Holiday Survival Tip #4: 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐁𝐨𝐝𝐲…𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐲
Dec 10, 2022
Continuing my weekly series on how to stress less and thrive more through this holiday season. No matter how you celebrate, there seems to always be an additional stress component this time of year. Getting together with family, work parties, and having house guests, are all situations that come with their own challenges. Here we continue the new weekly series to take us into the New Year and offer tips to move through the season seamlessly.
𝐒𝐮𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐢𝐩 # 𝟒: 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐁𝐨𝐝𝐲…𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐲. How many of us start of the new year with goals of getting healthier and losing weight? Part of the reason for those goals is all the time we spend NOT paying attention to our health during the holiday season. With all the busyness of this time of year and the endless stream of parties, it is easy to stop doing the things for our body that help us to stay healthy and energetic. Here are some ways to remember some mindful and conscious choices this holiday season, while still allowing yourself to have fun:
Stay hydrated. Running around to visit relatives, buy gifts, and go to get-togethers can lead to a serious lack of hydration, if we do not make a mindful effort to incorporate it into our life. Overindulging in salty snacks--and potentially alcohol as well--exacerbates this concern. 𝐌𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐲𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐲. Carry a refillable water bottle and keep it with you. Indulge in a fragrant herbal tea for your desk at work or fill a travel mug with it and keep it in your car for easy access on the go.Still incorporate healthy food choices—at least most of the time. Keep color in your diet by still mindfully adding veggies and low-glycemic fruits to your diet, as well as remember to balance protein and carbs, so that you can keep a consistent energy level throughout the season. Definitely allow yourself to indulge consciously in a few treats—trying to tell yourself that anything is off limits will only make you feel deprived.Don’t forget to move. Make an effort to move every day--and try not to skimp on this even on your busy days. Even if you can only fit in a 10-minute stretching session, walk around the block, or a stint dancing to your favorite holiday songs, mindful movement will help relieve stress and keep your muscles engaged, so you can step into 2023 ready to conquer those health goals.Consider sleep carefully. We tend to stay out later and change our sleep schedule around the holiday season. While it is a nice idea to suggest sticking with your normal sleep schedule as much as possible, it is not always a practical choice. What I would suggest instead is to make sure you have a solid, simple nighttime routine. If you stick with a pre-bed routine, it will signal to your brain and body that it is time for sleep, even if the sleep schedule varies more than it does the rest of the year. Consider putting the phone away at least 30-60 minutes before bed, listening to a short 3- or 5-minute guided meditation or soft music, and incorporating in some breathwork right when you get in bed. This whole routine can take all of 7-10 minutes, but with consistency, it will have a big impact. (I personally also love to add in a quick foot massage with Banyan Botanicals Sleep Easy Organic Oil.)I hope you enjoy this series and if you want to take stressing less and thriving more deeper, feel free to reach out!
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