Avoid stress this festive season

HOLIDAY SEASON SURVIVAL GUIDE: 5 WAYS COMBAT STRESS THIS FESTIVE SEASON

The holiday blues 

The holiday season is often a time when we invite unwanted guests, anxiety, stress and even a little depression into our homes and our lives. There’s a sort of expectation that we should feel happy and positive during this time of the year, but this is often not the case. And the thing is, when we feel down, agitated, somewhat depressed and stressed during this time of year, we tend to put additional stress onto our emotional wellbeing and beat ourselves up for being down in the dumps. 

Times have changed

Since when did the holiday period shift from us running around like kids with our cousins we only saw once a year to us suddenly trying to ‘adult’, buy gifts, make food (who even knows how to make a moist turkey in any case?) and endless socialising. 

It’s not fair, is it? Why does the festive period bring with it the stress of entertaining friends and family, trying to find the perfect gifts, cook delicious food your grandmother is proud of and trying to get enough sleep? 

We go from working hard throughout the year to try and make ends meet, to running around like headless turkeys trying to make everyone happy during the holidays. 

Well, this year we say “no more!”

Here is our ultimate guide to surviving the holidays

1. Breathe in deep

Now, this pointer might seem a little obvious but hear us out. 

Did you know that when you stress, you have a tendency to hold your breath? This means that less oxygen is getting to your brain. As a result of this, your body’s fight-or-flight response kicks in which releases hormones to help you combat a stressful situation. And cooking the turkey is not exactly a fight-or-flight situation, but our brains might perceive it to be one based on the anxiety and stress we are experiencing as a result of our current situation. 

Some therapists recommend wearing an elastic band around your wrist. When things start to feel a little overwhelming, gently pull back on this elastic and let it snap back on your wrist. This little snap will bring you back into the present moment and will serve as a reminder to breathe deeply. Just 4 deep breaths are enough to change your entire mindset. 

Have a look at some deep breathing techniques here

2. Don’t force yourself to be happy

There’s an expectation around this time of year for it to truly be ‘the most wonderful time of the year.’ But this doesn’t mean every single day has to be filled with magic. It’s normal to feel sadness, grief or stress during this time of the year. Embrace and express your emotions in order to properly deal with them. 

3. Stop negative thoughts in their place

When you catch yourself caught in a whirlwind of negative emotions, try to bring your awareness to the room and the space around you. This is known as grounding yourself. It can be as simple as placing your feet on the floor and feeling the weight of your body pressing on your feet and the floor supporting your weight. 

 

Avoid stress this festive season

4. Learn to say no

Remember that you have worked all year and deserve a little time off. This means that it’s okay to say no to some social obligations. Set some time aside to do something special for yourself. It can be taking a drive out to somewhere beautiful, going for a long beach walk when your family wanted you to stay for lunch or just lying in a bath and listening to some good music. You do you. And don’t forget to always be kind to yourself. 

Keep in mind that there is a limit to how much you can accomplish during the holidays. You can’t please everyone, but you can please yourself. 

5. Take some time out to exercise

You know what they say “you are only one workout away from a better mood.” Take some time out to go for a run, attend a yoga class or dance class. No matter what kind of exercise you like to get involved in now is the time to do it. 

Plus, we have put together a guide on how to stay healthy and fit during the holiday season. 

Bonus tip: turn off your social media!

Talk about a detox diet that really works – disconnect from social media for a few days during the holidays. Trust us on this one, it really works. 

Offer yoga and meditation classes

HOW TO INSPIRE A CULTURE OF FITNESS IN THE WORKPLACE: 4 SIMPLE STEPS

A number of companies are starting to see the benefits of wellness in the workplace. From improving employee’s happiness which is directly linked to their levels of productivity, a healthy workplace allows for not only healthy and happy employees but a boost in sales and your company’s bottom line. 

To fully understand the benefits of workplace wellness we wrote a blog on the topic which you can have a look at right here: 8 reasons why your company needs a wellness program

Personal wellness is a top priority

As working professionals, our personal wellness is of top priority and when a company enables its employees to work in an environment that supports their personal health and wellness, it creates loyalty, decreases sick days and creates a workplace that boosts morale and decreases stress levels. 

One of the first steps to improving personal wellness in the workplace is to inspire a culture of fitness. But it takes more than just some healthy snacks in the breakroom and encouraging employees to take the stairs. 

More than a few simple acts of wellness

To truly make a difference in the lives of your employees and sustain these positive results, you need to create healthy habits of wellness in the workplace, it’s these habits that help develop a culture of health and fitness. 

It’s important to understand that whilst a culture of fitness is important to implement and sustain, as a company, you need to look at the bigger picture of corporate wellness. Which is why it helps to get some professionals in to help. Wellness coaches offer expert advice and implement effective practises to improve the wellness culture in your office. 

