3 Tips for a Happy, Healthy Holiday Season

The holiday heat is upon us as I like to call it - a time of year many feel stressors such as lack of time, financial worries, overcommercialization, gift-giving pressure, and family get-togethers. It's a time of year we long to feel joy, hope, and love - but oftentimes find it hard to - especially as women.

Health truly is wealth. So many people spend their health to gain their wealth and then have to spend their wealth to regain their health. To achieve true financial freedom in life, health must be a priority and focus. 

This time of year, I thought a few tips on navigating your health & wellbeing would be beneficial. I am no expert myself - but I called on one to write this blog post. 

About Dr. Smith

Dr. Brenda Smith has spent 35 years as an OB/GYN and is passionate about elevating the health and wellbeing of women.  Early in her career, she realized her training and education had only prepared her to deliver babies and do surgeries leaving a large part of a woman’s health unaddressed.  That is when she embarked on additional training/education including nutrition, nutraceuticals, bioidentical hormones, and functional medicine to fill this void.  Eventually, in 2005 this led to the creation of a wellness center for women that addresses the whole woman.  Since teaching was her first degree, Dr. Smith also has a unique way of communicating and helping women understand important concepts in their health.  Passion, a broad understanding of the health issues women face, and years of experience make Dr. Brenda Smith a unique resource for women.

I'll let her take it from here.....

When you sit in front of over 35,000 women in your career and listen to them you learn a lot.  It has been a privilege to learn from women and I love sharing that wisdom.

I have learned that health is a combination of many things – our physical body, our mental outlook or spirit, and the environment we find ourselves in.  I can boil it down and say you are healthy when you are making a positive contribution to the world!

When you feel good and your outlook is good, you will be poised to do good.  With this broad concept of health in mind here are 3 tips for happy and healthy holidays.

1. Visions of sugar plums…as we all know the holidays can be a time of excess.  As part of a well-rounded healthy life, we want to participate and enjoy this special time of year.  Unfortunately some of the most addictive triggers in the brain - sugar, flour, and alcohol - are on full display.  Eat one baked good and you're prone to eat 3 more and then be looking for donuts.  Add alcohol to the equation and any thoughts of moderation – well they are gone!  Our brains work best when we have motivation and boundaries.  Let’s start with the motivation.  I do not want to be bloated, blotchy and bitchy during the holidays – the aftermath of overconsumption.  To give my brain focus I hang an outfit that I want to wear over the holidays prominently in my closet where I see it frequently.  I want to feel good in that outfit.  Then I set boundaries.  Being healthy means enjoying life, so of course, I am going to partake of some holiday goodies, but I actually devise a game plan. In November I want to enjoy some pumpkin treats and in December some peppermint treats.  The rest of the endless display of goodies I deem not worthy – like that same old sugar cookie that to me is not special.  It’s a win-win.  I get to look forward to and enjoy some holiday treats, but I keep the addictive triggers that would derail my holiday health and cheer in check.

2. Be in the flow for the holidays. This is where I have to admit I have never been addicted to exercise.  Some people exercise almost before they take their first breath every morning, but I can get through the entire day and literally just forget to exercise.  To move the thought of exercise higher in my consciousness I think of exercise as flowing. Even sterile water becomes scummy if it is not moving – stir that water and it remains clear.  When you’re moving your body, you are flowing – the highway of blood reaches your cells and the toxins in your lymphatic system get pumped out.  Movement is good for the body and good for the soul and it must be accomplished daily. Stay active and moving and your ability to engage in the holidays and enjoy them is magnified.  During the holidays even on the busiest days when it seems I have no time for exercise, I do 10-10-10 (10 minutes upper body, 10 minutes lower body & 10 minutes of core) spread throughout the day.  This plan is so doable that even at the end of the day you can get me to do that last 10 minutes, but if it was 30 minutes all at once, well I can tell you it seems insurmountable and it does not get done.  There are days when I will do much more – when the weather permits, I love to be outside and exercise seems effortless.  Set your own personal daily goal that you know is obtainable and be in the flow during the holidays.

3. Give yourself the gift of glowing during the holidays. I love the holidays, but as a woman, the month in-between Thanksgiving and Christmas involves buying gifts, wrapping them, planning celebrations, going to celebrations, cooking, traveling, and the list goes on.  It is almost an insurmountable list in one month.  In the many years I have worked with women I can tell you the month of December I receive the highest number of distress calls from patients as they try to navigate this mountain of responsibility.  To help manage this whirlwind time of the year, set the intention that you want to glow during the holidays.  Feel and show gratitude - feel and show generosity.  Doing something for others is one of the easiest ways to enhance your own life.  I have long advocated Christmas letters in my family where time is taken to celebrate and thoughtfully thank the ones you love with a letter - no gift is even necessary.  A win-win that is good for you and good for the recipient.  Each year I also like to carry $100 bills to spontaneously give out.  Usually, it is to someone who cheerfully does their job such as a clerk at QuikTrip, the server at a restaurant or the cashier at the grocery store. Most years I also pick out someone who I have crossed paths with that year and do more for them.  One year it was a young woman I met in the hospital who herself was sick but also had a disabled child.  Doing something for others can be simple and does not require money - any act of service or any amount of giving will elevate your holidays and make them sparkle even brighter.

To conclude, I would not be my daughters’ mother if I did not end by comparing your health to your finances.  You must have a plan for your finances just like you must plan to have good health – it is not automatic or guaranteed.  Take these tips and individualize them but make a plan so that you can experience health and happiness throughout your holidays.

Cheers & Warm Wishes this Holiday season! 

- Dr. Brenda Smith