 Joy, stress and exhaustion are the first three words that I associate with the holidays. While many of us experience all of these, there is something that others experience just after the holidays. I’m calling it “The Holiday Haze”, otherwise known as depression. Our routines were thrown out the window once the holidays approached. We started planning, shopping, going to parties, and visiting with family and friends then it ends. Welcome to boredom, struggling to find your routine again, acquiring a little extra weight not only on our finances but also our bodies and realizing the next major holiday isn’t until spring. Don't I sound like a "Debbie Downer".
 There are ways to combat the Holiday Haze but you need to know the signs. We are talking about loss of energy, fatigue, desire to be alone, trouble concentrating, sleepiness and weight gain. These are typical signs of depression and there are healthy ways to work through them. Here are my top five healthy tips. Exercise – Twenty minutes of exercise three to five days a week can enhance your mood by decreasing stress and anxiety. You should also see an improvement with your sleep pattern, energy and self-esteem. Maintain a healthy diet – By incorporating healthy foods you will provide your system with nutrients and vitamins to assist your body with growth and wellness. Healthy proteins and carbohydrates will provide serotonin to help regulate you moods. Consider lean meats, low fat dairy, fish, soy products, beans, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains when planning your meals. Volunteer – By helping others you can boost your mood and self-esteem. Check out local charities to see how you can help your community. Plan Something Special – You don’t have to wait for a holiday to do something special. Making plans will give you something to look forwards to, therefore also improving your mood. Be Thankful – Remind yourself of all that you have and are able to do. Being thankful has shown to improve attitude, health, and relationship with others. Talk to someone – If you find you're still struggling, seek out a professional or a friend to help you sort out your thoughts. Deanna S.Going to hit on a subject that no one likes talking about, especially after the holidays. Our scales! You know that object we allow to define us or influence our moods. The one that you never have a love hate relationship with because you hate it all the time and in most minds it doesn’t give us a number, it gives us an impression of how we feel others view us.  Personally I don’t weigh myself and if I have to, let me step on it backwards so I don’t see the number. What made me change my ways of gauging my weight? My heaviest has been 160 and lightest 110, but no matter what size I was the scale always told me I could lose 5 more pounds. I got tired of the mind games that I allowed the scale to play on me, as if the scale had the ability of thought.  There is one main thing to remember when it comes to our most hated tool of measurement. The scale doesn’t take into consideration your body composition, it just measures your total weight. So we are talking about our bones, organs, muscle, water, and don’t forget that most of the time we have clothes on when we weigh ourselves. When was the last time you were in a doctors’ office and they told you to strip down before weighing you? What’s a person to do? Stop using the scale and use the fit of your clothes or take measurements. Keep track of your resting heart rate, blood pressure and cholesterol. Change your focus from numbers to accomplishments or listen to family and friends when they complement you. Don’t allow the scale to stress you out anymore, take a mentally healthier approach.  If the scale is driving you up the wall, hide it or get rid of it. There are times you just need to take a break from the scale to be able to see how far you actually have come. Check out the article below, by Paige Waehner with About Health, for more information and links on the subject.
http://abt.cm/1Zi0waj Deanna  Most of us were already busy, but now that the holidays are here where do we even find the time to fit in a workout? Lately I find myself sitting behind my computer working on business paperwork, preparing for upcoming classes, oh and Christmas shopping. Let's just say it feels like hours! I don’t like shopping, so the online thing works great for me, but now that I think about it I could burn some calories if I would just go to the store. That’s okay I can pop out some jumping jacks whenever my timer goes off. That’s right, when I know that I am going to be sitting for a long time, I use my timer to remind me to get up and move. Here are my top three tips that may help you find time to exercise. Split it up. No one said you have to do a full 30 minutes at one time. If you can only get 10 or 15 minutes in at a time, then do some in the morning, afternoon, and evening. In fact the study below shows the benefits of splitting up your workout. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/51029690_A_single_versus_multiple_bouts_of_moderate-intensity_exercise_for_fat_metabolism Include the family! Don't miss out on family time and think about it, you are more than likely not the only one who needs the exercise. "Make Physical Fitness A Family Affair." by Jeffrey Tanji, MD talks about the benefits of exercising as a family. Just click on the link to find out more. http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/welcome/features/20080910_fitness/index.html Think about your workouts like an appointment. Put it down on your calendar or set an alarm, like I mentioned above. Scheduling your workouts will help you stay committed to your exercise program.  There are ways to incorporate exercise into your busy day. It takes commitment, drive and sometimes a little imagination to get it done. Believe me, I have done walking lunges down my hallway to put up laundry. Find your way. Deanna S. |
