How To Stay Healthy Physically and Mentally During the Holidays from Beth

We hope everyone is enjoying this holiday season and spending time with loved ones or simply taking some time for yourself.  

During the holidays it can be easy to get caught up in all the chaos that goes into preparing but it is very important to remember to stay healthy physically and mentally. Our fitness & wellness expert Beth Bielat sent us some tips on how to keep our composer during this holiday season.

How to stay healthy physically and mentally during the holidays...

One of the most important things to do is to try and keep your daily routine. Try and stay on your fitness plan and exercise! If you find that there is not enough time during the day and you have to skip the gym to hit the mall, travel to see friends, or even just because you're cozy hanging with family  - there are still a few things you can do.  When shopping, park in the parking spot furthest away from the entrance, wear comfy shoes and power walk as you travel from store to store. Take a walk with the family in between opening gifts and one of the many meals! Exercising every day is very important, so even small bits here and there are beneficial.

If you're attending a holiday party, eat a healthy snack before you go so you don't show up hungry. Eat sensibly between parties and special events. The holidays are a time to celebrate, so if you overeat or "mess up" your eating habits it is not the end of the world, get back on the horse the next day. Drinking a lot of water helps you stay hydrated and full longer. You can even make it special by adding fizz and a splash of fruit juice to give it color and flavor.

The holiday season can take a toll on your mental health just as much as your physical health. If you find yourself feeling overwhelmed, meditate for a few minutes each day. I find that when I wake up and before I go to sleep are the best times for me. Throughout your day make sure to BREATHE! and make sure to practice your abdominal, relaxed and rhythmical breathing techniques.

The most important tip I can give is to remember that the holidays are about spending time with your family and friends. They are a time of joy and happiness. Pray for gratitude, serenity, love and peace and let go of all the things that you can not control and that aren't important.

Happy Holidays & Best Wishes!

Happy Holidays from Camp Reveille!

Reveille Readers December

Tis the season for holiday traveling which means it's the perfect time for a great new book!  Whether you're headed to grandma's house for the weekend, taking a family vacation to paradise, or if you're just taking some "me-time" with some hot cocoa by the fireplace - our Reveille Readers have new recommendations for you to pick up.  And don't forget - these make great holiday gifts too! 

Reveille Reader: Susan Wood 

Reveille Camper in: 2012

Susans's Pick: My Story: Elizabeth Smart

Susan's Review: The maturity with which she handled her situation, her strong faith, her unwavering hope, her willingness to share her experience for the benefit of others... she is an amazing woman. Also a very well written book. This book inspired me.

Book Description: For the first time, ten years after her abduction from her Salt Lake City bedroom, Elizabeth Smart reveals how she survived and the secret to forging a new life in the wake of a brutal crime.

Now for the first time, in her memoir, MY STORY, she tells of the constant fear she endured every hour, her courageous determination to maintain hope, and how she devised a plan to manipulate her captors and convinced them to return to Utah, where she was rescued minutes after arriving. Smart explains how her faith helped her stay sane in the midst of a nightmare and how she found the strength to confront her captors at their trial and see that justice was served.

Reveille Reader:  Cheryl Oakes

Reveille Camper in:  2011 & 2012 

Cheryl's Pick:   The Plain of Jars by N. Lombardi Jr

Cheryl's Review:   The story of a 60 year old woman from the mid west who starts a journey into Vietnam nam to find out how her son died.

Book Description: What would you do if you found that the bones and ashes you were given by the Air Force were not the remains of your loved one?

Dorothy Kozeny, a 64-year-old widow from a small town in Ohio, after getting no answers from the relevant authorities, decides the only thing to do is to go to Laos herself to search for the truth concerning her son's fate. In 1990, accompanied by a trusted Laotian called Kampeng, Dorothy travels deep into the mountains of rural Laos, attempting to trace her son's path through inhospitable terrain, an unforgettable trek that provides her with a rewarding, often humorous, and at times frustrating, cross-cultural experience. All clues lead her to a mysterious figure, an alleged CIA operative left over from the war, living in a remote and hostile area deep in the jungle. The second part of the book traces the life of this enigmatic character hiding in Laos, the two main characters linked through Dorothy's son.

