Tis the season for celebrating with loved ones, holiday cheer, gift giving, office parties….and STRESS!
If you have a love/hate relationship with the holiday season, I have 3 highly effective and EASY tips for you to enjoy the holidays like a champion and “not lose your sh*t.” Take my advice below and you won’t end up like Clark W Griswold facing a mental meltdown from the stressful presence that IS Cousin Eddie.
Are you ready? Ok, here we go!
#1 – Turn your STRESS level way down:
Breathe. Yes, easy isn’t it? Any time you feel anxiety rising in your body, take a deep breath, and then take another breath, and another….until you feel your body and mind RELAX.
How to breathe – Breathe through the nose. The breath should go in and out through the nose. Breathe with the diaphragm. The air you breath in through your nose should go all the way down to your belly. Breathe relaxed. Breathe rhythmically. Breathe silently.
#2 – Resist the urge to fall helplessly into a food COMA:
I know I know. “Sonja, there is so much food, I can’t resist it!” Ok, please listen up my friend as my advice always comes from my own experiences and how I got through the same challenges. When you eat breads/muffins/cookies/cakes/chocolate/sweets/crackers your body starts to CRAVE them, and wants more, more, more! I highly suggest you do your best to eat a healthy diet, and have sweets in moderation, or not at all.
The reason you eat sweets, is because you EAT SWEETS.
I know this as I used to be a psychotic sugar addict. I was a lunatic. When you stop eating sweets, your body will stop craving them. I promise. It takes just a few days to lose the intense cravings, and fruit it a great replacement when you NEED something sweet.
My other tip for food in general, including family dinners and eating out is portion control. Enjoy the wonderful meal you’re having, enjoy every bite! Just eat a NORMAL amount, and make sure you get lots of veggies and a good source of protein with it. My BEST tip for resisting too many sweets, or keeping far away from a holiday food coma is this…
When you’re staring at a dozen cookies or whatever food you’re about to overeat, ask yourself –
“How am I going to feel in 5 minutes if I eat this?”
Asking myself that question really worked for me after years of binge eating, it’s simple and effective. Take a minute, breathe, and ask yourself that question.
#3 – Don’t make the positive power of MOVING hard:
When you exercise you feel good, life feels good. So make sure you get it in most days of the week. It doesn’t have to be complicated or time consuming. If you need some ideas, follow this.
Stand in your living room and do 3-5 sets of these 3 bodyweight exercises. Squats, Pushups, Planks.
Which tip are you ready to try out first?
Use these tips to keep yourself sane and I promise you’ll enter into the New Year filled with energy and joy!
Live Inspired,
Sonja.