In any case, one of the first steps to creating a culture of wellness is to inspire a culture of fitness.

Why fitness matters

Exercise is known to make you feel good. From the runner’s ‘high’ to the great feeling you get after working out, even when you go for a brisk walk around the block, exercise does more than just improve your physical health, but it also taps into our mental wellbeing on a number of positive levels. As with healthy eating and positive thinking, exercise helps us to feel great about ourselves which has a direct impact on our work lives. 

So, how great would it be if your place of work inspired this kind of healthy living? It would be amazing. 

1. Get moving – step up to fitness

It’s all about the little efforts that make the big difference. Rewarding employee’s ‘stepping’ milestones is a great way to encourage movement. 

For example, set daily goals of 10 000 steps a day. Those who reach this goal for 10 days in a row are celebrated and rewarded with discounted gym memberships or healthy snack baskets. 

Walking meetings offer a fun alternative to the boring boardroom. 

Provide safe bike parking for those who cycle to work. 

Did you know that staff who spent 30 to 60 minutes working out during their lunch break reported an average performance boost of 15%? Encouraging staff to work out during lunch and better yet, providing them with the space to do so is a great way to improve productivity.

2. Bring fitness into team building

Fun soccer games, 5k fun walks/runs or even jumping on trampolines at Bounce are all fun and engaging ways to interact as a team. 

 

3. Offer yoga and meditation classes 

During lunch and after work, bring in a yoga instructor or offer a meditation class for those who want to get involved. You can also offer this before work starts in the morning to ensure employees start their day feeling relaxed and ready to take on the challenges of the day. 

 

4. Clear communication and celebration is key

Offer yoga and meditation classes

It’s all fine and well having these various fitness and health opportunities available to employees, but you need to ensure that they know about them too! 

And what’s more, your staff need to know that you care about them. A fitness culture in the workplace will not happen without reinforcement. 

This means you need to create a clear communication plan and timeline that lets employees know exactly what activities will be taking place and when as well as what rewards and incentives are linked to these activities. 

It’s important that you reward and celebrate those who take part in fitness challenges. As mentioned earlier, some rewards include: 

  • Discount gym memberships 
  • Healthy snack baskets 
  • Healthy reward vouchers for shops like Total Sports or Sportsmans Warehouse 
  • Free yoga vouchers 

The list goes on. 

Open up an honest conversation around fitness in your business. Talk about topics like work and personal life balance and nutrition. Create an environment where employees are encouraged to talk openly about their health and mental wellbeing and have the right tools to improve their health. 

It starts at the top

Don’t forget that effective fitness in the workplace starts with the boss. As a leader, your staff will follow you so ensure you set a good example and take part in the various fitness activities in the office. 

WellBe Company

HAVE YOUR COCKTAIL AND DRINK IT TOO? YOUR ULTIMATE GIRL’S NIGHT OUT GUIDE

Who doesn’t love a good “Girl’s Night Out”? Drinks… friends… memories you do (or maybe don’t) remember. But all too often we find ourselves using one too many tequila shots as an excuse to make poor food (and life) decisions. Fun-filled nights turn into mornings of regret and guilt when we see the evidence of the late night fast food binge littered on our bedroom floor. But this doesn’t need to be the case. With just a few small smart tweaks, you can feel great all night long and help stave off the post party boozy-blues the next day.

Let’s set the scene.

You’ve organized a long overdue girl’s night out with 5 friends this Friday. You’re notorious for going all out when you’re together and you’re no stranger to 24 hour hangover recovery turnaround times either…

It’s 5am on Friday morning and instead of hitting the “snooze” button one or 6 times, you get dressed and head off to the gym.

Getting an early morning workout in first thing will not only raise your feel-good endorphin levels, but also help boost your metabolism and pre-burn off some of those liquid calories you intend on consuming later. During your workout, make sure to maintain a high-intensity tempo to keep your heartrate high and target large muscle groups like your legs and back to maximize the potential calorie burn. Think supersets, circuit training and lots and lots of sweat.

If ever there’s a day to hit your water goals, it’s today.

Those frequent bathroom trips and hours spent standing in the line for the ladies’ loo aren’t a coincidence. Alcohol is a diuretic and often leaves a person in a mild state of dehydration following a night out drinking. Make sure to consume 500ml-1L more liquid than you would normally, either in the form of plain water, calorie free flavoured drink options or herbal teas.

*Health hack- Herbal teas, such as green tea, have been shown to promote liver health and wellbeing and is a great and tasty way to potentially help buffer the negative effects of alcohol consumption on the body.

Your typical Friday croissant or muffin fix for breakfast just won’t cut it.