Happy Holidays & Happy Reading!  

Submit your Reveille Reader Recommendation by clicking here: Reveille Readers

Top 10 Holiday Sleep Tips from The Bedtime Network

We all know that getting a healthy amount of sleep can be a struggle.  The holiday season makes this even tougher for some of us as we might be traveling to see loved ones, heading on a vacation, or hosting family and friends at your place.  To help us get our zzz's this holiday season, our Camp Reveille sleep experts Lisa Mercurio & Cindy Bressler from The Bedtime Network gave us some tips on how we can get a good nights sleep this holiday season!

The Bedtime Network's Top 10 Holiday Sleep Tips

10 – Traveling this holiday season? Planes trains and automobiles throw off tons of inadvertent light.  Pack a good book but even more importantly, don’t forget your sleep mask. If traveling through multiple time zones and jet lag is a factor, check with your doctor and consider a bit of melatonin.

9 – Having guests?  Why not make their bed first and sleep in it.  If you’re really worried about your guests and their comfort zone, give the sleeping accommodations a whirl yourself.  It’s the best way to discover whether or not the mattress is satisfactory, the room temperature is comfortable, and/or if you’ve forgotten something.  We like to leave a choice of pillows for our visitors as well as a variety or choice of blankets.  It’s hard to know what people like in advance, but just in case, a few extra throw blankets or an extra pillow can make the spirit bright.  A bit of luscious foot cream (we like Sabon’s) on the nightstand along with a bottle of water will make it feel just like home (though at that point, they might not want to leave!)

8 –Wine, women and song: the party doesn’t have to end, even when you stop drinking.  A woman’s body doesn’t process alcohol as efficiently as a man’s.  Therefore, remember that a good night’s sleep is easily disrupted by alcohol if your consumption doesn’t stop at least two and preferably three hours prior to bedtime.  Try to wrap it up earlier and you literally will be able to “sleep it off.”  Insist on playing the party line to the end? Well, the old rules of hydrating with extra water will still help.

7 – Overeating:  It’s hard for the body to multi-task, that is, to sleep while digesting an exceptionally heavy meal.  Rich foods and desserts so commonplace at holiday time will not only wreak havoc with your waistline, but they’ll also disturb your sleep.  Bedtime Network’s nutritionist Gayle Reichler recommends that you go light on protein and sugar and even consider having, “breakfast for dinner.”  Check out her Holiday Recipes that won't make you sleepy.  

6 – Exercise can go by the wayside during this busy holiday season, but it’s the best way to combat the extra calories as well as the added stress.  If time is really tight and you find that you simply cannot get yourself to the gym, go out for a walk.  The fresh air and added benefits of Vitamin D from sunlight will help regulate your sleep schedule.

5 – Keeping lists is always at the top of our list, but during the holidays, it can be virtually impossible to track your tasks, your gift giving and even your day-to-day responsibilities.  Don’t let the “worry train” visit you at night when you start to re-trace your steps.  Instead, keep a pad by your bedside to jot down those last minute ideas that cross your mind when there should be nothing but thoughts of sugar plum fairies.

4 – A warm bath before bedtime is not only a relaxing practice, but it also helps to establish communication between your brain and body.  The warm water will raise your body temperature.  Once you’re safely tucked under the covers, your body temperature drops and the brain will receive a natural signal to fall asleep.  We love this as a ritual.  During holiday time, add a few drops of essential lavender oil. Soak. Breathe. Release. Zzzzz.

3 – Turn off.  We’re not talking about the road, but rather, the lights.  The addition of computer screens, smart phones and all manner of devices are exposing us all to blue light which informs our brain that it is not time to sleep, even if it is.  Try to limit your use of electronics 60 to 90 minutes before bedtime.  This is a good practice even when the holidays are not in full swing.

2 – Night Moves.  Stretch.  Stretch.  Stretch.  Chances are good that the tension between your shoulders is permeating your mood and your sleep.  Tune into Elisabeth Halfpapp’s gentle nightly system for mind and body Night Moves, and you’ll be sleeping better than your cat and dog. 

