Wellness First During the Holidays

BEFORE the most hectic part of the holiday season, start a breathing or mindfulness practice. I met two wonderful gurus during my cheffing days at Golden Sparrow who are experts in mindfulness—they renewed my interest in quieting the mind—just from their presence. One is Dr. Michael Hynes, the former superintendent for the PatMed school district. The other is Cory Muscara, professor and mindfulness expert. Their meditation and mindfulness practices make them more approachable and calm in hectic daily interactions—proof of the benefits/effects of mindfulness. I wanted that inner peace…

“I just don’t have the time they have for meditating.” (Sound familiar?)

But that’s the brain resisting change and making excuses, isn’t it? No matter how minute the first step is, just take it. Not tomorrow, today.

I get up about 5:30 every day, shower, and have to be at work by 6:30. I imagined going to bed earlier than 10pm the night before and altering my entire schedule to get up earlier… what a headache! (Insert brain resisting change and making excuses again-clever organ, isn’t it?) I stumbled upon www.truewellth.org and when they asked for our obstacles in a mindfulness practice, I explained my dilemma. Surprisingly, the co-founder actually responded (I’m not the only one who responds to emails, it seems). He encouraged me to begin with 2 minutes per day. Just 2 minutes.

So, I challenged myself. I began a morning meditation practice after a year-long loss of it. I emphasize the word loss—it felt like I had lost a limb and had phantom limb syndrome. Once you begin a meditation practice, you feel the peace of mind… stopping it is easy enough, but the effects are obvious.

Not to be outdone, I decided to go for 5 minutes, rather than just 2 (I’m kinda competitive, though I have no idea who I was “outdoing!”). Since I began that practice on 11/07/17, I feel amazing. I’m happier, I adapt to people’s moods better, and see how I influence others in a positive manner. I’m coping with all that has to be done prior to our move to Maine, despite being prone to anxiety. In addition to our move, I have Thanksgiving catering and my usual 30+ hours cooking at The Golden Sparrow. I added meals to my client load (so they can freeze meals when I leave) and am looking into shipping methods to continue serving Long Island. I also have two catering and speaking events, as well as a cooking demo. Oh yeah… help Rob pack for our move in 5 weeks (admittedly, he handled 80% of the packing, because he’s an amazing soul!).

At any point in my previous life, those demands would have sent me into a few panic attacks… but not this year. It’s just 5 minutes a day that I spend with myself, BEing as still as possible.

We ALL have 5 minutes, regardless of the excuses we make.

Start your meditation practice today-it’s vital to your health in ways you can’t imagine! Here are more holiday wellness tips that keep your mind and body in shape:

1. If you have more time, meditate longer.
2. Squeeze in 20-30 minutes of exercise such as walking, as often as possible (preferably 5-6 days a week). Exercise increases our healthy gut bacteria, aids in digestion, makes you smarter, helps release happy hormones, and strengthens and tones your body. A brisk walk is perfectly fine if you can’t get to the gym, or if you’re a Pitta like me, you don’t enjoy rigorous exercise. If you enjoy yoga, martial arts, or other Eastern systems of movement, go for it! There are countless DVD’s and free YouTube channels you can find… just get moving!
3. Eat well. You can’t stay focused and enjoy peace of mind if your body isn’t being fed properly. If you want to avoid the holiday drain and demands, fruits and veggies are KEY to keeping your immune system balanced and working optimally.
4. Chew. Chew. Chew. Enjoy your food and be mindful about what you’re ingesting and why.
5. Sleep, sleep, sleep! After researching sleep since I was a teen, I refuse to give up my precious sleep routine. My body requires 7 hours minimum, as do you. You may require more sleep-you can email me or comment on this post, to learn how much sleep YOU need. Humans are not designed for the insomniatic lives we lead. It shows in our eating patterns, our emotional habits, and our brain capacity. Those who sleep more are more empathetic, smarter, have better immune systems, and have less cravings. Proper sleep time allows my brain to detox… I also process fears of our move in my dreams, leaving my waking mind and body free to do what it needs to do—help facilitate healing in others.

We all step outside of our normal routines during the holidays—the sooner you create healthy habits with mindfulness, movement, and meals, the faster you’ll bounce back when the season has ended. You may even find the desire to overindulge just isn’t there anymore. I promise it happens!

You may even avoid the extra 5 pounds people claim is “normal” during the holidays. This isn’t “seasonal, normal human weight gain,” as we’ve been led to believe. The winter weight gain isn’t supposed to be gained and lost in a 1.5 month time period, but over the entire fall/winter season. It’s also lost during the spring, if we’re following REAL human biology and not fads.

Incorporate relaxation techniques into your daily practice asap. Take baths, enjoy essential oil blends, stop and breathe, and give yourself quick massages whenever possible. Live in the moment, and not in yesterday or tomorrow’s anxious activities. The holiday season didn’t start before Halloween as we’re also led to believe… it begins after Thanksgiving.

Honor the year and the Spirit of the season by being GRATEFUL, joyous, and caring every day. Falling out of the present moment makes us anxious, worried, short-tempered, and miserable.

You deserve more, this holiday season!

As they say on the airplanes, put the air mask on yourself first, so you can help others. If you’re out of balance, you can’t possibly enjoy the holidays and spread good cheer. 💕