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Tips for Enjoying the Holidays

07 Tuesday Nov 2017

Posted by in General

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As I’m writing this post, today is November 1st. Wow how this year has flown by! It is that time of year again; we are quickly approaching the holidays. There are mixed feelings about the holidays out there….some love them, some feel overwhelmed and stressed out by them, some flat out dislike them. I personally have a blend of the three feelings about them at various times. But mostly I tend to really enjoy them. I’m going to give you my tips for enjoying the holidays.

The first two tips are pretty equal in importance for enjoying the holidays.

No. 1 – Let go of expectations

No. 2 – Let go of guilt

Let me break it down for ya…..

Expectations 

Expectations will make or break you (not just in this scenario). Let go of preconceived, probably unrealistic, expectations you have of other people. Not putting your expectations of people and situations on to other people will allow the situation to unfold naturally and allow people to be themselves (despite whether you like them as themselves or not, they still are who they are). Set your mind to the fact that people are going to be who they are and know going into it that is what is going to happen and you are going to roll with it and laugh about it. You cannot control people and things outside of you. The only thing you are in control of is you, how you react to situations and people, your attitude, and your perspective. This advice is coming from a recovering control freak, so I know it is possible. If you do not think you are capable of doing this, I’d suggest avoiding the people you find difficult to be around.

No guilt!

Here’s the thing….you cannot be everything all the time to everyone. Anyone who expects that of you is unrealistic and unreasonable. You have the right to say “no”. Particularly during the holidays folks find it difficult to say no. My suggestion is to get really comfortable with say no to people, requests, and activities. You do not have to do them all and you do not have to feel guilty about it. It’s your time and you should spend it however it serves your mental health best.

Now….saying that….this is not a license to be a selfish butt-head. Let’s not do that. But it is a license to protect your time, energy, and sanity against completely unpleasant situations and people. Spend your time with the family and friends you want to spend time with.

Those are the two biggest things that will make the biggest difference for enjoying the holidays.

No. 3 – Plan, Plan, Plan / Be Prepared, Be Prepared, Be Prepared

A well-laid plan and ample preparation will alleviate stress. Even if everything doesn’t go perfectly according to plan….you are prepared!

Now….this one can be difficult for the Type B personality. BUT for us Type As over-planning can create as much stress as not planning at all! Catch-22, I know. Here is what I suggest….

  • Write your obligations on a calendar (paper or electronic) so you can see what you have already committed to. I prefer electronic because I can set reminders and share it with people.
  • As new invitations arise look at the calendar and determine if you have the time and energy to add it; if you do….then do….if you need to switch out one commitment for another…do that. If you need or want to say “No” do that.
  • Figure out what each commitment on the calendar will require of you (travel time and distance, do you need to make or take food with you, etc.) and plan ahead.
    • Buying something to take with you, takes less time than making something yourself. That is what restaurants were designed for!
    • Buy gifts and anything else you can online and have it delivered to your house to save you time and energy.

I highly suggest NOT over booking.

Allow yourself and family time to rest and recover. Rule of thumb, only say yes to one event per weekend. If that isn’t possible for you, then only say yes to one event per day per weekend. If you work full-time (home or office), I usually try and stick to the only one event during the week rule, if any at all.

Take Care of Yourself

I think that people, mostly parents, primarily women fall into doing for others before or instead of taking care of their needs. Stop that! Don’t spread yourself too thin. Taking care of yourself and your mental and physical health is so important. Not only for you, but for those around you. Saying “no” is a good step in this direction.

Take time to have a quite shower or bath. Take time to sit down….rest….watch a show, read a book, listen to music on the patio, or take a nap. If you need to be outside the house to take care of yourself, leave! Turn off your phone….go get a beverage and walk around Hobby Lobby or Target, go walk at a park and listen to a good podcast, read a book in a coffee shop or in a park, get a mani/pedi, go see a movie by yourself or with a girlfriend. Slow down and take some time give to yourself. Check out my self-care post here: What is Self-Care to you?

I think it is more than this….it is also keeping with your movement routine (walks, gym time, workouts) and eating healthy nutritious foods. You don’t have to be perfect! Below are some of my other posts you may find helpful.

Keep yourself physically well during this time. Prioritize sleep.

Here are some of my favorite products that I use daily to keep my immune system healthy and some that I use only if or when I’m feeling like I’m getting sick.

I hope and pray that you stay healthy, happy, and well during a time of year that a lot of folks breakdown emotionally and physically. I hope you find my tips helpful for you to enjoy your holiday season more.

Bring on the holidays!

Next up…..Thanksgiving!

 

The Trifecta

10 Wednesday May 2017

Posted by in Books, Fitness, Lifestyle

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They keys to good health, longevity, and being fit is not dependent on one thing. To achieve optimal health, live a long time, and being fit is dependent on three things.

