When we think holiday prep, most of us think about food and presents. But what about the body and mind. Even though November may seem early for some of us to think about Christmas, it’s the perfect time to start your prep. Not the present part, but the prep on the body and mind to help with the holidays.
Christmas holidays are busy and stressful. With extra events come extra food. Being crunched for time on top of that leads to more poor food choices including a few skipped meals, some extra bags of chips and maybe a trip though the drive though. Then there are the drinks! Extra latte dates and glasses of wine at the end of shopping marathons make Christmas a tough time to get an A+ in diet… and exercise… the only exercise most of us get is running in and out of stores the last 2 weeks before Christmas.
It doesn’t take a specialist to tell you that an increase in poor food choices and a decrease in extra exercise is going to lead to a few extra pounds on the scale. But did you know that just being stressed out can do that too? Cortisol is a hormone that plays a huge role in stress and…yep… weight gain. So, simply feeling the time crunch of Christmas, even with a great diet and exercise can lead to an increase on the scale. Finding self care practices and other aids to keep your stress in check will not only benefit you in the weight department but will also give you strategies to deal with stress whenever it comes up in life.
It’s for these reasons why I believe November body and mind prep is so important. This year, instead of trying to buy presents early, try making November your January when it comes to diet, exercise and stress management. Take the time to set a great foundation for your body and your mind so that when you do fall into the time crunch before Christmas, you have strategies to deal with the extra stressors. And if your diet and movement is great in November, you’ll be able to enjoy those extra few lattes and sweets without worrying about their effect on your frame.
Try These 7 Strategies To Prep Your Body & Mind For The Holidays
1) Learn Some Quick Meditations: If you’ve never done it before, this can seem overwhelming. But meditation can be simple. Start by sitting comfortably in a chair or wherever, put on one of your favorite songs and listen to it with your eyes closed. Really listen to it. Listen for instruments and words you’ve never heard before. Be completely present. If you have a meditation practice, build on it. Try out new breath techniques or google short meditations that will be easy to do when your schedule gets busy. Lifestyle meditation is a new studio in central Edmonton that just opened. All classes are 30-45m to fit into busy schedules. Try them out if you’re looking for extra support.
2) At Home Facials: When we were putting together our new facial line, I started giving myself at home facial’s once a week. I’m not a girly girl but this self care practice was fun and left me feeling great about myself. You can try our sample facial kits or purchase a full size facial kit online and you’ll have everything you need for your skin type to do a facial at home. The best part about making this your self care ritual in November is that come December you’ll have fantastic skin for all your functions and photos.
3) Essential Oil Sprays: Essential Oil’s are great for managing stress. One of the easiest ways to benefit from the stress reducing power of essential oils is by carrying around a spray. You can easily stash a spray in your car, your desk, your bedroom, your kitchen, your bathroom or your purse. Just whip it out and spray it regularly to keep your stress levels down. You can try one of ours or make your own. Sweet dreams is a great nighttime and calming spray, happy is a great uplifting daytime spray, harmony keeps your mood in balance, ass in the sand takes you on vacation and our hippie is one of our most popular sprays. If you’re making your own, all you really need is a bottle, some essential oils and water. Just make sure you shake before each use as the oils will settle to the top.
4) Get Active: Find a class to commit to for November, sign up for online yoga or start searching great at home workouts. If you know that’s not going to get you moving, dedicate November to increasing activity in your every day life. Throw adance party at night with your kids every day of the week, take the stairs up to your office starting one flight at a time, clean your house more thoroughly than usual by washing the walls and baseboards. Any extra way you can move…move. Make it your mission just for this month and be ok with it decreasing in December. That’s why you’re putting the work in now!
5) Add In A Salad: Don’t purposely change anything else in your diet but commit to adding in an extra salad a day. It’s pretty rare for any of us to be actually eating enough greens in your diet. I know my husband and I feel best when we have a salad with every meal including breakfast. Once your body tops up on these nutrients, it will make any other diet changes easier to handle and craving for sweets will be more manageable.
6) Set Your Life To Music: Music is really powerful at motivating us and keeping us calm. Keep your music close and carefully select different genres to keep you on track for healthy stress free living. Use something with a beat to help either get you to a workout class or for your at home workout. Find something mellow for your ride home from work, self care ritual and meditations. Add some music into your food prep. It’ll completely change how you feel about your food and make your prep more efficient and fun.
7) Find An Accountability Partner: Tell someone about your November commitment to your body and mind. Let them know that you are trying to eat well, move more and de stress in November to set a firm foundation for December. See if they want to join you in you November project and if not, let them know you’re looking for someone to keep you accountable and continue giving them updates.
Let us know if you’re in!
Jayleen