1 – Do something kind for yourself that influences your sleep in a positive way each and every night.  15 minutes of meditation, breathing, and/or listening to music can make all the difference.  We recommend BedtimeBeats – The Secret to Sleep as the ultimate music before bedtime.  We also like the “Deep Sleep” app for iPhone by Dr. Andrew Johnson. Portable.  Inexpensive.  Non-addictive.

Sleep in heavenly peace.

Love, The First Ladies of Sleep

Lisa and Cindy

Lisa & Cindy of The Bedtime Network

How Much is Too Much? From Beth Bielat

The holiday season is officially here and temptation is all around us!  It can definitely be hard to refrain from over doing it.  In an effort to help us stay healthy and happy this holiday season, our Reveille fitness and wellness guru, Beth Bielat has some tips on how to determine when too much becomes too much! 

How much is too much food and alcohol?

Everyone is different. Our calorie intake and alcohol consumption can vary from person to person, gender to gender, size to size, etc. But here are some general guidelines:

In an article from Mayo Clinic the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that "if you choose to drink alcohol you may do so only in moderation - up to one drink a day for women or two drinks a day for men". If you are Diabetic and have another medical condition or you are taking medications, you should consult your doctor.

With holiday festivities, quite often it may be that you end up having a few extra drinks and alcohol use is a slippery slope. It's easy to drink too heavily, leading to serious health consequences. Be careful, not only is drinking and driving a problem, the calories can add up fast. Here’s how the problem grows…more drinks, more calories, poorer choices in food, and alcohol slows your metabolism. So it’s a double or triple whammy.

As for food intake, calories add up so quickly. A few bites here, a few bites there, a drink and the next thing you know – pow – 1000 new calories. Do that for a few nights and you’ve already gained a pound, right?

Some feasting tips:

- Choose shrimp, veggies and fruits.
- Stay away from fried foods, the creamy stuff and anything with pie crust.
- Don’t go to parties hungry!
- Don’t eat unless you are hungry - and you shouldn’t be too hungry because you ate a healthy snack a few hours prior...right?
- While cooking and baking, chew gum! I know this sounds funny, but it works!
- Drink lots of water.

Some healthy cooking tips:

We don't want you to end up like this little fella...

Keep cut up vegetables and fruits in the fridge. If healthy snacks are easily accessible, you will tend to reach for them more than slaty chips or sugary sweets.  I even always include big vegetable and fruit salads as part of holiday meals so that the whole family has healthy fresh options throughout the meals.

You would be surprised how far a tablespoon of butter or oil will go for some recipes that include stuffing, sautéing, etc. I make a huge serving of healthy stuffing with just one tablespoon of butter. I sauté lots of onions and celery (and sometimes mushrooms), then I add skim milk to a loaf of healthy whole wheat bread, (I mush everything together with my hands) Bell’s seasoning and some chicken broth. Yummy, my family loves the treat and it’s a tenth of the calories of regular stuffing.

Some breathing tips:

First, you must be conscious of your breathing and how you are feeling. If you are feeling stressed or anxious try some deep breathing techniques. Take some deep inhales through your nose into your belly and draw the breath up into your chest – like a wave. Then, on the exhale…just sigh through your mouth. You can even make a sighing noise on the exhale. It feels really good. If you are home alone, you can even give a good yelp on the exhale a few times – that feels good too.

Some other helpful tips: 

- Try to stay calm during holiday shopping or other overwhelming events.
- Start holiday planning as early as you can. You feel so much more “in the spirit” if you are not rushed, irritated and panicking.
- Be organized: Organize your time, your lists, your holiday wrapping etc.
- Try to find time to “get it together” and create a positive intention for your holiday experience. For instance, “I am going to have fun, stay calm, and enjoy my time with friends and family.” 
- If something unexpected happens, go with the flow. It’s not the end of the earth to change some plans mid-stream, right?
- Most of all – have fun, remember the purpose and spirit of the season.
How about some random acts of kindness? Remember "Kindness" is a Reveille Arch Ideal! 

Remember to keep checking our Camp Reveille blog for more tips and recipes from our experts on how to stay happy and healthy during the holidays!