If you know you’re going to be going out in the evening, a safe general nutrition strategy is to make food and meal choices that are high in micronutrients but lower in calories. This allows you to “bank” a few extra calories for the evening when you need them most. Processed and highly refined foods, such as pastries, are calorie-dense food options that spike your insulin levels and inevitably leave you feeling low and sluggish. Opt for a well-balanced and nutritious start to your morning with an oat, frozen berry and whey protein smoothie, poached eggs and avocado on rye toast or a small bowl of gut-friendly Greek yogurt, fruit and a sprinkling of raw muesli and seeds.

Crunchy water is your snack food BFF.

Regular alcohol consumption can hamper your body’s immune system and wreak havoc with your hormones. Raw fruit and vegetables are nutritional powerhouses packed full of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants which act to counteract some of these negative effects. If that wasn’t enough, they’re also naturally high in water and fibre, meaning they can help you stay hydrated and feeling fuller for longer. Pair sliced apple or vegetable crudités with unsweetened nut butter and hummus respectively and you have the perfect healthy go-to snack.

“Kankles” are never a good look.

Sitting for prolonged periods of time, such as at your desk at work, can lead to poor circulation and subsequently promote water retention in the feet and ankles. Be sure to take frequent breaks to go walk around. Better yet, take a stroll outside during lunch time so you can soak up some mood-boosting Vitamin D, work on a light sun-kissed glow and brainstorm your outfit for the evening.

*Just some woman to woman advice- take full advantage of “casual Fridays” and use it as an opportunity to wear flats or pumps to work. This way you spare your feet for the killer heels you plan on wearing tonight.

Speaking of lunch…

Keep it light and simple. Choose a lean protein option such as grilled chicken or lean beef and pair it with a couscous and roast vegetable salad, or bundle it up in a lettuce or small whole wheat salad wrap.

Hellooo Happy Hour!

But first, don’t forget to eat dinner. Like, actual dinner. We’ve all made the mistake of going out drinking on an empty stomach. And it never ends well. Without a decent meal in your stomach, any alcohol consumed quickly diffuses into your blood stream and it’s always a slippery (often blurry) slope down from there. Try to consume a protein and healthy fat-based meal before drinking. This will help reduce muscle protein breakdown and, due to the delay in gastric emptying, both these nutrients can naturally control the rate at which your body absorbs alcohol. A great option is salmon, or any oily fish of choice, paired with a small serving of green vegetables and brown rice or quinoa.

*Health hack- Squeeze over some fresh lemon or lime to add a citrusy zing to your meal as well as help alkalise the body. For additional liver support, a milk thistle supplement can also be used which has been shown to help ameliorate the acute negative effects of alcohol ingestion.

Shaken, not stirred.

Simply put, alcohol is viewed as a toxin by your body. As alcohol is consumed, the metabolism of protein, carbs and most importantly, fat are all put on hold, and the focus of the body is turned to metabolizing and getting rid of the newly introduced alcohol as quickly and efficiently as possible. In short what this means is that while drinking, your body’s ability to burn fat is hindered and fat storing capability is increased. This a double-whammy for the bikini body department. Sugary alcoholic drinks and fizzy mixers can exponentially increase the calorie damage of any drink choice. Instead, for a more figure-friendly option, go for wine (sparkling or dry white being the lowest in calories) or choose drinks neat, over ice or use sparkling water or sugar free drinks as mixers.

Pick your poison, carefully.

Whiskey, cognac and tequila are known to contain higher amounts of congeners. Congeners are naturally occurring toxic products found in alcohol and have been shown to result in more intense and frequent hangovers than clearer spirits such as vodka, gin or white rum.

I’ll have one extra-large pizza with a side of regret, please.

We all know that stop off at the nearest fast-food restaurant on the way back home from a night out all too well. And it’s this often >1000 calorie meal that is the main culprit for the scale going up. If you need to pick up something on the way home, make it something high in protein and try go for the “realest” food option on the menu. Better yet, make sure you have healthy and delicious leftovers ready and waiting to be heated up in the microwave for when you get home. My go-to? A steamy bowl of lean beef or chicken meatballs in a tomato and garlic sauce.

One last night cap?

You’re exhausted and are about to fall face first into bed. Hopefully you’ve been alternating between alcohol and water throughout the night, but if you forgot to properly hydrate, have some coconut water (or any available electrolyte supplement) before bed, ideally with a pinch of salt. The potassium and sodium will you’re your body rehydrate and is a great tasting way to prevent a hellish hangover in the morning.

So… brunch?

Sleep deprivation will only make you feel worse the next day, so don’t feel bad about getting in some extra recovery Z’s. Make sure your first meal of your day pack’s a protein punch (eggs are always a winner) to kick start your metabolism again. Pair your breakfast with a fresh green juice (no not a Bloody Mary) to flood your body with some much needed nutrients and water and get you psychologically feeling good again. If you’re up for it, get your body going too with some yoga, walk or a light run outside.

Round two anyone?

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