7 Ayurvedic Tips for Healthy Holiday Adrenals
1. Sleep
If you find yourself taking advantage of time off by staying up late and you are wondering where all your willpower went look no further. Getting at least 8 hours of sleep, preferably one quarter to half of those hours are before midnight will help you feel more rested and support your adrenal health so that you don’t end a special day feeling exhausted and moody. A side benefit is that you will have more willpower and be able to resist additional servings and extra treats.
2. Yoga on Steroids
If your days are full with holiday preparations for yourself and others it will become really important to maintain your yoga practice. Because you may not have as much time for your practice as you normally do then you can focus on a few postures and get the maximum benefit from them. This 15 minute series of postures is an excellent way to boost your metabolism for the whole day.
Start your practice with joint circles. These can be found here.
After completing your joint circles then move on to this series of squats.
Elevator squats
Elevator squats with toe lifts
Wide knees squats
After completing this series your heart rate will be up and your legs will be feeling warm. You can finish with whatever poses would feel good at this point.
3. Assume the Best
Over the holidays you may be spending time with people that you don’t normally see and others who may rub you the wrong way. If you react with anger you will create more stress when your stress levels are already high and are taxing your adrenals. Remember that most people are altruistic and mean well. Think about how you can interpret uncomfortable comments as if they really meant well. You don’t have to lie to yourself you just imagine that it is possible that they meant it in another way and you will open yourself to alternative interpretations that can keep your stress levels low.
4. Start with Fruits and Veggies
Over the holidays our food choices seem to bounce back and forth from sweets to snacks. Starting each meal with fruits or veggies and having these as snacks when we are hungry will give you an added boost and will help you more satiated throughout the day. That is because the fiber in fruits and veggies spend more time in your stomach and you will feel fuller throughout the day.
5. More Meat, Less Stuffing
When it comes to holiday meal times, you have probably felt tired and sleepy afterwards. You may think it is the amino acid tryptophan if you have been eating turkey, but this is actually an urban legend. The truth behind the post food coma (PFC) is that tryptophan is driven to your brain by starches, such as cereal grains and sugary snacks. Without that extra serving of mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie you will probably not have a PFC in the late afternoon.
6. Courteous consumption
You are doing great eating your fruits and veggies, getting sleep and creating friction free social interactions. So what to do when a loving relative will feel personally slighted if you don’t try a piece of every pie that was made? We are hardwired to only experience pleasure on the first bite. So take a hint from your brains pleasure centers and courteously consume only one bite before you skillfully stash the rest somewhere where it won’t be noticed. Chances are that the person only wants to hear your praise and after receiving validation for their culinary expertise no one will notice that you didn’t finish the whole piece. Courteous consumption can also apply to beverages as many holiday drinks are less than optimal for your overall health.
7. Ashwagandha Tea
When you or your guest’s energy starts to flag in the late afternoon then it is time to serve Ashwagandha tea or a type of tea that contains Ashwagandha such as Raspberry Passion Perfect Energy, Sweet Tangerine Positive Energy and Vanilla Spice Perfect Energy. Ashwagandha is a powerful immune tonic and it can help prevent you from getting a cold or flu.
Health doesn’t have to be complicated. Use these simple strategies to get the most out of your holidays and enjoy your time without all the stress.
