Black Friday. Holiday Shopping. Family Dinners, wrapping presents, decorating the house. All of this is enough to make even the most holiday savvy person lose their mind. With all of this chaos, there also comes great joy, which is why it’s so important to keep your wits about you, in order to take in every great moment this time of year. And, there are some simple ways to take the edge off, that are quick and effective.
Diaphragmatic Breathing:
The Diaphragm is the muscle located underneath your lungs and helps you to breath. This type of breath is deep and controlled. Instead of lifting the chest up when inhaling extend your abdomen. This will draw breath deep down into your lungs. This type of breathing increases oxygen to your brain and with more oxygen to your brain, you’ll feel more awake and alert. In addition deep belly breathing will allow your sympathetic nervous system to relax (the fight or flight) and allow the parasympathetic nervous system (rest and relaxation) to take over.
Get Enough Sleep:
The holiday season is hectic, we know that. But, try to not stay up until 2am wrapping presents. Lack of sleep will affect the proper hormone release which can affect things such as mood and how many calories the body burns. Turn off the phone and the lights and put yourself to bed earlier so that you’ll wake up earlier. Studies show that we are actually more productive the first four hours we’re awake. And that’s a good excuse to go to bed early.
Get out of the house!
Feeling trapped during the holidays is inevitable, but don’t suffer through it. A great excuse to get out of the house and blow off some steam is to go for a quick walk to check the mail or take the dog out to the park for a bit – chances are the pup needs to blow off some energy too. According to health.howstuffworks.com, “…Unless you find a way of coping with the situation and relieving the pent-up energy, you leave yourself open to a variety of stress-related psychiatric symptoms, like anxiety, aggression, and depression, not to mention physical ailments such as high blood pressure, tension headaches, and digestive disorders….”
Essentially, don’t feel bad for popping out for a quick walk. It’ll help you avoid potentially worse situations.
Give and receive hugs.
Giving and getting hugs is proven to help the body release oxytocin, which is a mood booster and natural ‘happy’ chemical. Hug those you love, hold hands, give kisses. Whatever it may be, your body and brain will thank you for the boost.
Give the Gift of Health:
Now that we’ve given you some helpful tips to stay happy and sane, here are 5 ways to share the love and give the gift of health with these great healthy gift ideas.
Acupuncture:
Acupuncture has so many different benefits. It’s an ancient practice that has been shown to relieve tension, help people with detox, stress, chronic pain, depression, and joint pain and more.
A single massage session can help to destress and loosen up any body. It’s great for athletes, individuals recovering from an injury, or those just looking to relax and destress.
Chiropractic:
The spinal cord controls all of our bodily functions and movements, which explains that when it’s pinched or in misalignment, things in our body may not be functioning properly. Chiropractic can help to alleviate pain and discomfort, headaches, depression, and even help you stay healthy by promoting the body’s natural ability to heal itself. A great gift for all ages.
Personal Training:
After a calorie-filled holiday season, everybody can use some personal training from a professional. Most can help design a customized fitness and nutrition program to suit anybody’s needs. This is often a luxury that most can’t afford, so it makes a great gift idea.
This stands for Vascular Performance, and is a revolutionary system available exclusively at Santa Cruz Core Fitness + Rehab. In just 20 minutes, you can get the effects of a two hour workout with a much faster recovery. This machine can help you sleep better, recover faster from workouts, decrease stress, decrease cortisol (which is directly linked to belly-fat), and even increase libido and improve hormone balance in the body.
Stay healthy and sane this holiday with these tips and enjoy a happier season!