Holiday Recovery 101

If there is one thing I can always seem to count on, its being knocked flat with a nasty cold/sinus infection/cough/insert other annoying winter bug here in January. It seems like my body manages to hold it together through December because I just don’t have a moment to even consider being laid up with a bug, but once January rolls around and my life slows down somewhat, WHAM!! So this year, I want to try and make the transition from the December crazies to the cold, dreary months of January in good health and good spirits. Here’s my plan:

 

GET SOME EXERCISE

I have made a promise to myself that I will be kind to my body and not punish it with extra trips to the gym and grueling pain-inducing workouts just because I managed to eat too much shortbread over the holidays. My goal is to keep feeling healthy and to get some cardio to keep my spirits up, plus some strength exercises to make sure I’m not going to throw out my back when the snow finally hits and shoveling season begins. I’m not hitting the gym because of some crazy resolution. I’m going to be kind to my body and keep it strong and healthy, to improve my blood circulation, boost my energy levels, and to get some alone time to concentrate on me. And if I can’t get to the gym, I have promised myself to get in a small walk, some stretching, or just some hopping around to music in my kitchen a few times a week.

 

COOK FROM SCRATCH

I know that not everybody is adept in the kitchen but after a month of fatty foods, sweets, and culinary indulgences, there is something very appealing about a big bowl of homemade vegetable soup and some warm bread, or a nice baked chicken breast with garlic mashed potatoes and wilted spinach. I am taking my slow cooker out of its summer hibernation and promising myself to try and use it once a week. For all of you novices in the kitchen, I really recommend www.canadianliving.com. The food portion of their site has a ‘Quick and Easy’ area that has saved me on many an evening when I’m looking at a package of chicken breasts and scratching my head, hoping for inspiration. They also have a fantastic collection of slow cooker recipes that range from breakfast through to desert!

 

KEEP UP WITH HOBBIES AND FRIENDS

The kiddies go back to school in January but so can we grown-ups! Adult classes are starting a new semester in January as well, so why not sign up for some pottery, carpentry, creative writing, or salsa lessons? I never enjoy my belly dance classes more than in January when we all stumble into the studio, covered in snow and shivering, only to throw off our parkas, laugh together, and get some much-needed exercise. Having somewhere to go one evening a week helps to fend off the winter blahs and meeting new friends is just a wonderful bonus.

 

Keeping up with old friends is another promise I have made to myself this winter. Once the enforced ‘togetherness’ of the holidays is over and we’ve all had time to catch our breath, it’s nice to get together and share a quiet glass of wine with some of your nearest and dearest. When it’s cold and blowy outside, and nobody really wants to brave the noise and clamour of a pub, we plan on converging at each other’s houses for some quality time. It’s how we all have agreed to stave off the isolation and melancholy that can set in after the holidays are over and the cold winter sets in.

 

LIMIT CAFFEINE AND SUGAR INTAKE

When it’s freezing outside, a nice hot drink is just what the doctor ordered but by mid-February I often find myself on a caffeine induced rollercoaster of fatigue and then sleeplessness. I am on a mission to find non-caffeinated substitutes for my favourite orange pekoes and tall Americanos and I will report my findings to you in a few weeks! Many experts recommend not consuming caffeine after 4pm and this was something I scoffed at for a long time, but I am now finding that having caffeine, particularly coffee, in the late afternoon, will often keep me wide eyed until at least an hour after I should have been asleep.

 

Similarly, the sugary sweets we indulge in over the holidays actually drain our energy. The energy we first experience is actually a spike in our blood sugar level which then causes our body to release insulin. That means a subsequent crash. And if you’re having your sugar with a dose of caffeine, you’ve got yourself a vicious cycle.

 

GET LOTS OF SLEEP

I wrote about the need for a good solid seven hours sleep in my article ‘Be Kind To Yourself This Holiday Season’ but I think it bears repeating. Getting enough sleep means you will have a stronger ability to fight off those nasty winter bugs, it will make you more patient with your children, it will make you better able to focus at work… Need I go on?