ENABLING YOUR PASSION FOR HEALTHY LIVING

Finding Balance During The Holidays

Cheerful music. Generosity abound. Large green sparkly trees. Colorful lights lining the streets of Boston. Parties with friends and family. Awesome deals on new clothes. Yummy baked goods. These are just a few reasons why I love the holiday season. With so much going on, it’s hard for me to find balance with the excitement of the season.

The most stressful aspect is buying gifts for people. I am always searching for the perfect one while trying to get a deal. I hate buying people gifts they don’t need or want. Waiting for them to tell me what they want can ruin chances of getting deals or surprises. While I’m always going to be a work in progress, over the years I have learned a few tips that really work. This week, the Fitfluential team asked their ambassadors to share 5 ways they find balance during the most wonderful time of the year. Here are mine:

1. Make a list of 2-4 things you need to accomplish the following day. These should be the only tasks that NEED to get done. I learned this from the 4-hour Work Week. While I try to accomplish more than just 2 tasks a day, if I fill my list with 6-8 things, I never complete them all and my day feels less accomplished and unsatisfying.

2. Exercise is the best therapy. Sure it burns calories but if you are feeling overwhelmed, stressed, or anxious, it is proven that exercise helps alleviate these icky feelings. Running helps me clear my head and think of solutions while yoga relaxes me. I usually exercise 6 times a week during the holidays, usually just for 30-minutes to an hour. With all the engagements and baby notices on facebook these days, I may have to continue this throughout the year.

3. Taste everything (eat nothing). I learned this is from Bethenny Frankel when I used to work with her. I think the second part of the statement is just plain misunderstood however I do like to taste everything. I don’t understand how you eat nothing, but I’ve implemented the rule that I’m allowed to taste everything and anything I want. I usually do not go back for seconds because I try to eat something before a party like this. A dinner full of spinach and artichoke dip washed down with eggnog and cookies tends not to sit well.

4. Sleep. Getting 7 hours of sleep is a must, and to be honest, I try to get 8 if I can. I know I’m not the average person when it comes to fitting it all in, work, exercise and sleep but I do believe cutting out TV time and getting to bed early can help increase the amount of pillow time you get. Not only are well rested individuals less likely to be overweight but are also able to make a busy schedule work. I find that alcohol does not help with sleep but makes for a restless night. Also, big meals right before going to sleep disrupt your night’s rest as well.

5. Money and buying gifts are two of the major causes for stress during the holidays. I wish I had a ground breaking tip on how to balance your money but I can offer the help of two website I’ve personally found this year to be very helpful, Learnvest.com and DailyWorth.com. Homemade gifts are a few of my favorite presents. Homemade granola, a mason jar filled with cookie ingredients to be baked fresh and homemade jams are all inexpensive classic gifts most of us can afford to give.

Questions of the day:

  • How do you find balance during the Holidays?
  • What is the most stressful part of the Holidays for you?

Also, congrats to Allison and Amy who won the clothing and T-shirt giveaways this week. I’ll be back later Wednesday with a giveaway and new YouTube workout video for new mom’s featuring one of my favorite YouTubers, Elle from WhatsUpELLE.

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