Surviving the Holiday Season

The holiday season can conjure up a mix of emotions. For some of us, it’s a magical time of year and for others, it’s a quagmire of fractured relationships and trigger points, with seasonal affective disorder complicating things even further. 

If the latter rings more true for you, we want to encourage you to take the next month as an opportunity to make different choices when dealing with yourself and others. What can you do to make this year better? How can WIT be a healthy distraction?

Here are some things to consider around your program to increase your sense of wellbeing:

Get sun. If you have a fitness leg, consider braving the cold and taking it outside one day a week. Increased exposure to the sun equals more vitamin D and higher levels of serotonin, and the crisp weather has been proven to make the body burn more calories.

Sweet cheat. If you have a nutrition leg, plan it out in such a way that you’re able to indulge a little at celebratory meals. If your family is a source of stress, it may be nice to have the option to comfort yourself a bit while around them. We’re not advocating you go off the rails but it could be a drag to have to practice lots of self-control in a high pressure environment. Be realistic and set yourself up for success.

Frontload. Get your program done early during the weeks where your routine may be out of whack due to travel and family obligations. Again, we want you to anticipate potential stressors and prepare for them. You may not be able to control delayed flights or petty fights but, with the help of your accountability community, you can choose to get your program off your plate so it’s one less thing you have to worry about.

We hope this holiday season is your best one yet!