Your festive season wellness is about keeping a promise. Costs, health wrecking pressures, and unmet perceived expectations make the build up to Christmas a time of mega unbalance for body, mind, and soul. Let’s try — this year — to take the stress out of the scenario. How about getting smart about what to do, and when to do it. The trick is to start now. Profit from planning, and get festive season wellness wise by doing so. You can actually enjoy the season of candles, laughter and cheerful spirit if you decide to. Enjoy the tips, and have fun.
Festive Season Wellness: Stress
It is a classic scene: You are running like a mad person to pick up last-minute gifts that cost more than they are worth. You cook food that you won’t eat because you want to cater to expectations that tradition dictates. The cards, the wrapping paper, the glittering ornaments should feel festive and fun – but you feel like you cannot wait for the whole nightmare to be over. Last year The GOODista looked at why many seem to have lost that Christmas feeling – and the reaction told us a story.
Christmas Feeling Lost?
You want to enjoy the season, but the demands on you are too many. You cannot keep up with your lifestyle change efforts, and the wellness wrecking nature of the holidays is such that you end up stressed and tired.
Festive Season Stress?
Stress is not what this season should be about. It is about good unto all men – and the very essence of this (whether you believe or not) is to share togetherness, and be thankful for this precious time. The gifts, the food, the excess has come to a galloping society that seems to reward the exterior more than the inner feeling of health, quality time and balance.
Having said this there is, of course, the joy of giving, and sharing of a nice meal, and the excited expectation of what the festive season can bring.
How do you get there without tearing out your hair?
You start planning. Organise what you must do, want to do, and what you can cut out.
Festive Season Wellness Tips
By keeping your wellness goals you combat stress, feel energized, and most of all you won’t regret the occasional treat once the festive season is over. 
Enjoy the holiday period for its candle flicker, mood boosting music and get into the cheer actively. Your healthy lifestyle does not have to be wrecked. Here are some tips how:
- Set a goal to move every day. Give yourself a workout promise that you will not break. 30 minutes exercise per day will keep your energy levels and de-stress you. I like these inspirational articles from Huffington Post: Holiday Fitness
- Eat more vegetables and fruit by rethinking the holiday food scenario. Change the perceived must-haves to healthier alternatives. Go for the vegetable side dishes, and get fruit rather than the sweet treats. Get inspired by chefs that cook for wellness – even at holiday time.
Inspirational Recipes
Start your day with a big glass of lemon infused water, and keep hydrated throughout the day. We so often forget this part in the colder season! This article: 4 Tips To Dodge Dehydration in Winter by Shape.com explains why hydration is key also in the winter.- Get into mindfulness. These tips by psychology today are really good: 6 Quick and Easy Mindfulness Tips to Combat Holiday Stress.
Festive Season Wellness: De-stress and Pay Less Tips
Once you have your wellness schedule sorted, you can get into the festive season planning mode for food, presents, and parties.
Do you need to rush around last-minute? No! Check out how here below. Do you need to put up the whole holiday food as tradition dictates? Absolutely not. The parties are fun, so enjoy them without the attached guilt trips with these healthy hints.
- Do your shopping online. Take advantage of the black Friday and cyber Monday crazy offers, and pay less (far less!) for presents. If you are traveling, you can even get them delivered to your destination, and avoid added kilo to your packing. By starting early, i.e. late November and early Decembers, you benefit from great discounts and will have loads of time over for cheer. Gap, Nike and much more really make your early shopping worth while.
- Food for the holidays does not have to take you down the route of bread sauce, smorgasbord, or eggnog. You can eat exactly what you want, and as long as you make it festive for you – then it is holiday magic. We no longer subscribe to the traditional British or Swedish prescribed foods. We take influences from many
countries and list all our favorites. Do the same! Take your preferred weekend meal (tacos, pasta, lobster, beans – your choice) and make it fit the festive season. Keep it portion controlled, healthy and fun for you. Get inspired by 10 Healthy Holiday Food Alternatives and Alternative Christmas Menus.
Festive Season Smart
- Being party wise is all about wanting to feel good afterward too. That awful guilt trip is not a journey that adds to the holiday cheer. If you throw a party – inspire your guests with your healthy menu of out of festive season foods. Surprise everyone by giving them a relief from all the heavy traditional foods. Why not set up an Italian Feast or A Healthy Party Food Table? If you go to a party – think health smart, and keep your water close by. The excess drinking habit that comes with parties especially in the festive season is not that fun afterward, right?
- Book yourself a pre-Christmas get away to relax, detox and retreat before the whole holiday goes into mega drive A mini-break away, or an afternoon in a Spa is a wellness present you should treat yourself to. Take advantage of the many Cyber Monday Travel and Get Away offers (UK deals) or US Special Holiday Cyber Monday Deals.
Festive Season Wellness: Your Promise
Give yourself a wellness promise that you will not break. Train, walk, eat healthily, meditate. Glow at Christmas, and keep your lifestyle change promise.
Inspire others with your wellness gifts, and wish lists. Get cracking with your online shopping for those must-give presents. Don’t fall for the perceived cooking traditions but, enjoy the healthy food you like. Make a difference for yourself, and inspire others in the process.
You can feel, be and do good during the holidays. And Hey! You don’t have to feel like you have lost that Christmas feeling anymore. You can enjoy it, and get back to the essence of the feeling of warmth, togetherness and actual enjoyment.
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Recommended and Related:
- 11 Ways to Reduce Holiday Stress – SparkPeople.com
- 25 Tips for Healthy Holidays – WellnessToday.com
- How To Beat The Christmas Bulge – Nutrition Australia
- Workout Festive Season Schedule – SparkPeople.com
- Amazon Inspiration:
Simply splendid, so inspiring, so wise, thank you! I feel inspired by these festive season wellness tips, and am off for walk and my pilates!
So glad you liked the wellness tips! Welcome back to The GOODista anytime, and please keep on commenting 🙂