Beat Holiday Stress

Holidays are fun, but they can also be stressful. You may be dealing with visiting relatives, end-of-year work deadlines, meal planning, shopping, crowded malls, endless cleaning, needy family members, awful traffic, etc.

The good news is that some stress is good for you, because it gives you purpose, challenge, and a sense of achievement. For example, while it’s stressful to host a meal for your family, it’s nice to do something for the people you love and share a delicious meal you prepared on your own and made with love.

On the other hand, lots of stress is not so great for us. When we are stressed, our cortisol levels increase. A sudden increase in cortisol levels causes a long list of problems. For example, you are at a greater risk for having a heart attack or stroke, as well as elevated blood sugar, increased belly fat, and memory loss.

So if you know the holidays really stress you out, your goal is to find things that will help balance you and help you feel good.  

Here are some stress reducing activities to help you get through the holidays:

Exercise:

The first step towards managing your stress is to get a decent workout in every day. A good workout rejuvenates you and helps to produce endorphins, which make you calm.

For example:

  • Take a hot yoga class- get out of your head and into your body. Visit Empower Yoga!
  • Go for a run

Get a good night’s sleep:

People need a fresh start each day, but for many, a good night’s sleep is hard to come by.

  • Stick to your schedule and try not to deviates by no more than 1 hour daily (2 hours max), even over the holidays.
  • Use your bed for sleep and not work, tv, ipads, cell phones, etc.
  • When you turn out the lights to sleep, be sure to keep the bedroom dark and quiet.
  • Avoid bringing pets or children into your bed at night as they will wake you up.

Be mindful of your alcohol and caffeine intake:

If you have trouble sleeping, don’t consume more than 2 servings of caffeine during the day, and not more than 2 servings of alcohol in the evening. Extra caffeine and alcohol disrupts a good night’s sleep.

Get off your feet:

If you’ve been on your feet all day working, shopping, or socializing, quickly relieve stress by giving your feet a break. Simply elevating or lifting your feet above your heart, can help you relax and recenter.

Breathe:

If traffic is backed up, or your in laws are testing your patience, go ahead and sigh. Take a minute to breathe. This is the body’s natural response to stress.

Relax your shoulders, neck, and upper back. Then, inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth, letting go of any stress and/or tension you may be feeling.

Schedule some peace and calm every day:

Many people eat well and exercise, yet they don’t schedule any time in their day for peace and calm. If you don’t have a daily relaxation routine, 10 to 20 minutes of soul calming activity, in place to manage the stress in your life, it probably won’t happen on its own.

  • Make an appointment for a massage.
  • Sign up for a yoga class. If hot or athletic yoga classes are too strenuous for you, opt for a relaxation yoga class- Empower Yoga offers a Yin Yoga class as well as a Recharge class.
  • Meditate- give yourself 10 minutes to tune in and transform your negative thoughts.

Get outside and have fun!! Do something you love and enjoy a few times each week for your own health and sanity. Plan some activities that are fun for you, your family, and your close friends. When you are stressed, it’s nice to spend time with people who make you happy and who bring cheer.

As you reduce your stress, you’ll sleep better, eat more wisely, work out more, and feel better all around.

Happy Holidays!

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Why Hot Yoga is Great for Athletes…

Athletes play hard– running, climbing, jumping, biking, lifting, golfing, etc. When muscles work hard and become more fibrous and strong, they also become very tight. Tight muscle can lead to the loss of mobility, making it difficult to move around.  For example, if you’re a runner like me, we have strong quadriceps but our hamstrings shorten, making it difficult for us to bend over and touch our toes. Another example, weightlifters will get super toned in the shoulders and arms, but they often have difficulty raising their arms high overhead. As an athlete’s range of motion decreases, the ability to stay on top of his or her game becomes harder. This is preventable! Hot yoga loosens the muscles naturally and safely, allowing all athletes to find more freedom, flexibility and ease in tight areas.

Practicing yoga a few times a week, helps the tight muscles stay strong, but also become more pliable and flexible. The benefit- lengthen and strengthen the body so you have the ability to move safely for the rest of your life.

At our power yoga studio, we strive to provide a well-rounded workout (cardio, weight bearing, stretching and more) that makes you feel good from head to toe. If you can commit and incorporate yoga regularly (2 to 3 times a week), you’ll see results within a month.

Here are just some of the benefits of hot yoga for athletes:

Full range of motion
More flexibility
Improved balance
Focus
Mind Control
Breathwork
Increased core strength
Injury prevention

Why does the heat work so well?

The heat makes your muscles more elastic and pliable allowing for deeper and safer stretching. The heat also allows blood and oxygen to be delivered to the muscles helping them to build, lengthen and repair more easily. This increased blood and oxygen also speeds up the body’s ability to breakdown glucose and fatty acids that help shed fat tissue and weight. In addition, hot yoga gives the body the rest it needs from repetitive motions of one sport while still offering a solid workout. Another great benefit is the breath control you learn in yoga will help keep your mind and body calm in stressful conditions on and off your mat.

Top professional and recreational athletes are big on yoga! Famous football and baseball teams embrace yoga. So do ice skaters, swimmers, golfers, triathletes, gymnasts, dancers and many more.
Are you ready to start adding yoga into your weekly fitness regimen? I hope so!

Our classes at Empower Yoga include:
  • HOT or Warm Power Flow/Vinyasa classes
  • Power Plus
  • Yin Yoga
  • Restorative Yoga

Get started today! Join us at Empower Yoga!!  Get strong and bendy for lifelong athletic health.

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