I know, I can hardly believe that I’m making plans for Halloween and have been busy online holiday shopping. All while still navigating through a pandemic. Crap!
Let’s face it. The holidays are going to be a bit different this year but what I imagine to be the same will be the onslaught of SUGAR!
I feel like it’s a downhill slide from Halloween until New Year’s Day when it comes to over indulging. How can you feel calm, not gain an average of 5 pounds, and still have fun in the process?
Move Your Body Daily
If you enjoy regular meditation, yoga, exercise, dancing or just walking in nature, then all of these activities can reduce your stress response. Pick something you love and that brings you joy and figure out how to fit it into your daily life. That could mean just 5 minutes of meditation or working out per day. Don’t make it a big deal or you’ll never get started.
BREATHE
I can’t repeat this one often enough. I use it all the time. Seriously. The 4:7:8 BREATH. Do this 3-5 times and you will start to engage the parasympathetic (relaxing) nervous system. Breathe in through your nose to the count of 4, hold your breath for 7, and then exhale through our mouth for a count of 8. You’ll be feeling calmer immediately.
SLEEP
If your sleep as been a bit disturbed, I can suggest a couple of herbal formulas that I use myself and have found to be very effective. One is Neurocalm and the other is Myosedate. Both are from Designs for health and you can get them through me on my website. If you’re not sure which will work best for you, just email me and we’ll figure it out.
What is the right amount? It’s more than most people get, 7-9 hours is ideal. Many people are running around sleep deprived and using massive amounts of caffeine to make it through the day. Sleeping the right hours is also essential to balance. You have an internal clock whereby there is an ideal time to sleep, eat, have sex and have a bowel movement. Working in sync with your internal clock will help you feel well-rested, digest your food better and help your mood. Getting to bed between 9-10 pm is ideal. I know, you might think that sounds crazy, but my suggestion is to start getting ready for bed an hour before you actually want to sleep. Have a wind-down routine, lower the lights and get off the electronics. If you are a night owl, then just start by going to bed 15 minutes earlier per WEEK. Make it a slow transition and you will reap the benefits of a restful night’s sleep. Caffeine can take about 12 hours to be processed through your body. So keep the coffee consumption before 11 am. Get up between 5-6 am. Start your day with a cup of warm lemon water and that will get your bowels moving. Then have breakfast between 7-9 am and dinner before 7 pm. By the way, the ideal time for sex is 7-9 pm. I knew you were wondering that.
EAT WELL
Eat when you’re hungry rather than out of habit. Eat good, whole foods, mostly veggies and some protein. Eat slowly and enjoy every bite.
If you have sugar craving, I would suggest the herb Gymnema and if you have issues with digestion, take a digestive enzyme with each meal. If you’d like to try either of these herbs, let me know and I’ll order some for you.
GET SUPPORT
These ideas probably sound great and as soon as you delete this email, you’ll forget all about them unless you figure out a way to get them into your regular routine. Here is my suggestion. Start with a 5 Day RESET. This can be done anytime and only takes 5 days. If you want to do it with a group, we have one starting December 7th. Here’s all the info you need. http://healthcoachdonna.com/programs/be-sugar-free
