Wellness Archives

Healthy Holiday Suggestions from Misty. Archive in wellness.

Ok, I am sure more can be said, but here is a more comprehensive,
systemic article on how to deal with the holidays... Enjoy,
Misty L. Trepke
http://www.searching-alternatives.com

Healthy Happy Holidays (part II)

1. SIMPLIFY
All you have to do is say no. You are the one in control of your
schedule and you don't have to feel guilt if you turn down an
invitation or decline your services. If you are debating on whether
or not to commit, just listen to yourself and your body language. If
you let out an exhausted breath, tense your shoulders, roll your
eyes, bite your lip or grit your teeth before the word "yes" or "ok"
escapes your lips then you know you should say "no". Try it a few
times. You'll find there is great power in saying no. You'll have
confidence in yourself, be more effective in the tasks you do
undertake and when you do say "yes" you'll feel good about it
because you'll know you sincerely want to participate. You can't
say, "yes" to every good thing. You have to be selective.
(Questions?)

2. TIME OUT
If you think you don't have time to take a break, that is the very
moment you need to take one. If you take even a few minutes to
nurture yourself and let yourself be aware of your needs, you will
be much more effective the rest of the day. When we go around
hurried and stressed we forget to eat, go to the bathroom and
breathe. We rarely breathe correctly, all too often taking short and
shallow breaths. We deprive our body and brain of oxygen and we
begin to malfunction. Take time to breathe. (Take stress test) How
did you do?

RELAXATION EXERCISE
1. Sit comfortably in your chair with your feet flat on the floor,
legs uncrossed and hands resting comfortably on your legs.

2. Close your eyes and breathe deeply, in through your nose. Fill
your lugs to capacity and then breathe in even more. Hold for a
second or two then slowly release. When all your air is gone, push
from your diaphragm and squeeze the rest of the air out. Repeat this
deep breathing 3-5 times.

3. Now let your breathing become full, but gentle and rhythmic.

4. Picture yourself sitting in the warm sand at the edge of the
ocean, just before sunrise. If you enjoy the water you can scoot
closer and let the water gently wash over your feet. If not, stay
where you are and just listen to the rhythmic waves. As outside
thoughts or noises enter your mind, picture them as blossoms
floating toward you on the wind. In your mind, reach out gently and
take them, acknowledge them, then drop them into the water and let
them float gently away from you.

5. Feel your feet as they become heavy. Wiggle the tension out of
your toes and feel the muscles in your toes, your arches and your
ankles relax. Your feet feel comfortably warm and that warm,
tingling sensation works it way up your calves, passes through your
knees and warms your thighs. Your legs are heavy and totally relaxed.

6. As thoughts come in to your consciousness, acknowledge the
blossoms and float them gently away.

7. Now this warm and tingly feeling moves into your hips. Feel your
hips relax and let all the tension release from your lower back as
the relaxing feeling moves up your spine and through your abdomen
and chest. Take a deep cleansing breath as you feel your body relax
and sink into your chair.

8. Your hands feel heavy and you can feel the warmth move through
your wrists and up your arms. You feel your shoulders relax. Let
them droop. Feel the tension melt out of your neck and the warm
tingling feeling comes up the back of your head and around to your
face. You feel your forehead relax, your temples, your jaw and your
lips.

9. You are completely relaxed in a safe, comforting place. You can
come to this place any time and release and regenerate. Breathe
deeply and comfortably-in .and out. Picture in your mind a ball of
soft yellow light just above your navel. It gives you a feeling of
stability and strength. You feel the warmth of its energy grow and
spread outward to your limbs. You feel energized and confident. Your
mind is clear and accepting.

10. You look out across the ocean toward the horizon as the sun
begins to rise. You feel its warmth on your face and the energy
within you resonates. You are ready to greet the day. One more deep
breathe in. and blow it out. Open your eyes.

(Questions?)

3. EAT REAL FOOD
We cannot expect these machines we call our bodies to run
efficiently or effectively if we do not provide the proper fuel for
them. Each nutrient performs a specific function within our bodies
and there has to be a balance of nutrients for our bodies to be able
to assimilate and use the nutrients we are taking in. That is why it
is important to eat a rotated diet. Rotate your grains, your meats,
fruits and vegetables. Variety is the spice of life and the best way
to avoid food allergies and intolerances.

