3 Ways to Nourish Yourself Through the Holidays.
The holidays bring so many wonderful things into our lives. Special times spent with family and friends, cherished traditions, and new experiences. Giving and receiving, seeing the excitement of the season through the eyes of a child. Memories recreated and new memories made. The holiday season can be a truly magical time.
The holidays can also bring stress and overwhelm. There is simply so much to do, plan, and take care of. There are gifts to buy and gatherings to plan. All of those cherished traditions take time and effort. Baking cookies, preparing special family dishes, and getting our homes ready for visitors…the holidays are a lot of work.
It can be easy to neglect taking care of ourselves. The demands of the season coupled with the excess of rich, tempting foods make focusing on our health and wellness challenging. Read this post for a refresher on the five pillars of health and wellness.
Today I want to talk to you about three ways you can maintain your focus this holiday season. Three ways you can nourish yourself even during this time of year when life can become overwhelming.
Yes, it’s more difficult to find the time, but it’s also more important to make the time. Make a commitment to yourself and choose to make your health and wellness a priority during this holiday season!
Choose to move your body.
It’s so important to your overall health and wellness to get up and move your body. This is especially true if you work at a desk or spend long periods of time sitting during the day (and yes, driving your kids to all their activities counts as a lot of sitting).
Make a point of getting up and moving every hour, even if it’s just for a minute. Set a timer if you need a reminder. Taking time for regular movement keeps your muscles engaged and your body agile.
It’s also important to take that movement beyond an hourly movement break. Choosing something you enjoy helps make moving your body part of your routine and even something to look forward to.
Consider trying:
Yoga
Pilates
Running
Walking
Riding your bike
Taking a fitness class
You don’t need to commit to taking an intensive class every day. Alternating more intense movement days with low-intensity workout days is effective for many people. For more on making movement part of a holistic lifestyle, read this blog post.
Add some fun to your workouts by listening to your favorite music or inviting a friend to join you!
Choose to calm your thoughts.
The holidays bring an endless list of to-dos with them. They also bring stress and overwhelm. As wonderful as it is to spend time with extended family, those gatherings sometimes result in strain and conflict.
It can seem impossible to quiet our minds this time of year, but it is so important that we take the time to do so. Paying attention to our mental and emotional health is as important as taking time for our physical health. This is even more true during the holidays.
I encourage you to consciously choose to calm your thoughts. Simply noticing your thoughts without reacting to them helps rid your mind of the non-stop chatter that seems to be our constant companion. You can achieve this through meditation.
There are many ways to meditate. No one way works best for everyone.
Try a few to see what works best for you:
Seated silent meditation
Tea ceremony
Time in nature (walking or seated)
Moving meditation
Yoga class
Walking or hiking
Guided meditation class
Be patient with yourself when starting a meditation practice. You will have random thoughts running through your mind. Meditation allows you to recognize those thoughts and let them go.
Choose a special journal and pen to keep with you so you can write down ideas or plans that may pop up during meditation.
Choose to nourish your body.
So many holiday celebrations center around food. Often, these foods are rich or decadent. It’s rare for a holiday celebration to feature an abundance of fresh vegetables and lean protein.
Should you deny yourself the delicious meals and desserts of the season? It’s usually not necessary to deny yourself completely unless there is a medical reason. But, it is important to practice moderation and to nourish your body with good, healthy food during every season of the year, including the holiday season.
Take advantage of those times you are able to choose or prepare your meals and snacks during this busy time. Choose foods that truly nourish your body. These are the foods that allow our bodies to function at their best.
Now is the time to focus on choosing nourishing foods that we love to eat – those foods that make us feel good, body and mind.
Choosing foods that nourish your body is not about going on a “diet” or following a particular diet plan. Diets are seen as temporary fixes. Nourishing your body through good, healthy food choices needs to be a way of life, not a temporary fix.
Focus on creating mindful habits that work for you and your body - those habits are the key to long-term health and wellness. Give yourself grace, especially during times of stress and overwhelm (like the holidays). Start small and scale as you go to create habits you can sustain for a lifetime.
Get more information about living a healthy lifestyle.
If you’ve followed Razz Yoga for any length of time, you know how passionate I am about helping others achieve optimal health and wellness. I love sharing tips, strategies, and recipes with you.
As you enjoy all the holiday season has to offer, remember to choose to nourish your mind and your body.
Now, I have something a bit more substantial for you. A FREE multi-page guide to help you achieve a healthy lifestyle through movement, nourishing food, hydration, and meditation. Click here to download the Nourished Yogi: A Yogi’s Guide to a Healthy Lifestyle.