  1. Lifestyle
  2. Nutrition
  3. Movement & Exercise

None of these three factors on their own will result in a long and healthy life.

LifeStyle

This day in age, I think lifestyle factors are the most difficult to be consistent at. The truth is….if you do not achieve this one, the other two will not yield the desired effect.  The lifestyle factors to get in check are: sleep quality and quantity, stress management, socializing with friends and loved-ones, and getting in touch with nature.

Not so long ago our lives looked very different day-to-day than they do now; the majority of the lifestyle factors were built into how our days and lives flowed. Now…we have to work at these things; put forth effort towards making sure we are sleeping well, being aware of our stressors and mitigating them (reframing our perspectives), making and scheduling time with our family and friends frequently, and getting outside in the sun, trees, and animals.

As humans these things are desires built into our DNA. We need them to be healthy and content.

Below are ideas and suggestions to guide you towards incorporating or improving in each area.

Sleep: cool dark room, little or no clothing, white noise, transdermal magnesium oi, use blue blocking glasses, and use flux and the night-shift mode on electronic devices, diffuse and topically apply cedarwood, lavender, and peace & calming essential oils, sublingual CBD oil, have dinner 2 to 3 hours before bed, read a book before bed, use a night-mask, use ear plugs

Stress: be self-aware, step-away, reframe perspective, take a walk, take an Epsom salt bath, take long deep breaths, get a massage, get a mani/pedi (yes, even you men), play with a pet (doesn’t have to be yours), read, use Stress Away essential oil, meditate (use an AP for guided meditations)

Social Time: schedule weekly and monthly meals or activities with friends and family, put your phone down and connect with the people near you, start a weekly or monthly card or domino game, find a new restaurant or activity to do together, start a weekly food-prep day with friends

Nature: take a walk every day outside or every morning and evening when the sun comes up and the sun goes down (this will help with circadian rhythm) walk the dog instead of just letting them outside…you go too, go fishing, go kayaking, sit or stand in the yard barefoot (grounding) and listen to the birds, go feed the ducks (bird seed not bread)….go outside

Nutrition

You get out what you put in. Drink clean water. Think nutrient dense. Vitamins and minerals.  Real whole foods. Organic every time possible.  Grass-fed grass-finished beef and bison, pastured chicken, eggs, pork, and lamb. Wild-caught cold-water fish.

If you can answer yes to these questions, then it is real whole food.

  • Did your food grow out of the ground, fall from a tree, or have a mother?
  • Will it spoil?

There are times when we will eat foods out of a box or a bag; this day in age it is inevitable.

  • Can you pronounce all the ingredient’s names? (if not, find a better quality product with the least ingredients possible)

My thought process on nutrient dense foods are real whole foods (as defined above) that have high nutrient content in a fairly small amount of calories. The goal is to eat as many foods as possible that have lots of nutrients in them throughout every day.

Book Recommendations

Movement & Exercise

You get out what you put in. Walk, walk , walk, walk, walk…..walk as much as you possibly can every day. We were designed to walk. People used to walk, walk, walk, walk….they had to….to get food, to work, to get from point A to point B, and to see other people.

Most of our lives today do not require us to walk, it requires us to sit. I work at a sitting job. I do my best to get-up once every hour or so and at least walk to the bathroom (if I’m drinking the amount of water I should be, I usually have to “go” anyway) do some hip opening stretches in my cube and move on. I take at least a 30 minute walk at lunch every day.

It is important to get in movement every day all day….walking, light stretching, air squats in the bathroom stall or cube, desk or counter push-ups, taking the stairs, park far instead of close, use a pull-up bar in door way every time you see it….whatever you can get in….get it in. I think that movement throughout the day is more important than “exercising” once a day or a few times a week.

Sprint for 10 – 15 minutes once or twice a week.

Lift Weights 1 – 4 times per week for 20+ minutes.  

Side Note: Please be aware – most men lift heavier than they should to keep good and proper form. And most women lift way too light to see the results they really want.

Reminders: Warm-up the muscles you are going to be using for 10-15 minutes prior to lifting. Cool-down by doing mobility work and stretching after your workout.

Book Recommendations

Also, check out the following peeps:

Having the trifecta in-check will result in a long, healthy, and more capable life.

If you need help, guidance, have questions – please feel free to reach out to me by either leaving a comment under this post, hitting me up on Facebook or emailing me directly at bycandace@yahoo.com.

I highly encourage you to Sign-up for Thrive Market. 

Thrive Market allows you to shop for all the healthy food items you know and love at discount prices, because they cut out the middle man, and it gets delivered to your door so it also saves you time. Not only do you save money, but for every paid membership Thrive Gives a membership to a family in need.

Aside from saving money, your groceries will be delivered to your door and you don’t have to go to stores thus also saving time and energy….and who can’t use more of those!?!