The holidays can be hectic, but you can prioritize your health by following these five tips for how to stay well nourished during the holidays.
This post is sponsored by Campbell’s® Well Yes!®. Thanks for supporting the brands that make TFD possible. As always, opinions are my own!
Can you believe the holidays here?! I feel like 2020 has been the longest year ever and also the fastest at the same time. Anyone else feel like me?
The holidays can be a stressful time for many. It always feels like a sprint after Thanksgiving to do all the things – decorate the house, buy the gifts, send out the cards, book your travel, attend all the festivities.
The good news is there are things you can do to stay well nourished this holiday season. Today I’m offering up five tips, but you decide which, if any, resonate with you!
1. Eat breakfast daily.
Starting the day off with a nourishing breakfast can help jumpstart your engine and yet about 25% of Americans skip breakfast every day. Without breakfast, you’re more likely to feel tired, have less focus and concentration at work or school, feel irritable (hello, the hanger is real), experience headaches, and feel more anxious.
And around the holidays this can especially be a recipe for disaster. Set yourself up for holiday success by starting each day with a nourishing breakfast.
2. Get outside for fresh air.
This one may sound obvious but as the weather gets colder and with so many of us working from home, it can become really easy to stay comfortable and cozy inside and forget to get out for fresh air (my hand is raised here!).
Have you ever noticed after getting some sunshine and fresh air that you feel a boost of energy or a shift in your mood? That’s no coincidence! There’s science that shows that being exposed to natural light can help improve your mood. Plus, spending 5-30 minutes per day in the sun can help boost your vitamin D levels, which helps support mood, bone health, and may help protect against chronic diseases.
3. Rely on nourishing on-the-go solutions.
Remember when we talked about hanger with skipping breakfast? Well, here’s the thing, hanger can strike at any time of day, so we want to always be prepared! This is where on-the-go snacks can come in very handy. Something that is easily portable can be stashed in your purse or backpack and carried with you throughout the day while you run your holiday errands.
This is why I LOVE Well Yes!®Sipping Soups – they are an easy, convenient, on-the-go solution for when you need a pick me up! They come in seven delicious flavors, all of which are vegetarian, including my favorites for the fall – the Butternut Squash & Sweet Potato Soup and Harvest Carrot & Ginger Soup. These Sipping Soups provide on average 1/3 of your daily recommended vegetable servings and many help add beneficial fiber to your day!
4. Take 1 to 5 minutes each day to check-in with your breath.
It may sound silly to check-in with your breath considering we all breathe throughout the day without even thinking about it. But when our stress levels rise, our breath is often affected, which can actually exacerbate our stress response. Our breath is our most powerful tool for stress management because it’s always accessible and it’s free!
When we’re stressed out, our breath tends to become quicker and more shallow, which keeps our sympathetic nervous system, responsible for the fight, flight, or freeze response, activated. But if we can take a few minutes to notice our breath and try to consciously elongate and slow down our breathing, this will help activate the parasympathetic nervous system, responsible for the rest and digest response, which makes us feel more relaxed and calm.
You don’t need to spend 20 minutes a day doing deep breathing exercises (unless you want to!) but even taking one minute to notice your breath when you’re feeling stressed during the holidays can make a difference.
5. Move your body in a way that feels good.
Ever wonder why you feel less stressed after some movement? Well, physical activity helps to release endorphins, those “feel-good hormones” that help you feel more relaxed and boost your mood. Plus, exercise can help reduce your body’s stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. But the key is to choose a type of movement that feels good in your body. If you push yourself too hard or overdo it when it comes to exercise, you can wind up injuring yourself or feeling even more depleted afterwards.
Experiment with different types of movement to find what feels best for you. Ask yourself, what type of movement did you enjoy as a kid? Maybe it was dancing, rollerblading, soccer, jump, or the trampoline. Can you revisit some of these joyful types of movement from your childhood? With the holiday season upon us, maybe it’s revisiting a winter sport like ice skating, skiing, snowshoeing, or snowboarding. Regardless of the type of movement you choose, engaging in some active movement can help to clear your head and keep you grounded during the holidays.
