Some memories from past Christmas': the BEST gift a foodie could ask for! First Chrissy as an auntie
I am not quite ready for December, but here we are! Although, saying that, I have been waiting for it to arrive for weeks now... I love this end-of-year-its-almost-Summer feeling. Melbourne has had other ideas, though, and has been characteristically cold for most of last month. I am ready for Summer and some sunshine!
Dec-Jan is such a fun and full time of year for me - very happy lady with her gift!
For my (first) 'monthly mindfull blog' I wanted to start on a topic that is pretty fundamental to the way I do things and approach the way I cook, recipe create and coach my clients. BALANCE.
I've chosen to talk about all things balance in today's blog for a few reasons. Coming into the silly season it couldn't be a better time to talk about how much balance comes into everything we do: work, play, food, drinking, partying, overcommitting, under-exercising...the list goes on.
I put up my tree up this week, which brings me so much joy! Even though it isn't a real tree, with its beautiful fresh smell and gorgeous green pines, it's the best I can do while renting and about to move out in 4 weeks time. Literally, just, after, Christmas, and, right, before, New Years. Needless to say the timing has gotten me feeling a little bit anxious. Christmas and New Years is already a busy time of year without the added stress of moving house. Wish me luck...
But putting all of that aside, I really do enjoy everything else that comes along with the silly season and it usually doesn't change my routine or stress levels all that much. I'm a bit of a stickler for routine, so while adding in the extra social event or shopping expedition is out of the norm, my habits and daily routines stay like they normally would at any other time of the year. This is because I know what I'm like without a routine - and it ain't pretty. Routines; my exercise habits, my usual eating habits and go-to's and how I choose to unwind are what keep me feeling balanced all year round.
So without any more chat from me, here's my advice on how to stay balanced when your life feels a little too full.
Off to do some yoga with my partner (begrudgingly) whilst on holidays.
My top tips for finding balance:
1. Don't let your usual healthy habits slip:
Keeping up your regular routine of healthy practices you already do in your day-to-day life will keep you feeling more grounded and, you guessed it, balanced. Do you go for a weekly walk with a friend? Don't drop that. Do you spend Saturday mornings walking to your local fresh food market (like me) to buy your weekly produce? Keep that up.
The old saying stands here:
Fail to prepare, prepare to fail.
Be organised by putting your regular healthy habits like workouts, health appointments like massage, acupuncture or PT into your calendar (if they aren't there already) so you can visibly see these times and be able to map the other silly-season add-in into your schedule without missing out on these fundamentals.
2. Mindful eating tips:
You can have your cake and eat it too over Christmas, and here is my permission for you to not feel one shred of guilt about it. If you keep up those healthy habits you already have in place, then sitting back and enjoying a piece of plum pud should make you feel only the good feels, like nostalgia and satiety, and non of the bad feelings, like guilt or gluttony.
what you do and how you feed yourself every day is what impacts your overall health, not the small impact of one (or a few) meals you have whilst celebrating with loved ones.
3. Physical exercise is a non-negotiable:
Let's be realistic here, the holiday season is probably not the best time to start an intense new exercise regime. What's the most important thing to prioritise during the end-of-year mayhem, is to keep up the current exercise habits your already have as best as you can.
The world won't come to an end if you miss one workout in place of a catch up with friends though and it doesn't have to be 'made up' at another time. Again, it's about what you do a little bit of, often, not the big things you do hardly ever.
Why not try combining your catch-ups with family by going out for a walk? Invite your friend to a yoga class then grab a meal afterwards?
Setting aside a small amount of time each day to complete some simple exercises at home might be more achievable for you than getting out to an exercise class.
Just remember the feeling you get when you know you've done your best to look after your body.
4. Mindfulness and self-care easy wins: Look after yourself in little ways to bring back some control. Here are my top 3 tips I use regularly.
Morning walks to clear the mind: I have gotten up for a morning walk most days of my life for the past few years. It doesn't have to be a long one, although it's pretty nice when I have the time to get out for a little longer, some mornings I head out for 10 minutes. It helps clear my thoughts and I use the time to plan my day. I don't usually listen to anything as I like to keep this time more mindful.
Gua sha to de-stress that jaw: I do this when I'm feeling tense and hold that tension in my jaw... it takes me about 5 minutes and I feel fabulous after. You can even use the back of a cold spoon if you don't own a gua sha stone. Make sure to put some face oil on your skin and neck before you do this (coconut oil works if you don't own anything fancy).
Breathing exercises for when you need to slow down: This stuff is the easiest, quickest, cheapest and smartest way to pull yourself out of stress mode and drop you into a feeling of calm. Breathing exercises are scientifically backed as being effective in suppressing your sympathetic nervous system (fight/flight stress response) and activating your parasympathetic branch (rest/digest). Take a breath in through your nose, if you can, and then slowly release it through pursed lips like you're blowing through a straw. Making your exhale longer in length than your inhale is the goal here. Repeat 10 times and enjoy the instant results.
5. You don't have to say yes to every event:
I'm going to keep this one short and simple; you should never make yourself feel guilty about not attending an event you don't want to go to; conserve your energy; make time for the things and people you care about; and most importantly, make time for you.
I'm looking forward to popping back in this space again next month, but until then, I hope you have found a little bit of inspo from this blog about ways you can find balance over the silly season. Feel free to subscribe to my mailing list so these monthly blogs land in your inbox as soon as they're published.
Mindfully,
Merran
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