go up.

We may be initially enthusiastic about slimming down and getting into a new exercise regime, but left to ourselves, we can lose motivation and start to put things off.

If we have a partner – a friend, mentor, spouse, family member, coach, or professional – they can help provide that extra emotional boost to keep going.

It’s important to find a partner who is supportive. Often times it’s a good match to find someone who has similar goals for change – you both want the same thing (for example, better fitness, losing weight, lower stress).

Sometimes we can tap a friend or family member to be an accountability partner. That’s a non-judgmental person who both helps remind and encourage us to keep our goal progress active and also to celebrate our wins and victories as we do make progress.

Small progress sets the pace

Don’t think you are getting anywhere? Much research has been done that shows that small levels of progress quickly add up. What some may regard as tiny changes in habits can soon become big changes.

Here’s a remarkable fact: if you can improve just one percent a day toward your goals, you’ll be likely be surprised at the big results you’ll see. Small positive choices may not seem like much at the time, but over time – actually within a relatively short time – those small positive choices can be bad habit busters. To make big gains, avoid small setbacks – keep focused on improving on a goal 1% a day.

Professional help

The idea of not going it alone is especially true when it comes to life issues that can benefit from professional help. If long dark days of emotional strain are troubling you, or if you feel stressed out or anxious much of the time, these are good issues to bring up with your medical provider. 

You may have watched the news or read about the general state of mental health today. Many people could benefit from counseling with a professional. Untreated anxiety or depression could be directly contributed to weight or energy levels. 

The key? Find a medical provider who can walk with you as you go through your life journey. There is no stigma in seeking help, and a true partner will help here.

For 2025, don’t go it alone. Surround yourself with people who encourage, challenge, and support you. Make small positive changes and change resolutions into reality!

A board-certified family physician, Dr. Curtis Thill has practiced medicine in southern Indiana for more than three decades. 

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It’s that wonderful time of the year, and holiday festivities make lasting memories for all of us – how can we boost our health to help these memories become good ones? 

Many of us look forward to the Christmas holiday season with great anticipation. We gather together with family and friends. Presents get wrapped and admired. The aroma of special foods from special family recipes fills the air. Laughter, good times, and sports in the yard make for memorable times and photos.

The challenge? Seasonal change in the weather, rich and indulgent foods, and stress from trying to plan and get everything done can all quickly add up to mute the holiday spirit. 

The good news is that we can have a memorable holiday season and boost our health at the same time. Here are seven tips to make your festivities merry and glad this season.

1) Enjoy treats with balance and moderation

Special pies, cakes and foods all elevate special times. But the truth is that they also typically elevate the amount of sugar and fat that we would typically consume. On Christmas Day alone many people eat more than five times the amount of refined sugar that they normally would!

Most people don’t eat mounds of cranberry sauce and big slices of mince pie every day of the year, so indulging in a once-in-a-season special dish on a holiday can add to the good times (unless of course you have diabetes, hypertension, or other condition that requires a more restricted diet). The important key here is to balance what you eat. Sample different things and make deliberate choices of smaller portions – you’ll probably enjoy the experience more, especially if you remember to drink plenty of water and leave room for vegetables.

2) Ramp up the exercise

Many people enjoy the season because they prepare with little extra things like regular moderate exercise in the weeks before the festival gatherings. Taking brisk walks or other moderate exercise will also help you tune up for that holiday touch football game in the yard.

3) Get good rest

Planning a family gathering can soak up extra time, including getting to bed late because of planning and preparation. Good quality sleep is essential for good health, and the holiday season is no exception. 

4) Manage stress before it manages you

Holiday preparations can be very stressful, and some family gatherings can add up to unhappy tense conditions. In the weeks ahead of a holiday gathering, try out some mindfulness techniques to learn how to positively manage and relieve stress through breathing exercises and focus. The SICHC YouTube channel has more than 60 short videos that demonstrate ways to positively manage stress. 

5) Tis the season to be connected

While the year-end holidays are times of fun and joy for many, for others it can be a time of reinforced loneliness. It’s no secret that social connectedness is vital for good health, both physical and mental. Reach out to others, even if it’s through your phone. And if you find yourself in a mental crisis, don’t be afraid to call 988 for immediate help.

6) Weather brings changes

You probably noticed that at the same time families get together, the annual cold and flu season starts ramping up. Cold and wet weather brings people indoors, so stay hydrated, keep tissues handy for sneezes and coughs, and get plenty of vitamin C and D.

7) Take a timeout

Ironically, good times of joy can also elevate stress. If you find yourself getting overwhelmed with planning, cooking, cleaning, entertaining, or eating, do yourself a favor and call a timeout. When you’ve caught your breath, jump back in.

Tis the season to be joyful – and healthy, so here’s to your good holiday health!

A board-certified family physician, Dr. Curtis Thill has practiced medicine and enjoyed southern Indiana holidays for more than 30 years.

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