Play "WHAT'S IN YOUR FOOD"
Compare prepared foods - Deceptive advertising - Read the labels -
Identify the ingredients - Watch the sugar and sodium content.
(Tuna, soy sauce, bullion,)

Your food is one area where you do NOT want to simplify. Simple
sugars and simple carbs will steal your energy, rob you of your
health and cause you to gain weight. I will go into more detail
about this in our class in January on How to be Healthy and Lose
Weight. To put it "simply", refined sugars and refined carbs do not
get broken down before they enter our blood stream and our bodies
see them as invasive substances. They create antibodies against them
and weaken our immune system.

Simple Substitutes
Instead of refined sugar, use sucanat, brown rice syrup or stevia.
(Pass samples) These are sweeteners that are in their whole form.
They have not been refined so they have larger molecules. Our body
has to break them down before they enter our blood stream. This
gives you a nice even release of energy instead of spiking your
blood sugar and then dropping you like a rock. The herb, stevia,
balances blood sugar and has other health promoting effects on the
body. Finding suitable substitutes for refined sugar may even be
life saving. Statistics show that one in three of our children will
become diabetic. We need to change our sugared-down culture to
protect our children's future health and ours.

Instead of refined, white flour use whole wheat or even better use a
low-carb and gluten-free grain like spelt, kamut, quinoa or
amaranth. (Pass samples) They are more nutritious and do not cause
the allergies and congestion that wheat does. For those trying to
manage their weight, this could be the most effective substitute to
implement. For diabetics the results can even decrease or eliminate
the need for medications.

If you start reading labels you'll discover that high amounts of
sodium are in almost all prepared foods. With heart disease being
the number one killer in the nation we need to find a better
alternative to salt. (Pass sea salt) Using sea salt instead of
iodized salt is a good and inexpensive way to go. Sea salt is full
of the kind of salt the body needs and has many good nutrients, too.
Decreasing your intake of processed foods will dramatically reduce
your iodized salt intake.

One of the biggest misguided attempts at promoting health was the
idea that saturated fats were bad and that canola oil was heart-
healthy. Nothing could be farther from the truth. I'm going to give
you a little preview of our January class on weight management since
we'll be discussing good fat verses bad fat extensively in that one.
(Read highlights from "Coconut Oil instead of Canola Oil")

So you see, fat is not the enemy. Just choose your fats wisely. Does
this give you license to ingest all the "good fat" you can. No. Use
moderation in all things. There are many recipes that are just as
good with the fats and oils reduced or all together left out.
Karen Davis, nutrition and weight loss coach in Georgia recommends
filling up on good food before you go to parties where you know
there will be lots of goodies. She says, "Willpower only lasts so
long. You've got to have a plan."

Making a few simple substitutes and staying away from processed and
refined foods will not only keep you from getting caught in the
weight gain trap, but you'll go through the holidays, healthier,
happier and better equipped mentally and physically to meet the
demands of your holiday schedule. (Questions?)

4. GET ENOUGH SLEEP
I cannot emphasize this enough. Your body needs that 8 hours to
regenerate to keep from attempting to function while sleep deprived.
An imbalance in your body can make it difficult to fall asleep and
can also give you a restless night. Good nutrition, nurturing
yourself and managing your schedule will all help towards a good
night sleep. The easiest, yet most difficult step towards a good
night's sleep, is to simply make the decision to get to bed. You
have to realize that you will always go to bed with something
undone. You will never reach that point where you've completed every
task you have so you need to establish a cut off time. Once you
firmly decide that you will start going to bed by a certain time and
actually be in bed by a certain time, you will be able to lay down
without the guilt and get a good night's sleep, knowing that you
will be more able to greet the day with enthusiasm and energy.

There are several natural and enjoyable ways to assist you until
your body is back in a balanced sleep routine. Relaxation or
meditation before bed may help. Deep breathing for a few minutes
will oxygenate your muscles, helping you to relax and calm yourself.
Herbal teas with passionflower, skullcap, catnip or chamomile will
help to relax nerves and induce sleep without the next morning
hangover feeling. Tinctures of the same herbs are also very
beneficial. Exercising early in the day will help to jumpstart your
metabolism, burn energy all day and give you a more restful sleep at
night. Massage or reflexology will also help with relieving tension,
breaking up congestion in the body and promoting a restful sleep.
Community classes are available here for couples massage and
reflexology, allowing you to learn and implement some of these
skills yourself.

5. ESTABLISH GOALS
(Handout on goals)
1. What does the holiday season mean to me? (spiritual, emotional,
physical)

2. What are the 3 most important goals for myself this holiday
season?

3. What am I willing to let go in order to have more time?

4. What 5 steps do I need to take to make my actions consistent with
my goals?

5. How will I implement my 5 steps daily into my routine? (as soon
as I dress, after breakfast, right before bed, etc.)

6. How will I remember to implement the 5 steps? (alarm, signs, etc.)