Staying Healthy Over the Holidays!

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People often ask me how I "fit it all in" or how I manage to "find balance" in my life.

The truth of the matter is that I don't. Or maybe I do (?), but not in the conventional sense. There are so many things I love to do and never enough hours in the day and so, for me, balance is all about give and take. I focus energy in one place at the expense of another. Is that fair to say? Is "expense" the right word?

Anyway, what I'm saying is that some weeks I manage to get lots of sleep but then I have less time for work. There are days when I am so intent on my work that I have to cancel social plans. I always try to focus on what I am "in the mood for", as that's when I am the most productive. If I can't find the words for a blog, I ditch the computer and run errands. If I'm feeling creative, I'll delay file work for crafts.....

I try to really BE with whatever I am doing and then I set aside small, mandatory chunks of time to do the things I hate (like paying bills, which I did this morning, ugh). I try to accept that in order to do one thing, I may have to give up another. And that it's okay. It's okay to skip a workout when you really need sleep....or vice versa.

I try to "balance" activities over a period of weeks and months rather than feeling the pressure to balance my days.


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These weeks before Christmas though, I really struggle with balance. Every year I find myself firing on all four cylinders, not willing to "give up" anything. These are the days that start too early and end too late. Days where I find little time for exercise or reading and spend an inordinate amount of time with chocolate and wine in hand. These days, on holiday, with all the fun and cheer are my most imbalanced days. So it's no surprise that, every year, around this time, I get really sick. Brutally sick.

I'm off to a bad start but I vow to make a change. Last night I took the first steps towards finding balance over the holidays. I will not get sick! NO! NO! NO!

Things You Can Do To Stay Healthy & Balanced This Holiday Season:

1. Eat Fruits, Vegetables, Lean Protein and Healthy Fat.....Despite the Treats!

When there is an unlimited supply of sugary, chocolatey, cheesy rich foods around it can be really easy to "chuck it all out the window". I've known more than one person who stops eating healthy food altogether because they think it will help compensate for all of the extra holiday party calories they are consuming. Unfortunately, it doesn't usually work that way. Eating unhealthy food makes us want more unhealthy food. Our blood sugar becomes unstable, setting us up, physiologically, to overeat foods that are the worst for us.

Indulge if you will. Of course! It's the holidays! Just keep eating regular meals. Then, hopefully, you'll be more likely to keep cravings in-check and keep treats moderate.

2. Take B Vitamins and an Herbal Adaptogen.


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B vitamins are particularly helpful in times of stress. This time of year we eat holiday foods, stay up late, consume alcohol, and spend little time resting and rejuvenating. It's stressful on the body! B vitamins will help your body cope with all of the ups and downs of the season.

Herbal "adaptogens" also help the body cope with stress. Depending on the herb, adaptogens may help conserve energy or release energy. These are my GO-TO supplements at this time of year. Take them several times a day. (Examples: Withania, Bacopa, Borage, Rhodiola)

3. Drink Green Tea/Herbal Tea Instead of Coffee.

Coffee is a stimulant, obviously. As we become busier; more sleep-deprived, more stressed, our bodies begin to crave stimulants: coffee, chocolate, soda. Moderate amounts of coffee a day is fine. One cup? No problem. If you start to crave more, try substituting with herbal tea or green tea. It may not seem like "enough" at the time but you'll find yourself feeling better through the day and sleeping more soundly at night.

4. Get Some Rest.

This is tough, I know. I was out until after 11pm 4 times last week. Yikes! My new motto is, in bed by 10:30pm most nights of the week. That means that from now until after New Year's I have to be in bed early, at least, 4 nights of the week. This is the key ingredient to fending off illness, managing weight, stress and mood.

5. Make a Green Smoothie


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If you find it hard to get your green in over the holidays, drink'em. Make a smoothie and add kale/spinach at the end. You'll hardly notice a taste difference and the greens will help ward off sickness and revive your liver!

6. Make time for Exercise and Outdoors.

As busy as things get, I vow to get outside and get some fresh air and exercise every day from now until the New Year. The air clears my head, the exercise makes me feel stronger and the action of both make me want to make healthy choices.

7. Make "To-Do" Lists


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To-do lists make people happy. And organized. And in control. Make lists....lots of them! Have a clear picture of what you need to accomplish everyday in order to fit it all in.

8. Cross Two Things off of Your To-do List Everyday (without doing them!)

This is how I started my transformation this year. Yesterday I was super-stressed. I had 10 holiday gift projects on the go, two tired children, and NO time to finish anything. I was getting edgy and snappy.

"Why" I thought "am I losing my mind trying to finish things so I can enjoy the holidays?" Why don't I just enjoy them?


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In that moment I cut three projects off my list and started having fun.
That is, after all, what these weeks are all about!

Have a Happy, Healthy Week!