Thanksgiving is on the horizon and, per usual, most of us are busy planning ahead for the holidays. This time of the year it gets easy to sacrifice self-care, but we must continue setting time aside to take care of ourselves as well as others, which can make the preparations a hustle. Adding new responsibilities to our typical day-to-day routine can bring more stress and drain our energy even faster. This is just the beginning of the holiday season, and it's on us to keep ourselves strong and healthy!
The following tips have been vital to many of my clients' successful navigation of the holidays. Let's get ahead of the curve and start preparing our body and mind for more enjoyable celebrations with those we love.
1. Plan Ahead
Yes, we have heard this one many times, but we are too quick to forget its power. As simple as making grocery shopping or to-do lists, creating a plan of attack can alleviate many headaches. Grab a calendar, visualize the time you have available to accomplish the desired tasks, and create a strategy on how you will be successful in your new seasonal duties while keeping up with your regular responsibilities.
Note: If you feel overwhelmed with all the extra tasks, making a shareable calendar with your family or friends involved in the celebrations can remove some stress off your shoulders. The beauty of planning ahead it helps us identify clear goals and the potential obstacles we may encounter.
2. Stay Hydrated
A lot of us are dehydrated more often than we realize; initial symptoms like thirst, headache, tiredness and fatigue are just a few of the signs. With the added demands of the holidays, it’s even more important to prioritize and be attentive with our hydration levels. Dehydration is not exclusive to warmer or humid weather but is common during the colder seasons as well. Even though we don't feel the need for water at this cooler time of the year, our body still needs proper hydration to function well. Recommended fluid intake varies from individual to individual based on factors like activity level, age, sex, or overall health. Body weight and composition also influence the amount of liquids you need and standard recommendations are to drink half your body weight (lbs.) in ounces of water per day.
Note: A great way to prevent dehydration is to listen to your body and regularly analyze how you feel; if you feel thirsty, drink water! If you feel tired, think of whether you’ve kept up your daily fluid intake properly for that day. Being well hydrated will help us have a clear mind and be better prepared to deal with any additional workloads, psychological or physical.
3. Move Mindfully (Strength & Flexibility)
Accomplishing extra tasks requires more from our body. Again, planning is a key component of the successful pursuit of any worthwhile goal, even more so when the body and mind don’t always want to do the work it takes. When visualizing our exercise goals and listing the objectives on our calendar, remember to prioritize Strength Training. Exercising our muscles can help to ease our mind in stressful times, improves our mood, boosts our drive, and will help maintain our strength and stamina through all the additional activity and the excitement of the holiday season.
Another essential exercise modality we have to continue practicing is Flexibility Training, like when our days are full of additional errands or we are stuck in stationary positions for long periods of time during extended travel. We can add light stretching routines into each morning or evening to help maintain our strength, mobility, and our holistic self-care routine. Giving ourselves the time to relax, stretch, and listen to our body can be very beneficial for the mind as well, restoring and rejuvenating energy levels and feelings of well-being.
Note: Stay calm when considering your exercise routine at this time of the year. Remind yourself that your body may be overworked and that something- ANYTHING is better than nothing. Focusing on a simple exercise plan that minimally includes light modalities like daily breathing exercises and stretching can be more realistic for consistency to keep us healthy and safe through the holidays.
Use these tips to guide you through the end of the year and get a head start on the New Year. Practice finding balance on the spectrum of grace and discipline… a little of both, not too much of either will take you the furthest. If you need more inspiration to keep you active this season, check out the READY Method.
Stay updated and find more expert exercise guidance by subscribing to my YouTube Channel at http://www.youtube.com/@AaronWyantMS. Also, check out my other quick, no-equipment-needed exercise routines at www.AaronWyant.com/onlineprograms.