The holidays are in full swing, peeps!  Now, if you’re like this little guy^ or Buddy the Elf, you are busting at the seams, and you probably had your shopping done by Thanksgiving.  If you’re more like me, you *maybe* got some of your shopping done, squeaked out a few cards, and are literally planning the days left until Christmas down to every last stinking minute in order to fit it all in.

This can be one of the most stressful times of the year, as we all know.  Add in parties, ALL the food, desserts, alcohol, and before you know it, we’re feeling tired, bloated, stressed, cranky… You get the idea.  No wonder we make those New Year’s Resolutions ~ we can’t wait to get back to feeling good again!

What if it didn’t have to be this way?  What if we could do just a few little things here & there to help minimize that mental AND physiological stress?  Yoo-hoo…?  We can!   Since diving into Health Coaching, I have had to undergo quite a bit of self-transformation.  I can’t expect a client to take on challenges and strategies I haven’t gone through myself.  Over the past 8 months or so, I have learned quite a few strategies that I’d like to share, and if you implement some, you may just sail through the rest of this holiday season relatively unscathed.

1.  Sleep.  Whenever humanly possible, try to get 7-9 hours of sleep each night.  Create a power-down hour before bed each evening, where you ditch electronics and immerse in a relaxing bedtime ritual.  Sleep is essential for detoxing, and cumulative sleep deprivation can lead to serious health issues.
2. HYDRATE.  Seriously.  This is one of the BEST things you can do to help balance your blood sugar levels, keeping mood and energy even keel, and making you less likely to crave the evil treats lingering at work or that office party.  Dehydration can often mimic hunger.  If you’re finding it hard to resist that Christmas cookie, chug back 8-10 ounces of water, wait 10 minutes and see if the craving disappears.
3. Balance.  I’m talking about food & alcohol here.  Just because it’s the holiday season, doesn’t mean we have to constantly bury our face in cookies and drink alcohol daily.  If you can set yourself up to eat well MOST meals, and save all the “naughty” stuff for one meal each week, you will be ahead of the game!
4. More Balance.  Don’t try to be everything to everyone every day.  Don’t overcommit.  There are enough demands on your time already, and it’s okay to say “no” once in a while.  You can’t pour from an empty cup, and if you aren’t doing something for yourself once in a while, you are simply giving everyone a depleted version of you.  And that is helpful to no one.  Do what you need in order to relax ~ meditate, conscious deep breathing, massage, etc.  Set aside time each day, even if it’s only 10 minutes.  Don’t forget to be good the most important person in your life ~ YOU.
5. Damage Control.  Not IF but WHEN we partake in that inflammatory nutrition and stress-inducing activity, we can minimize the damage with a couple of things.  Detox tea is great.  Best if consumed at night (remember detox while sleeping), but you can drink it multiple times a day.  Another great way to draw out toxins is with an Epsom Salt bath.  2 cups of Epsom Salts in as water as hot as you can comfortably tolerate, soak a minimum of 20 minutes.

So, if the holidays start to take their toll, or if you are feeling it already, try integrating some of these little strategies in your life, and hopefully, you can minimize the damage.

Plus, stay tuned…  I’ll soon be announcing an opportunity for a post-holiday nutritional re-set!!   🙂

Happy Holidays, Peeps!